Frozen Vs. Live

[Perrin024]

I just tried my first frozen meal for makeeda and it was soooo much better than live

just if any newcomers on here are wondering what to feed em out of
~Frozen
~Live
~prekilled

Frozen is definately my preferance. Freezing them kills of any diseases the mice might have that could pass to the snake, theres no chance of the thing fighting back, and the easiest way to warm em up is just stick em under the heat lamp until their soft again, and i noticed she ate em a lot faster than live for some reason. The transition was easy but make sure theyre real hungry

[daniel1983]

Freezing them kills of any diseases the mice might have that could pass to the snake

Freezing does not kill eliminate all possible diseases, etc. found in mice. Anyways, Mouse diseases do not transfer to snakes(at least none that I know of)....the majority of diseases and parasites found in one animal are not able to survive in other kinds of animals(i.e. humans can not get the some of diseases and parasites found in dogs). Most snake diseases and parasites come from other snakes. ...ha...thats why snakes should be housed alone

[Perrin024]

i think i should reinform petco's employees then : )

[daniel1983]

i think i should reinform petco's employees then : )

That is something that is said alot.

You have to remember that a snakes digestive system can digest bone.....thats a pretty harsh environment for anything to live in

[chong_python]

Humans can digest bone too, but we are still able to get parasites from the food that we eat.

Feeding frozen thawed in my oppion is much better. If a rodent is frozen for at least 30 days it eliminates any parasites that can be passed on to your snake.

Tapeworms parasitize the digestive system. Roundworms and related parasites inhabit the digestive tract, but their juvenile stages can cause disease to other organs (especially the lungs).

Snakes can be hosts to large number of parasites, representing a bewildering variety of organisms that can cause many problems to the reproductive and vascular (blood and bloodstream) systems of snakes.

It is possible for a captive snake to become parasitized by eating prey species that harbor the larval stage of a given parasite. Hence if you freeze it, you will eliminate the risk of your snake getting an internal parasite

Dont diss everyone at petco, becuase some of them no what they are talking about, They gave the rite information and passed it on. I dont have a petco here, but it seems like they take alot of heat for things, but in this particular case they gave nothing but 100% factual information.

Chris

[daniel1983]

Humans can digest bone too, but we are still able to get parasites from the food that we eat.

Of course.....that comment was more of a joke...hence the

[daniel1983]

If a rodent is frozen for at least 30 days it eliminates any parasites that can be passed on to your snake.

I try to go by what is said by other people on the topic of parasites. I will admit that I don't really know alot about that kinda stuff.....but I remember Becky or Adam saying that freezing does not eliminate 100% of the parasites that can be passed on to a snake. I just wanted to clarify that....haha....I hate the this biology stuff.

[alexrls]

Dont diss everyone at petco, becuase some of them no what they are talking about, They gave the rite information and passed it on. I dont have a petco here, but it seems like they take alot of heat for things, but in this particular case they gave nothing but 100% factual information.

Chris

of course there are exceptions to every rule but in my area there are 2 petcos and although the guys at the closer one know there stuff when it comes to rodents cats dogs birds and fish which is commedable. they really have trouble with thier reptiles at least at that petco

[Adam_Wysocki]

If a rodent is frozen for at least 30 days it eliminates any parasites that can be passed on to your snake.

False. The majority of digestive based parasites can and will survive freezing in some form for a lot longer than it takes for freezer burn to set in and destroy the food item itself. This is an "internet myth". I highly advise that you read through “A Veterinary Guide to the Parasites of Reptiles” volumes 1 & 2 by Susan M. Barnard and Steve J. Upton … They are available for about $40 each on Amazon.com and will clarify a ton of the bull that you hear on the internet about parasites.

Tapeworms parasitize the digestive system. Roundworms and related parasites inhabit the digestive tract, but their juvenile stages can cause disease to other organs (especially the lungs).

Most parasites are highly specialized and species specific, worms using a rodent as a host would have no effect on a snake and be passed right out.

It is possible for a captive snake to become parasitized by eating prey species that harbor the larval stage of a given parasite. Hence if you freeze it, you will eliminate the risk of your snake getting an internal parasite

The larval stages of a given parasite are the MOST likely forms to survive freezing.

Dont diss everyone at petco, becuase some of them no what they are talking about, They gave the rite information and passed it on. I dont have a petco here, but it seems like they take alot of heat for things, but in this particular case they gave nothing but 100% factual information.

I would never “diss” anyone at PetCo, but in most cases they are part time employees making minimum wage or close to it and have to memorize and retain knowledge pertaining to many species of reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals. I'd take advice from a professional ball python breeder that works with nothing but ball pythons every day over a PetCo employee any day.

Hey Becky, help me out here!!

Oh and BTW – Frozen vs. Live vs. Pre-Killed is a matter of personal preference for each keeper. No single method is “better”, because they all can be done safely and effectively by responsible keepers. Choose the method that works best for you and your snake and leave the preaching to the traveling snake oil sales people!!!



-adam

[Chad T.]

Yea dont dis the PetCo people, dis the way the treat there animals and rep's. And just listen to adam, because I have a book along the same line, and he's right.