Swallowing rat while rat is alive..

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Originally Posted by Valyrian

Switch to frozen thawed as soon as possible mate. It's a complete myth that some snakes will only feed on live - here in the UK live feeding is illegal so all of our snakes feed on f/t with no problem at all. No family with a BP feeds live here at all because it's not culturally acceptable. It's always possible to switch them over to f/t, you just have to use certain techniques. Things such as braining, following a live feeder with f/t etc.

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The unfortunate difference here is that since live isn't illegal, many BP's were fed live throughout their life until they are adults, making it even more difficult or impossible to transition them to f/t. My female was 3 years old when I got her and was on live her entire life. She wouldn't switch over, probably unless I didn't feed her for a year or starved her.

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

Maybe, or maybe they feed live in secret, and just don't say anything about it because... well, it's illegal. Lol

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Well, I've raised enough snakes (rosy boas, BPs & various colubrids) to vouch for the instincts that snakes have for their survival that only respond to live food.

They LEARN to take f/t, most of them, sooner or later, but they are born or hatch wanting only what they are supposed to find in nature. When you wiggle a dead
pinky with tongs, well, you can fool some of the snakes some of the time...but not all of the snakes, all of the time. I only wish it was that easy...& while I prefer
humane treatment of all animals, I put the needs of my snakes first. They cannot help wanting what they want.

Also, for any of you that find it totally abhorrent to feed a live pinky or live fuzzy to a snake a few times to get them started, I have to ask: have any of you ever
raised mice (& rats & hamsters) for any length of time? Because I've been doing so literally for decades, and you should know that when rodents don't feel like
being parents* they kill their babies in a far more gruesome way than does a snake that swallows them whole...especially mice. *This happens without any issues of
overcrowding or food shortages etc. It's not as if they make clean kills either- I find babies still alive after being chewed up. So please, no big guilt trips for a few live
pinkies or fuzzies being fed to start a snake. It's just nature's plan.

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

Maybe, or maybe they feed live in secret, and just don't say anything about it because... well, it's illegal. Lol

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Trust me when I say British parents don't go out to buy little Timmy a live mouse to feed his Ball Python [emoji23]🤣

It may sound strange to you guys but it's just not done here.

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I guess if you're adament some snakes will only eat live then the only other possibility is that snakes that don't take frozen thawed are culled. You'd have to ask a UK breeder if that's the case.

All I know is that in no pet store and on no website will you ever find a snake sold as eating live in the UK.

Nor are live vertebrates sold as feeders.

Again, it might sound strange to you but it's not something that's done here.

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Originally Posted by Valyrian

...All I know is that in no pet store and on no website will you ever find a snake sold as eating live in the UK.

Nor are live vertebrates sold as feeders....

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It's commendable in that the only snakes being sold are already eating reliably on readily available (frozen) food. You can't rely on buyers (especially new those new
to keeping snakes) to get them switched over successfully. It's not an accurate portrayal of nature though, & I'm not so sure about what goes on in the "back room"
prior to the snakes being sold. It just suggests to me that snakes aren't sold "right out of the egg" as they often are here, & that would truly improve their survival
odds. I'm also willing to bet that there's an "underground" market for live feeders by those who raise rodents. Few people would want to "cull snakes" that make them
so much more money than a few mice. Nor would "culling" snakes that refuse f/t make any sense if it's all about loving animals...:confusd:

I have a 3000 gram Granite female that will only eat live.
Its been almost a year since I quit breeding rodents and that long since she has eaten.
Only lost about 150 grams so we will see who can hold out longer.
Not all snakes will switch so it might be coming time to home her to someone that breeds feeders.......
I also quit breeding my snakes since f/t has inconsistency with their feedings.
Y'all do a lot of things different over the pond, there is a reason the USA came about.

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Originally Posted by Valyrian

I guess if you're adament some snakes will only eat live then the only other possibility is that snakes that don't take frozen thawed are culled. You'd have to ask a UK breeder if that's the case.

All I know is that in no pet store and on no website will you ever find a snake sold as eating live in the UK.

Nor are live vertebrates sold as feeders.

Again, it might sound strange to you but it's not something that's done here.

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I've still to encounter a snake who won't eat thawed frozen , as long as you feed in the evening and wait until they're nice and settled under the hide , dangle a WARM mouse at the entrance and don't blink. :)


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I've still to encounter a snake who won't eat thawed frozen , as long as you feed in the evening and wait until they're nice and settled under the hide , dangle a WARM mouse at the entrance and don't blink. :)


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I have a feeling that we could take up a "collection" & send you some...;)

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I've still to encounter a snake who won't eat thawed frozen , as long as you feed in the evening and wait until they're nice and settled under the hide , dangle a WARM mouse at the entrance and don't blink. :)


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Not sure why my comment wasn't acknowledged, but like I said, the difference is that since live is illegal in the UK, of course it will be very rare to see snakes who only eat live. If BP's are truly only started on f/t from the egg, then of course it'll be very easy to keep all snakes in the UK on f/t. It's unlike here, where ball pythons are almost always started on live, and some kept on live for years of their life, since many breeders also breed feeders and they don't bother switching them over when they can just offer live food from their rack- that's what makes it hard to switch, and that's why you'll find many more snakes who are impossible to switch here and not there.

People from the UK can say all they want: "I've never seen a snake only eat live". I mean... of course! You haven't been in the hobby in the states. Lol

Though I also believe Bogertophis that there are probably some people feeding their snakes live underground.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Not sure why my comment wasn't acknowledged, but like I said, the difference is that since live is illegal in the UK, of course it will be very rare to see snakes who only eat live. If BP's are truly only started on f/t from the egg, then of course it'll be very easy to keep all snakes in the UK on f/t. It's unlike here, where ball pythons are almost always started on live, and some kept on live for years of their life, since many breeders also breed feeders and they don't bother switching them over when they can just offer live food from their rack- that's what makes it hard to switch, and that's why you'll find many more snakes who are impossible to switch here and not there.

People from the UK can say all they want: "I've never seen a snake only eat live". I mean... of course! You haven't been in the hobby in the states. Lol

Though I also believe Bogertophis that there are probably some people feeding their snakes live underground.

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Fair comments .. I don't actively campaign against feeding live in this forum - I soon realised that things were simply done differently in the states from the UK


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