Ok OR NOT???

I wouldn't want to eat anything with lice on it personally,though neither would I ever want to eat a rat or mouse ...:)
Though I wouldn't be concerned about the lice themselves, they are protien after all. I would be concerned that the rodent supplier may have chemically contaminated the feeders in order to rid the rodent colonies of the parasites.

I would not feed them to my snakes. But I don't think it poses a health risk. :D

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

Would you want to eat something with lice on it?!?! I think not.

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I don't see the relevance in comparing things humans would/wouldn't do to things BPs would/wouldn't do. Humans would not do a lot of things that BPs would, like eat mice, lay eggs, swallow food whole, etc. It sounds obvious and silly, but we are different creatures, and comparing behaviors doesn't mean a whole lot. I understand what you are trying to get at, but I don't agree with it as an argument to not feed off rodents that have lice.

If there is any concern just F/T the rodent before feeding. That should kill the lice.

in my opinion, i would DISPOSE of ANYTHING with lice. cause i sure don't want it on my head. i'd be more worried about my hair than the snake.

not to mention, the rats will wither in health at the discomfort of the lice, which in turn compromises the health of the snake. if you leave lice they will just breed and breed and breed. (look at some pictures of severe cases of lice, it is disgusting. most people don't know how big they are.) if lice is left untreated it can cause infection because eggs can be left in the skin of the scalp. there is also research going on now to find out if they carry disease. so there is a chance that the lice could carry disease.

just gross... no i would never feed any animal something with lice.

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Originally Posted by anendeloflorien

I would not feed a snake a rat with lice.

Look, I breed my own rats because I want my snakes to have the healthiest food possible so why would I feed them something that has a parasite? Where did you get these rats with lice? I'd take them right back to the place you got them from and demand your money back. Or if you breed them yourself you really need to think twice about how you are treating your animals. They may be "just rats" but they're an extremely intelligent animal and they deserve to have a comfortable life even if they will be snake food eventually.

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I agree 100% My question is WHY? I doubt it would hurt them but something is wrong with the husbandry if they have lice. Are they getting fed correctly? I don't want my snakes to have a meal that is infested with parsites. Yes they eat all kinds of things in the wild but YOUR snake (unless it is a wc) is used to good food. Most of the wc balls brought in have mites, and internal parsites. You also don't know how many wc balls die due to a parsite overload.

ok I will step down off my soap box.

i would assume it would be ok but not to be suggested i had to do it one time when the only stock of mouse around was mice with lice so i bought one and tried and there was no harm done

why feed them unhealthy ones when you have a choice to get healthy ones...

Well put anendelaflorian.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

I would NEVER!!!* disgusted* I know that lice arn't like mites but thats beside the point. Would you want to eat something with lice on it?!?! I think not. Treat your animals like you would your own children. For goodness sake man take the best care of your animals that you possibly can!

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slow down there cowboy, im sure if there wasn't a heath issue the snake wouldn't even know the difference.

Althought i wouldnt feed my snake lice ridden rats, In the wild this probably happens all the time. now the only issue i can see that could pose a health risk is the lice passing on and infecting multiple feeders with some form of sickness. lest get realistic here it wouldnt be plague proportions but there is a chance that it could cause all your feeders to become ill with something.

keeping the food item healthy is ideal. but im going to take a guess and say the snakes super strong stomach acid would kill anything in the rat anyhow, either viruses passed on by blood or lice bites or anything els.