Do you ever feel bad feeding live?

Well, here is my thing:
I am a pet rat and mouse owner. I really thought I would have a hard time feeding live mice, but I started with a snake that ate f/t and it wasn't so bad buying mice already dead. Then I got my BP that will only eat live. So, as long as I get the pure white feeder mice, I am fine. It is when the pet store gives me cute colored ones that look like pet mice that I have a problem. Those are the ones that have to go first, or I will get attached.

Now, I just got a new baby BP that eats the tiniest pinkies. They were feeding it live. I tried that and just couldn't bear it. Had to have my son feed the snake. Something about the babies that get to me. So, I have to buy the tiny babies and put them in the freezer before I can feed them. Not near as bad that way, and safer to have this baby eating f/t from the beginning.

Now, if only I could get my older BP to eat f/t so I don't have to worry about feeding live rats. Don't think I could do that.

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Originally Posted by bammer838

Here is my situation, my wife wants me to part with my ball pythons because she "does not want their blood on her hands" even though they are mine. I have to move them all (38 of them) over to a friends house and maintain them there. Im torn and upset. I hate the fact I pay for everything and cannot keep them at my own home. My daughter can keep her 4 ball pythons according to her mother, but I am cruel for keeping my own.

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That sucks. after 38 bp's now she wants you to get rid of them. do you have any say-so in the relationship? i'm not trying to come down on you but i don't see how your daughter can keep her's but not you and i'm assuming that with 38 bp's you must have had them for quite a while.

I don't feel bad feeding live, p/k or f/t. the only reason i'm feeding f/t is cause it's easier to get the right size food but since i just started breeding rats i'll be feeding live and f/t just like i'm doing now.

i used to not feel bad, because i would but them, bring them straight home, and feed them, but since my snake refuses to eat i got stuck with this cute little mouse, long story short, his name is now stewart and is my new pet =l next time i feed the snake, ill go buy another mouse, i can't bear to kill him =[

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Originally Posted by maria1232

i used to not feel bad, because i would but them, bring them straight home, and feed them, but since my snake refuses to eat i got stuck with this cute little mouse, long story short, his name is now stewart and is my new pet =l next time i feed the snake, ill go buy another mouse, i can't bear to kill him =[

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Awww!!! Well I'm sure Stewart is super cute!!

And it's funny that some of you guys say that you only feed the albino mice/rats. I was like that with my red tails. The people at our herp shop always laughed at me cuz I would go in and ask for their "ugliest white rat". Now I just don't really look and throw them in. But I am switching to P/K and then F/T this next feeding.

I'd feel worse starving my snake...

I have previously owned rats as well. Loved them, and still do. Though, what would make me REALLY feel bad, is if another living animal starved to death because of my own "inadequacies".

I try to keep a "it's just business" opinion about it. Really, if the snake were in the wild, it would be lowering the rodent count on its own anyway. That's what rodents exist for; without them, the ecosystem doesn't work. We are essentially re-creating that ecosystem for the snake in our own home. I have no qualms with that.

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Originally Posted by bammer838

Here is my situation, my wife wants me to part with my ball pythons because she "does not want their blood on her hands" even though they are mine. I have to move them all (38 of them) over to a friends house and maintain them there. Im torn and upset. I hate the fact I pay for everything and cannot keep them at my own home. My daughter can keep her 4 ball pythons according to her mother, but I am cruel for keeping my own.

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I'm not trying to start the war of the roses, but there are times you have to man up and tell her these are your animals, not your friends. They're going to stay in YOUR house. If after 38 snakes, she's gotten an issue, then she needs to deal with it.

My apology to all of the ladies here, but this isn't right.
Jim smith

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

I'm not trying to start the war of the roses, but there are times you have to man up and tell her these are your animals, not your friends. They're going to stay in YOUR house. If after 38 snakes, she's gotten an issue, then she needs to deal with it.

My apology to all of the ladies here, but this isn't right.
Jim smith

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Sorry, but I have to disagree. It's no one person's house, it's a family house. Seems like now is the time for compromise.

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Originally Posted by unspecified42

Sorry, but I have to disagree. It's no one person's house, it's a family house. Seems like now is the time for compromise.

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But turn that around. This guy has 38 snakes. I'm sure he didn't go out and buy all 38 at one time. Now all of a sudden, the wife says the snake HAVE TO GO. I see you removed the part in your reply about if he talked to you like that, you'd be out the door. Well, how do you think this guy feels? He's got a nice hobby going on, then his wife says he HAS to get them out of their house. No request, but a demand.

That's where the situation went bad in my view. She doesn't want their blood on her hands or something like that. What a line.

Jim Smith

I feed all of my snakes live food. They have evolved for generations to constrict their prey... so it's quite natural imo.

Now if you believe in reincarnation and you come back to this world as a feeder mouse... it would suck because you now know your life is worth about $1 lol