Feeding, live and learn

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Originally Posted by redstormlax12

Buying frozen you can get a consistent size rat/mouse unlike what he is experiencing at the pet store.

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This is one of my pet peeves about frozen. I often buy the Petco brand Gourmet Rodent in packs of three. They almost always come in 3 sizes, small, med, large hopper e.g. There can be as much as 7 or 8 grams variance between large and small.

I have 2 snakes I feed these to, exact same weight. So one is always getting cheated a little out of his meal. The largest one I tend to toss to my 200g python cause it looks a little large for the corns. (unless a 20g hopper is okay for a 110g corn snake).

Buy from a better source. :P

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Originally Posted by zantedeschia

This is one of my pet peeves about frozen. I often buy the Petco brand Gourmet Rodent in packs of three. They almost always come in 3 sizes, small, med, large hopper e.g. There can be as much as 7 or 8 grams variance between large and small.

I have 2 snakes I feed these to, exact same weight. So one is always getting cheated a little out of his meal. The largest one I tend to toss to my 200g python cause it looks a little large for the corns. (unless a 20g hopper is okay for a 110g corn snake).

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Originally Posted by dr del

Buy from a better source. :P

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What Dr. Del said, times 1000!

I get my feeders at the local show when I need them and i got a bag of 30 weaned rats that are IDENTICAL. size, frozen position, even color. This is great.

Some bags aren't so great but i have a variety of snakes and when my supplier tells me the sizes aren't even throughout the bag he gives me the OPTION of buying that bag or another.

I've seen Pet/smart/cos frozen mice.. terrible.

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Originally Posted by redstormlax12

People aren't pushing F/T onto him. There telling him because its an easy solution to his problem. Buying frozen you can get a consistent size rat/mouse unlike what he is experiencing at the pet store.

These people weren't pushing F/T on him because they believe feeding live is wrong, but because his problem would be easily solved by ordering the F/T.

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That was my point exactly -- well said, thank you!

And as far as feeding in a seperate enclosure goes -- aren't you conditioning the snake when he is moved to the feeding enclosure? I would see the snake being more aggresive and a better chance of getting tagged by moving him to eat. Everytime you put him in that tub he will go into feeding mode -- what if he gets so excited to eat that before you get him in the feeding tub all the way he decides to take a bite out of you?

Just a thought. I don't move mine to eat, so I am just speculating.

Later,

George

I get my mice from a breeder so I just hop in pick a size and I'm out the door.

I did my first live feed today :O

My guy has been eating medium rats with no problem but since this was my first live feed I decided to go with something smaller as I was paranoid about my snakes safety. I ended up settling on a small rat.

I wasn't having a problem doing it until I let the rat loose in Kismet's enclosure. He was really cute :(

He just ran around and started grooming himself in the water bowl. Kismet immediately responded and came out of his hide and within 15 seconds he had struck the rat. The rat tried to scratch with his hind legs a little, but Kismet really ended it quickly for him. He was dead within 60 seconds or so.

Now he is just laying over there with the biggest look of snakey satisfaction on his face, as if to say "FINALLY A LIVE ONE". :P

I'm not sure if I will continue to fee live prey or not... we'll see!

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

Ugh....it kind of drives me crazy that F/T is pushed so hard with some of you. I don't mean to call some of you out....but just saying. :rolleyes: I respect that some of you feed F/T...pls respect that some of us feed live. They both have different pros and cons.

Feed him what he will take. Not power feeding! But he should probably have more based on what he weighs. (not sure if you know). He was definetly still hungry. I do not go with the 15% as it seems waaaaaaayyyyyy to small for mine when you work it out. So I go with the widest part of the body. But in your case...if they are small....depending on his size...go with 2 or 3. You might also think about starting a colony...if getting them is unreliable. Where I am at the store is like 40 minutes away so we make the trip once a week....which is fine with me. I get to play w a bunch of reptiles while I am there....lol

One of my snakes that is still under 500 grams will take a jumbo mouse...and two adults. But she is a total pig. After all that she will still look at you like....where is the next one. Egads I know I need to switch to rats but that is just a little scary still to me....lol


And sorry Evil me...I still think it is a myth about feeding in the cage. We have done this since about the third feeding on my first snake.....never had a problem. It is almost like they have a calander in their enclosure somewhere. Saturday comes and they are ready for it.

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No one was pushing and may I ask you what are the pros to feeding live?

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Originally Posted by dr del

Buy from a better source. :P

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Closest shows to me are San Antonio (200 miles away) and Dallas (240 miles away).

Can't afford to shell out $150 for mail order atm. :( A 3 pack of mice from Petco is $6, a 5 (or 6?) pack from Petsmart is $11. I can afford that.

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Originally Posted by DarkComeSoon

No one was pushing and may I ask you what are the pros to feeding live?

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I know the question wasn't directed at me but, for ME, the pro's of feeding live:

1) I don't have to defrost and heat up 50 rodents on feeding day
2) I don't have to buy a second freezer just to keep a supply of f/t in stock
3) I don't have to "waste" food if it's refused, since I can just keep it alive until the next feeding (I do feed f/t to my kings, and I NEVER re-freeze - just as I wouldn't re-freeze meat for myself)
4) I know the condition of the live prey items that I feed, either I produce them, or a private breeder who happens to also be a friend does. I know that they are well fed and well hydrated before being offered to my animals.
5) Better feeding responses to live
6) Risk of injury to my animals is negligible (over 10K live feedings, with less than 10 minor scratches in that time, and no flesh wounds)

Those are the reasons that I choose live feeding for my ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

I know the question wasn't directed at me but, for ME, the pro's of feeding live:

1) I don't have to defrost and heat up 50 rodents on feeding day
2) I don't have to buy a second freezer just to keep a supply of f/t in stock
3) I don't have to "waste" food if it's refused, since I can just keep it alive until the next feeding (I do feed f/t to my kings, and I NEVER re-freeze - just as I wouldn't re-freeze meat for myself)
4) I know the condition of the live prey items that I feed, either I produce them, or a private breeder who happens to also be a friend does. I know that they are well fed and well hydrated before being offered to my animals.
5) Better feeding responses to live
6) Risk of injury to my animals is negligible (over 10K live feedings, with less than 10 minor scratches in that time, and no flesh wounds)

Those are the reasons that I choose live feeding for my ball pythons.

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Not to be rude but these reasons aren't valid.
#1-3 Its more convenient for you.
#4 there is plenty of businesses that take great care of the rodents.
#5 Does that really matter to you? As long as they eat.
#6 I still wouldn't put my snakes at risk.