How do you feel when feeding mice, rats, etc.?

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I want to see how people feel when feeding their snakes mice, rats, bunnies, ASFs, etc.

How do YOU feel when your feeding your snake a (F/T, PK, or live) mouse or a rat? Personally, to me, I don't really feel anything. I don't like rodents, I'm not scared or freaked out by them, I just don't like them. I don't find them cute, I just see them as snake food when I'm just about to put it into the snake enclosure.

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i kind of feel the same way then i rember all the money spent on the mice (even though i breed my own snake lizard and turtle food. spend all that time setting up there cages cleaning cages feeding them then pick them up flip then in the head then watch the cycle of life(never have figured out why long term captive snakes still constrict there prey.(got one green tree python she does it if the prey dont move for hours so literly got to reach in and grab the preys tail and wiggle it for a lil bit for her to eat it) but none the less to me aint no different then a cow or chicken lamb or pig raise them then send them off for food. i have found depending where you go to get even mice got to be careful of what you say or some-places wont sell to you like petsmart told them i wanted some for breeders to feed to my snakes cause only mice they had was like 5 bucks so asked them if i could get a cheaper price cause i was just going to breed the females to make snake food for my pets and they refused to sell to me and even asked me to never come in there store in Kalamazoo MI again and the funny part was they had snakes for sell to. and rabbits are even harder to get for feeders here got to go to farm supply auctions and buy a few dozen at a time and breed them till you run out but mention your going to feed a snake with it then they want allot more money or down right refuse to sell to you

After you've done it 21569564 times, it doesn't really phase you. Or maybe I'm just sick in the head.....:confuzd: ha

I feed live and dont get me wrong I feel bad for a second esp when they scream but I think of it like a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree grows to get chopped down and be glorified for a month or so and thats its destiny. The feeders whole purpose is to be a glorious meal for my snakes and I am making it happy by helping iit fulfill its destiny. I am sure the feeders are not actually happy, but thats how I get through the cute ones. The nasty lil buggers though, I dont mind watching my snakes chomp on them.

I just switched to rats and the rat pups are kinda cute
hoppers not so much

Ehh, it's just like feeding my hamster food, or feeding my fish food, it's just nutrition, nothing else. I've had Rats as pets, and feeding them off doesn't bother me at all.

i feed frozen so whatevs :P

Funny thing is, when I was younger I used to be amazing by snakes eatting when my teacher's would have them as class pets. Then I started a small rodent rescue for a few years. So when I got my first BP I couldn't stand feeding him. I used to throw his hopper's in and walk out of the room and hope I didn't come in while he was eatting it because I felt guilty.
(His first meal I gave him the feeder I purchased the gentlemen purposes gave me the cutest hopper he had because he thought I wanted to keep it as a pet.)

Now I'm back to thinking it's exciting to watch them be feed lol I even breed my own ASF's since it's cheaper then purchasing them. I also prefer to dangle meals infront of my snakes with tongs instead of dropping them in the cage with the snake. (Trying to avoid one of them getting bit.)

I'm behind the scenes at a zoo for work, and so feeding rats to snakes comes as easily as blinking does now. We can't feed live for certain reasons, but we prekill a lot of stuff before it gets fed out (not just rats and mice) and I've seen a lot of animals come and go from old age and whatnot. It used to bother me a lot, especially when I started working the birds of prey (they can get a bit too "overzealous" while eating), but now the falcons and snakes are my favorites, and watching them eat is waayy better than watching TV.

The only animals I ever feel any sorrow for are my own, the ones I've bonded with at work, or the ones that die needlessly, like if some poohface ran over a squirrel just to be a poohface. Feeding rats, not so much. :)

Nothing at all.

I feed f/t.. doesn't bother me at all when they're already dead.. now, live on the other hand.. doesn't necessarily "bother" me, but that squeek/squeal they make makes me cringe :/

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Originally Posted by emmet10

I just switched to rats and the rat pups are kinda cute
hoppers not so much

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I just switched to frozen rat pups and realized they are adorable.. lol