how safe is LIVE

[Snakes_in_a_shed]

over here in the uk f/t is the norm and i know alot of you over inthe states feed live but i was just wondering how safe it is i have fed f/k but (touch wood) never needed to untill now to feed live

i have a spider bp and to start she struck fed great, then she went of her food for about 6 weeks and i finaly got her to eat by assisting now she wont eat unless i assist her but it is geting closer to the time when i am thnking of breeding her and i do not want to breed her if i have to assist feed. the only time she has ever refused is that six weeks i spoke of and the last 4 weeks when i just let her starve to see if hunger would get her going agin but i had to assit her again the other day. i am trying to get a hold of multimammate mice to see if that will work

i am just wondering how safe live woud be and if you have any other ideas on how to get her goping it woudl b much apreciated


thanks Alan

[Nate]

A lot of people do it with no problems....me being one. Just don't leave the food in for long periods of time.

[Sparky1]

Well you are right this is a much debated topic, some will say that it is safe and others say that it is not. Personally i believe it is safe, provided that it is done properly, i started with feeding live and then switched to f/t. Now i am going back to live, since i get a really good feeding response with live prey. I place the container of live rats in the snake room on top of the rack and it takes minutes before i see alot of comotion in the tubs and tounge flicking. I wait about half an hour to scent the room as they say. By then they are all in feed mode. So i drop them in, usually takes no more than 20 sec to hear the thump and the scream.
When i was feeding f/t they would act interested but never strike no matter what lil dance i did, so i would just leave it in the tub on a lil dish and usually they would eat. Sometimes they would not and that rat then had to get tossed out, so i was not a big fan of that. The only thing i would worry with a problem feeder is that a mouse or a rat can cause harm to the snake. On another note alot of snakes go off feed during this time of year, since it is breeding season.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

When done by someone responsible it can be done safely.

[rabernet]

I've had no issues with feeding well fed, well hydrated, appropriately sized live prey. The largest rat I feed is 40-60 grams.

[Argentra]

I still feed my BP mice, but they're live. I don't think she'd respond nearly as well with something that wasn't moving. When I feed her, I hold the mouse by the tail in tongs, then lower it into the box with her. It usually takes her less than two seconds to see and grab it (except when the mouse is really dark, then it takes a little while longer). Of course, she's the only one I feed like this, so the extra time, to me, is worth it.

[rabernet]

Why do you use tongs for live? I just drop them in and the snakes do just fine.

[Elvyra's Keeper]

I just hold mine by the tail. Do you have to use tongs?

[rabernet]

Elvyra, live? Why do you guys restrain the rats or mice if feeding live at all?

[Argentra]

Personally, I restrain the mouse for peace of mind and because of a past bad experience seen with feeding loose live at the zoo. It makes me feel more comfortable to have control over the mouse so it can't hurt her.