GAH - rat bite = pierced snake

She can take that medium rat but should she is more the question. Feeding a live medium rat in an enclosed environment puts your snake at far too high a risk in my mind. Also larger meals like that will eventually trigger a fast most likely. It is also a lot of work to digest that big single rat for your snake. Better to feed that girl a nice small rat (or even two smalls once in a while) each week. You'll get a very healthy weight gain, a snake with a killer feeding response and a nice once a week feeding programme going on. It's been proven by some very experienced breeders that this is the way to go.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Lots of things "CAN" happen ... F/T and P/K rodents have sharp teeth and claws that "CAN" cut and puncture the soft inner tissue of ball pythons causing abcesses ... heating elements and thermostats "CAN" malfunction and cook snakes in their enclosures ... The reality is that live rodents "CAN" be fed to snakes week in and week out for years without any problems ... I "CAN" prove it. ;) :D :sweeet:

-adam

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Adam,

Getting poked by a tooth and causing an actual puncture wound while eating a prekilled rat is indeed very, very unlikely. This can still happen with live food as well if it is really a concern of yours.

The fact is a live rat can and will attempt to actively bite a snake that is attacking it unless the snake is skilled enough to grab it perfectly on the first attempt. By making points that other things are astronomically possible doesn't make this possibility more unlikely. It does occasionally happen.

You have a great track record. For many years you have never had a rat bite a snake. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I know people who cross the road without looking and they have done it for years and are still very much alive.. but people die every year from getting hit by cars.. sometimes even when they did use caution. They however can not control the unpredictable driver of the car, who is drinking coffee and talking on the phone while driving.

A rat is an animal, a snake is an animal.. fact is that animals are unpredictable. There is no way for you to prove one way or the other.. It is indeed all opinion.

My opinion is that live is fine, frozen thawed is fine and fresh killed is fine.

Feeding live has a slight possibility of the snake getting bit, it does happen.

Feeding frozen thawed as the risk of feeding rodents that are not fully thawed

Feeding fresh killed has the risk of parasite, which is the same case as live.

As long as someone knows the risk, they can take the responsibility for their own choice. To say live does not hold any risk at all is, in my opinion, moderately irresponsible unless you state the exact sizes and circumstance that make this completely safe from nip damage. If you state that feeding live rodents that have not yet developed teeth capable of puncturing a snakes hide, then I will agree with you 100% whole-heartedly.

Either way, these are still merely our opinions.

This is a discussion.. not a personal attack.

Rick

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Lots of things "CAN" happen ... F/T and P/K rodents have sharp teeth and claws that "CAN" cut and puncture the soft inner tissue of ball pythons causing abcesses ...... The reality is that live rodents "CAN" be fed to snakes week in and week out for years without any problems ... I "CAN" prove it. ;) :D :sweeet:

-adam

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How many of your live rats after being succesfully constricted caused an abcesses in you snakes while or after being swallowed?

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Originally Posted by SiscoReptiles

Adam,
Getting poked by a tooth and causing an actual puncture wound while eating a prekilled rat is indeed very, very unlikely.

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Wanna bet? I just last night mentioned a case of this happening here, and I wasnt the only one to speak of similar instances...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SiscoReptiles

Adam,

Getting poked by a tooth and causing an actual puncture wound while eating a prekilled rat is indeed very, very unlikely. This can still happen with live food as well if it is really a concern of yours.

The fact is a live rat can and will attempt to actively bite a snake that is attacking it unless the snake is skilled enough to grab it perfectly on the first attempt. By making points that other things are astronomically possible doesn't make this possibility more unlikely. It does occasionally happen.

You have a great track record. For many years you have never had a rat bite a snake. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I know people who cross the road without looking and they have done it for years and are still very much alive.. but people die every year from getting hit by cars.. sometimes even when they did use caution. They however can not control the unpredictable driver of the car, who is drinking coffee and talking on the phone while driving.

A rat is an animal, a snake is an animal.. fact is that animals are unpredictable. There is no way for you to prove one way or the other.. It is indeed all opinion.

My opinion is that live is fine, frozen thawed is fine and fresh killed is fine.

Feeding live has a slight possibility of the snake getting bit, it does happen.

Feeding frozen thawed as the risk of feeding rodents that are not fully thawed

Feeding fresh killed has the risk of parasite, which is the same case as live.

As long as someone knows the risk, they can take the responsibility for their own choice. To say live does not hold any risk at all is, in my opinion, moderately irresponsible unless you state the exact sizes and circumstance that make this completely safe from nip damage. If you state that feeding live rodents that have not yet developed teeth capable of puncturing a snakes hide, then I will agree with you 100% whole-heartedly.

Either way, these are still merely our opinions.

This is a discussion.. not a personal attack.

Rick

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:rockon:

Slurp.....People "CAN" be complete idiots too, its all relative ;)

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Originally Posted by SiscoReptiles

This is a discussion.. not a personal attack.

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Great way to end the paragraph...

Anyways, this topic is about someones snake that did get bit. I apologize for taking part in this thread going slightly off topic. There are already enough "live vs dead" discussions.

I sincerely wish you luck. As long as you watch for infection and treat accordingly, the snake should be fine. At worst it will have a couple small scars. It's when the nips go unnoticed/untreated that things seem to 'all of a sudden' go bad.

Keep us informed..

Rick

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SiscoReptiles

To say live does not hold any risk at all is, in my opinion, moderately irresponsible

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Well good thing nobody said anything like that! Discuss away! :D :carrot:

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by djslurp1200

How many of your live rats after being succesfully constricted caused an abcesses in you snakes while or after being swallowed?

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Just finished treating an mouth abcess from a rat tooth last month ... I was feeding off some extra F/T before it went bad ... imagine that. :carrot: :rolleye2:


-adam