Feed dead rats off?

[Snakefreak64]

Do you guys and gals feed off you freshly dead rats??/ dead from unknown reasons!?!?!...........I found one of my "pet breeders" dead and she was running around last night, so I froze her for a future BIG meal.........

thnx

[RichsBallPythons]

Rodents die at any age for any reason. If their still soft and not stiff then yes freeze and then feed when needed.

[Snakefreak64]

Rodents die at any age for any reason. If their still soft and not stiff then yes freeze and then feed when needed.

good enough

thnx

[SlitherinSisters]

I agree, as long as she was still soft you should be alright. They begin to have rigamortis within an hour, so if it's stiff, you know it's been dead for a while.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Yep, I have on occasion. Nothing wrong with them as far as nutrition is concerned.
I personally think it's important to remember that in the wild, infirm animals are the top choice for predators. So, while we like to feed the healthiest stock to our snakes, they'll do just fine on the worst we have, too. I don't see a reason to discard a rat that had good weight and health just because it died of a brain embolism, heart attack, stroke, or who knows what else can crop up suddenly.

I'm not saying feed really sick, thin, weak rats off to your snakes, just saying there's no reason to discard a freshly dead rat that seems ok.