The Live vs F/T debate

I don't understand these threads sometimes. They seem to cause unnecessary tension when presented like this.

I'm certain there are several VERY experienced folks here that have tried feeding both ways, and maybe, like myself mix it up from time to time.


I'll bet if I met Deborah or any other member in person, and watched them work through their collection I'd learn a thing or two. And maybe if they watched me do a few things, they'd get an idea or two.

Everybody has a way that works for them, and maybe there is risk and maybe not.

Here is one thing about live I didn't know until last year, and don't like.

IBD is "linked" to live rodents. http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2012/08/125...isease-decoded

However, I have a royal that goes off food, for 6-7 months at a time. Somebody mentioned "kick start" with live. I agree, and even though I could maybe wait it out, I don't want to always waste 3-4 rats prior to that, or spend long periods trying to stimulate a feed response when I have other pressing activities that same day.

That said, F/T is easiest and I prefer it, but there is nothing wrong with a live feed now and then.

Any prey item that takes "25 minutes" to dispatch is not a properly sized or something is wrong. I don't know what was happening in that example, but there was some obvious problem.

ALL feeds I've done with appropriately sized prey have succumbed to the constriction in 2.5 minutes and sometimes less. One could argue certain methods of pre-killing are just as "cruel" as the natural process of a snake constricting, which not only stops breathing but creates total cardiac failure do to the extreme pressure on the vascular system. Minus the bite the process causes blackout and heart stoppage. In perfect practice its rather quick.

I do feel empathy for the prey, however the hunting, and constriction tactics of snakes is what many of us are fascinated by and we accept their process of predation.

As far as prey having a "chance" in the wild, I'd tend to lean away from that assessment. Snakes are MASTERS of ambush, at least the non foragers are. If a boa constrictor plants itself near a prey trail and lies motionless for a month, and they can and will; there is going to be little if any chance that passing prey is going to have any chance to get away.

Snakes don't set up hunts with a margin of failure like some mammals do. Total surprise, extreme speed and minimal risk is their specialty. If that wasn't the case, they'd have huge open territory and a collectively different set of hunting skills. Snakes dry spells are usually not determined by the prey escaping, but rather the lack of prey in their range.

The "chance" any rodent has from not being a prey item in captivity ends the second it is classified as a feeder by a human.


That was a bit more than I wanted to write here.

Each keeper has a method that works. Hopefully everything is done to ensure the safety to the snake, and the prey item has fair treatment up until the end should you feed live.

For my situation F/T's is better, but again everybody has a method they are comfortable with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

That second quote is not one of mine incidentally so I've no idea why my name is linked to it .

It's not showing for some reason but it's in your previous post .

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That would be the 3rd quote that is not yours and given to the correct person.

I got worried once the rats started having claws and scratched my bp in the face. So i started putting them in a bag and SLAMMING THEM AGAINST THE WALL. Yeah, it gave me the chills yhe first couple times but so does nature and life as we currently understand it. CHOO CHOO, BABY.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the I-Many

I got worried once the rats started having claws and scratched my bp in the face. So i started putting them in a bag and SLAMMING THEM AGAINST THE WALL. Yeah, it gave me the chills yhe first couple times but so does nature and life as we currently understand it. CHOO CHOO, BABY.

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WoW................
Wrong in so many ways. Have you seen a scared rat that comes around after being stunned?
If you have issued then man up and do a cervical dislocate, no need to be cruel about it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the I-Many

I got worried once the rats started having claws and scratched my bp in the face. So i started putting them in a bag and SLAMMING THEM AGAINST THE WALL. Yeah, it gave me the chills yhe first couple times but so does nature and life as we currently understand it. CHOO CHOO, BABY.

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I think this is sarcastic??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the I-Many

I got worried once the rats started having claws and scratched my bp in the face. So i started putting them in a bag and SLAMMING THEM AGAINST THE WALL. Yeah, it gave me the chills yhe first couple times but so does nature and life as we currently understand it. CHOO CHOO, BABY.

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Why?

These snakes are the product of 70 to 90 million years of evolution with two goals. The first is to breed. The second is to kill small animals and eat them so it can live long enough and get big enough to breed.

It's very good at both of them, and it doesn't really need help with either of them. In my 2 cent opinion, people do far too much trying to help these animals when they don't need it, from smashing their rodents against walls to feeding on paper plates to picking crap out of their teeth.

When it comes to feeding live, just let your snake do what he is incredibly well designed to do. Put a properly sized rodent in the enclosure and let your snake do the rest.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the I-Many

I got worried once the rats started having claws and scratched my bp in the face. So i started putting them in a bag and SLAMMING THEM AGAINST THE WALL. Yeah, it gave me the chills yhe first couple times but so does nature and life as we currently understand it. CHOO CHOO, BABY.

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Funny are barbaric F/T and F/K feeding can really be too but I guess our friend will dismiss that.

As for you obviously have no business feeding P/K.

If you can't respect the feeders and treat them humanely whether you feed live or P/K you have no business owning a snake and should stick to a pet rock.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

That would be the 3rd quote that is not yours and given to the correct person.

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I could see a quote in your post which was wrongly attributed to myself . That was all I was saying .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

That second quote is not one of mine incidentally so I've no idea why my name is linked to it .

It's not showing for some reason but it's in your previous post .

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Actually that second post is one of yours - if you click the little arrows just after your name it will take you right to the post.

The third one isn't yours but then it doesn't have your name on it either.

Right , as I promised before .... I'm done in these LIVE feeding threads and won't contribute to any other LIVE feeding threads in the future . I'll never understand why you guys feed LIVE but that's life .


Just to add a little balance to proceedings , anyone checking my profile will see that out of about 300+ posts I've made in here ...... there are roughly 60 THANKS plus about 5 RED " thumbs down " ones . The red ones were all in theese LIVE feeding threads which is telling in itself .

Anyways , apologies to anyone I may have inadvertently annoyed or insulted . If that has occurred I can only say that it was unintentional .