I assume no one here thinks this is a good enough reason to euthanize a snake?

I have to agree with the others it is silly. Why do rats and mice have such LARGE litters? Could it be that the pinkies are "popcorn" for almost any small prey animal? They are ment to be eaten. I enjoy my rats. My breeding plan is centered to get large, sweet tempered rats. I just gave away 3 babies to a pet home. The little girl was extactic to get them. But the reason I breed is to feed all my snakes. I just killed a pig so I could have ham... maybe someone should euthonised me.......

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Originally Posted by akaangela

I have to agree with the others it is silly. Why do rats and mice have such LARGE litters? Could it be that the pinkies are "popcorn" for almost any small prey animal? They are ment to be eaten. I enjoy my rats. My breeding plan is centered to get large, sweet tempered rats. I just gave away 3 babies to a pet home. The little girl was extactic to get them. But the reason I breed is to feed all my snakes. I just killed a pig so I could have ham... maybe someone should euthonised me.......

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I wouldn't euthanize you for killing the pig, but I might try and blackmail you for some bacon. ^_^ BACON! (My boyfriend's scream of excitement!)

No one on that site is denying rats are food, thier issue is that they are assuming that feeding live is inherently cruel due to the method of death and that a snake that will only eat live is so badly acclimated to captivity that it would be kinder to euthanize it.

But you are correct, all I did was give myself a headache trying to speak to these people. My moment of masochism is over so they are on their own.

So snakes in the wild have pre killed prey? no they eat live for the most part

It is a ridiculous argument, but I understand it. One of the reasons that I do not hang on rat forums...

All the snakes I have that are live feeders (more than are FT feeders) were all CB.

I belong to another forum, snake forum nonetheless, where the FT feeders are SO vocal and adamant that ALL snakes, regardless of origin can eat FT that they completely monopolize the forum and hijack any thread regarding feeding.

It is tedious and cyclical to argue with them.

One particularly vocal member, all of 19, with 3 snakes (all BCIs)... yeah, nuff said.

I have snakes that would not eat if they were not given live. They are perfectly docile pet snakes. But they are snakes and they need 3 things to recognize a prey item... heat, movement, and scent.

Bruce

For this argument, we cannot compare captivity to the wild. In the wild, the prey has a chance to fight back, which we as snake owners do not allow in captivity. Also, in the wild, the prey has a chance to run away. In captivity, we put the prey in snakes enclosure, where have no chance of escape.

Also, for this argument, we must not compare how human beings eat other animals, and that snakes eat other animals. When it comes to human beings being vegans or vegetarians, its a another debate in itself. Lets talk about the problem at hand.

However one argument is always valid; some animals eat other animals. This is nature. On Earth, many animals are carnivores, which means these animals consume other animals in order to survive. Carnivores are higher in the food chain, but this does not make them superior or evil in caparison with herbivores or omnivores, because the food chain is a complete cycle and will fall apart if any part of the cycle is missing.

I understand that people from rat forums, and people from snake forums will have a different bias. But we must look at the whole picture. Yes, snakes eat rodents. But the fact is, some snakes also eat snakes, and some rodent also eat rodents. No animal can be blamed or labeled for eating another animal.

Snakes are hunters by nature. Snakes are not scavengers. In captivity, we are altering their nature by feeding them pre-killed or frozen/thawed. But we can only alter their nature so much, such that some snakes will only eat live. This is a less favorable behavior in the eyes of some keepers, but this does not mean they should be euthanized.

I do encourage not feeding live. But banning it completely is unreasonable and impossible. There are alternatives, which are being carried out now. Some pet shops do not sell live rodents as feeders, but sell frozen/thawed. Many keepers who breed their own feeders, euthanize them at home. Maybe with generations after generations of breeding snakes that are tolerant of only eating pre-killed or frozen-thawed, snakes who only eat live can be reduced.

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Originally Posted by brainman1000

Well, then any rat that eats one of her babies that doesn't make it should be euthanized for cannibalism.

The f/t vs. live argument will always exist.

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Good one! I second that! I've got plenty of bad rat mommies that I don't kill!