Wow...mad, mad props to these little hunters...

[GoBoilers]

Disclaimer! I really don't want to start a live vs. f/t debate. This is just pure respect for these little pythons as hunters coming from someone who has always fed f/t.

So, my 500 g male has skipped his last couple of meals...I'm not super worried, but being a typical, new BP owner, I can't help but wonder if he'd come around with a live rodent (the breeder had actually started him out on live and I switched to f/t). Admittedly, there was probably a bit of my own morbid curiosity as I've never seen a BP eat a live rodent...but now that that's out of my system...

So I picked up a couple of mice at the pet store (having never offered him live, I wanted to keep the teeth as small as possible...I should also mention that I had resigned myself to the fact that if I was going to do this, it was going to be all on the snake...no stunning, no pre-killing...I don't know quite how to explain my rationale, maybe it's a little selfish, but I've never done either of those things and was afraid I'd only end up torturing the poor thing. I was therefore prepared to take full responsibility if anything happened)!

Anyway, I put the little box with the mice in it in Hank's enclosure in an effort to prescent. He showed no interest whatsoever, but I wasn't surprised...I highly doubted that he was holding out for live food! I let a mouse loose in his enclosure and he briefly stuck his head out a couple of times to inspect...but ultimately retreated back into the safety of his hide.

Sooooo...Plan B: Hope like hell that Betty (who's never had live in her life) will absolve me of an obviously bad decision on my part to buy live mice! Well, she did and then some! I was in complete awe at how quickly and efficiently she killed those mice (something I could not have done)...like she had been doing it her whole life. It sounds sappy, but I've truly got a whole new respect for these guys...I've got 4 limbs and opposable thumbs and Betty just schooled me on on all counts with nothing but neck.

Anyhoo, thought you guys who've fed live for some time now would get a kick out of a f/ter's newbie perspective on live feedings! I don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon (only source of live is Petco at $3 a pop!)...just wanted to say that it always kinda commands respect to see a hunter do what he or she does best!

[Animals As Leaders]

Yeah feeding live is intense because you really get to see what they do best...and thats eat!

F/t is fun to watch to though in my opinion because they still attack as if it was alive. I like to give the mouse/rat a tug while they are constricting it so they think its still kicking, and they then squeeze tighter its kinda funny to watch actually.

Feeding live isn't that bad if you offer it right. I never release the mouse into the enclosure and let it roam just because I have seen some bad coils from them grabbing the mouse at a weird spot. I usually hold the tail, and they try running from me and that keeps the rodent from moving or contorting in a weird angle. They usually grab them right in the face or neck area and take em down. If it eats f/t though, thats best. The occasional live one for 'at home national geographic purposes' is totally ok though lol

[dc4teg]

i feed f/t rats but if i have a guest at my house that are interested and its feeding day i will get live rats just to show how powerfull and wonderfull these creatures are. when you feed f/t you dont get to see the true nature of the animal, theirfore you can not truly respesct them imo. but live is so much move convienint lol but f/t is also a great choice