Frozen Vs. Live Mice

Hi everyone,

What are the pros and cons of both feeding my python frozen mice and live mice?
(Besides the fact that live mice can possibly hurt my snake)
Is one better than the other in the long run?
Also, why can't I touch my snake 3 days before he eats?
(I understand why not afterwards, but not why before)

Thank you,
~ Lady

I only have two snakes that eat live (rats) so the pros to me for feeding f/t is the convenience (just thaw em and feed) and I can buy in bulk whenever I need. I hear that mice are more dirty/smelly than breeding rats, so that makes it so I don't need to breed my own mice too (though me and my bf have some breeding rats for our own feeders). As long as you supervise the live feedings you shouldn't have any issues, keep a pen/something handy to stick in the feeder's mouth so it doesn't bite the snake (if you need to).

You can handle the snake before you offer, but I usually don't handle a snake a day prior to feeding so it doesn't stress out and possibly refuse a meal. That's only how I do it though, I've never heard of not handling a snake for three days before feeding.

Edit: Also, some say that feeding live/prekilled is more nutritious than feeding f/t, though I haven't seen any studies that 100% prove this and haven't seen it proven true for my collection.

I guess it also depends on how many snakes you are feeding. Feeding live is easier when having fewer snakes. I would imagine supervising live feedings on a large collection would take a real long time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

I only have two snakes that eat live (rats) so the pros to me for feeding f/t is the convenience (just thaw em and feed) and I can buy in bulk whenever I need. I hear that mice are more dirty/smelly than breeding rats, so that makes it so I don't need to breed my own mice too (though me and my bf have some breeding rats for our own feeders). As long as you supervise the live feedings you shouldn't have any issues, keep a pen/something handy to stick in the feeder's mouth so it doesn't bite the snake (if you need to).

You can handle the snake before you offer, but I usually don't handle a snake a day prior to feeding so it doesn't stress out and possibly refuse a meal. That's only how I do it though, I've never heard of not handling a snake for three days before feeding.

Edit: Also, some say that feeding live/prekilled is more nutritious than feeding f/t, though I haven't seen any studies that 100% prove this and haven't seen it proven true for my collection.

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Yeah I have 3 mice currently.
They are easy to upkeep, but they smell so bad!
I want to feed one to my snake quickly for his past owner said he has not eaten'
Also, they smell so bad I was thinking of just putting them in the freezer just to ride of the smell. (Cruel I know, but hey)
Are live rats cheaper/ better than mice?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

I guess it also depends on how many snakes you are feeding. Feeding live is easier when having fewer snakes. I would imagine supervising live feedings on a large collection would take a real long time.

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I only have one

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lady

Yeah I have 3 mice currently.
They are easy to upkeep, but they smell so bad!
I want to feed one to my snake quickly for his past owner said he has not eaten'
Also, they smell so bad I was thinking of just putting them in the freezer just to ride of the smell. (Cruel I know, but hey)
Are live rats cheaper/ better than mice?

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Please don't euthanize by freezing, it's totally inhumane and there are way better methods of going about euthanizing a feeder.

If you don't mind feeding live I would just feed off the mice if the smell is unbearable and see if your snake will take f/t. If you only have one snake that may be a better route to go then breeding your own feeders.

For rats, I've been enjoying breeding them and raising them up and I think my bf has too. They're really easy to care for, and they don't smell bad at all (we have four females right now with three having babies currently) and they smell better than my indoor rabbits.

Dont freeze them alive. That isnt right. And if you only ve one then its really up to you what you want to.feed your snake. I never have any rats at home. I buy the live rats every week and feed them the same day. If one of my snakes turns down a meal somebody else will take it. I have 3 snakes (soon to be 4) so its convinient for me feeding live. I also dont like the thought of rats in my freezer and i heard it can be a smelly job when it comes to defrosting mice/rats.

Dont freeze them alive. That isnt right. And if you only ve one then its really up to you what you want to.feed your snake. I never have any rats at home. I buy the live rats every week and feed them the same day. If one of my snakes turns down a meal somebody else will take it. I have 3 snakes (soon to be 4) so its convinient for me feeding live. I also dont like the thought of rats in my freezer and i heard it can be a smelly job when it comes to defrosting mice/rats.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

Please don't euthanize by freezing, it's totally inhumane and there are way better methods of going about euthanizing a feeder.

If you don't mind feeding live I would just feed off the mice if the smell is unbearable and see if your snake will take f/t. If you only have one snake that may be a better route to go then breeding your own feeders.

For rats, I've been enjoying breeding them and raising them up and I think my bf has too. They're really easy to care for, and they don't smell bad at all (we have four females right now with three having babies currently) and they smell better than my indoor rabbits.

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Oh okay.
I didn't mean to seem inhumane.
(I though that's how you froze them, my bad. My roommate complains about the smell mostly, but then she complains about how cruel it is to have frozen ones, and then she complains about feeding him live ones because they are alive. I can't wait until I move out she's a pain hahaha)
And something in me would rather feed him live.
Getting rats sounds like a plain though.
Do they breed on their own if you get a boy and a girl?
Or is their a plan to it?

~ Lady

My mice stunk to high heavens too so I just put it in a good sized plastic container and put a bunch of holes in it, that way it only stinks when you open it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

Dont freeze them alive. That isnt right. And if you only ve one then its really up to you what you want to.feed your snake. I never have any rats at home. I buy the live rats every week and feed them the same day. If one of my snakes turns down a meal somebody else will take it. I have 3 snakes (soon to be 4) so its convinient for me feeding live. I also dont like the thought of rats in my freezer and i heard it can be a smelly job when it comes to defrosting mice/rats.

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I'm so sorry >.<
I didn't mean to sound so horrible.
I honestly thought that's how you freeze them.
I only have one snake so I'll upkeep the extra.
I also don't like the thought of having frozen live in my freezer :(