live or not?

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Originally Posted by bonez

Just wondering how many people feed their snakes live food or re killed, frozen, in tank, or in a different tank.

I have been feeding my baby (almost 1 year) live prey in his tank, i would hold him for like a half hour than i would put him back, than drop in a mouse.

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if I get a new BP and he is feeding live I will feed him live for his next 3 meals while he is adapting to is new environment and then I switch to frozen.



I feed all mine in their enclosure, which allow them to "hunt" from the security of their hides.

Whatever work for them work for me :carrot:

here's a link to a huge thread on this topic:

live vs ...

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Originally Posted by snakeLVR

Lots of pluses, :D first of all, a mouse or large rat can injure your snake,it might not happen, but the possibility is there.

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A ball python doesn't need a large rat, a small/small (40-50 gram) is the largest they ever need. A incorrectly thawed rat can also cause problems for your snake as well.

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Originally Posted by snakeLVR

Live prey can have parasites

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Species specific, not transferrable to your snake.

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Originally Posted by snakeLVR

Also, , it is SOOOOO convenient to have the frozen rats, as I use for mine , in the freezer. I have a years worth, vacuum sealed. I have 9 snakes, including 4 BP , and they do great on the F/T rats. I would NEVER go to live feeding.

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Glad that f/t works well for you - the keeper SHOULD feed what's best for them, just as live works better for others, neither way is better than the other.

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Originally Posted by snakeLVR

I feed all in their cages. I put the F/ T rat into a big cup, or bag, and the snake goes right in, eats , and that's that. I regularly hold my snakes(not before or after feeding of course), and all are as gentle as can be.

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So are mine. Not sure how what you feed has any direct relation to their temperment though?

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

and just to add: frozen foods loose their nutritive value and having a years worth of prey items in the freezer will dramatically reduce their nutritive value!

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They might also want to check the frozen shelf life of the feeders unless I am mistaken feeders with hair frozen only have a 6 month shelf life. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Please ignore the above I was mistaken See below

From http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_faqs.asp

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Q: How long will the frozen feeder animals last in the freezer?
A: Depending on how they are stored, most frozen feeder animals can last up to a year. It is a good idea to minimize any exposure to air by ensuring they are in air tight freezer bags. While we recommend not storing hairless feeder animals for more than 3 or 4 months, if properly sealed containers are used and air exposure is kept to a minimum, they can be kept for much longer.

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Originally Posted by herpmajor

If you raise and breed the rodents why would you freeze after you kill. Keep them alive until you need them and then kill them and feed your animals freshly killed.

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I would kill them to freeze them so I could have the right size prey to feed... if I waited until the day I needed them to feed, they would all be different sizes, and then killing them right before I feed would be pointless. I'd rather not slam my rodents' heads into walls or edges of tables to try to kill them. I've been that route and in my experience they don't always die right away, nor do all of my snakes appreciate me swinging their dinner in front of their faces.

I feed live in the same enclosure. no need to switch enclosures. f/t drives me insane. i no longer have the heart to swing rats around in a pillow case.

I feed live in the cage...

I used to feed in a cardboard box but I stopped....

my snake doesnt care where he eats :rolleye2:

I feed live in their tub. Never had a problem. If they show no interest the rat comes out in about 30 min. Usually the rat doesn't last 10 seconds in there though.....

FIRST of all, I would like to clarify, I am doing what is right for me. Everyone can judge for themselves what is right for them, without knocking someone elses methods. I have been using F/T for over 3 years, and I use VACUUM packed, which has a shelf life of a year. It usually does not last that long, I go through them fast. Each opened package lasts me only a month. NONE of the snakes I have owned for over 3 years seem to be suffering from any nutritional deficiencies from eating F/T. Unless an expert on snake nutrition or my herp vet tells me otherwise, I am sure any loss IF any,is neglegable NOT dramatic.
I am not going to feed partially defrosted Feeders to my snakes . I think I am capable of defrosting a 28g object completely. I certainly make sure!

sheesh...simmer