nervous about live feeding

I've had my bp for a few weeks now and wednesday will be the third time feeding him. I keep hearing that it's bad to feed live to your snake, especially since he's still just a little guy, because there's a chance that the mouse will fight back and could hurt him. I was thinking about maybe feeding him live this week, but wanted an opinion first. I thought to myself that maybe if I keep feeding fresh killed for too long, that when he is big enough to handle a live mouse that it would throw him off. I'm just looking for an opinion on whether to feed live or fresh killed. also if you think it's better to feed a fresh killed mouse to your bp, how do you kill them, they say do it as humanely as possible and i found this video...

YouTube - pre kill mouse, feed corn snake

is that how you would do it?

of course the pet store i bought the last two mice from, the workers were telling me to kill it in ways that aren't too humane, as in, beating it on a table or wall, or throwing it across the room, butttt i'd rather let my bp do the killing if he's ready...what do you guys think?

They can kill from the day they hatch. Just make sure that the prey is about the same size as the biggest part of your BPs body and he should be ok. Always supervise live feedings in case something should go wrong.

Really, it's up to you to decide. I've fed live before (not to any of my Ball pythons, but to a Dumeril's boa and Kingsnake I used to own), and to me it makes no difference, I don't mind feeding my snakes live or F/T. Though, I've never fed pre killed.

Anywho, I would rather feed F/T. Pros and Cons (Live vs. F/T):

LIVE
Pros:
-more nutrients
-can get a picky eater to eat

Cons:
-the rodent can have parasites
-the rodent can injure (or even kill) your snake

F/T
Pros:
-readily available and higher in stock at most stores
-cannot injure your snake

Cons:
-less nutrients from freezing proccess
-some snakes prefer live or pre killed over a F/T food item

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Really, it's up to you to decide. I've fed live before (not to any of my Ball pythons, but to a Dumeril's boa and Kingsnake I used to own), and to me it makes no difference, I don't mind feeding my snakes live or F/T. Though, I've never fed pre killed.

Anywho, I would rather feed F/T. Pros and Cons (Live vs. F/T):

LIVE
Pros:
-more nutrients
-can get a picky eater to eat

Cons:
-the rodent can have parasites
-the rodent can injure (or even kill) your snake

F/T
Pros:
-readily available and higher in stock at most stores
-cannot injure your snake

Cons:
-less nutrients from freezing proccess
-some snakes prefer live or pre killed over a F/T food item

---

Have to say I strongly disagree with the 2 in red....Personally I don't believe that is true...Frozen are good up to about 6 months in the freezer.

Oh and definitely listen to that first post. As your Ball python gets older it will be getting into larger prey items, and that means the risk of injury rises. When it's a baby, yeah you can feed it mice & rat pups with their eyes still closed and no harm will be done (for the snake's matter) since at that stage of a rodent's life they cannot see and that also means they cannot do anything so they can be left in with the snake for an extended period of time than you would leave (for example) an adult mouse in. But, as you get into larger prey items, definitely watch over because the rodents can and will eventually attack your snake if the snake did not try to constrict or kill it. Always make sure your snake has a good grip on it and the rodent's mouth is no where near at a point that it can bite the snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iCandiBallPythons

Have to say I strongly disagree with the 2 in red....

---

Well, I don't know, that's what I read :P

Wednesday I'll go and buy a live mouse and feed him to my snake and just supervise while he's in the tank. I'm still nervouse though lol.

You'll be alright...I doubt you'll have any trouble but you can keep something handy like tongs/ hemos, or something you can wedge if need be.

I'd say watch a few videos on Youtube about live feedings. Just to cross your T's and dot your I's. I bet you'll be surprised at how natural it will come to your BP!

What's the difference between feeding in the housing that you keep your bp and a seperate tub or whatever for feeding..is there a reason for doing that? I feel like I've heard it on here somewhere before...

Ya, I'm sure he'll be fine, just having new owner nerves is all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Imabur.

What's the difference between feeding in the housing that you keep your bp and a seperate tub or whatever for feeding..is there a reason for doing that? I feel like I've heard it on here somewhere before...

Ya, I'm sure he'll be fine, just having new owner nerves is all.

---

It's fine to feed in their enclosure, There is a big misconception that feeding inside the enclosure leads to the snake associating your hand with food.

Freezing destroys some vitamins, such as thiamine. This is a fact that should not be ignored--it's real. It does not appear that captive snakes suffer any noticeable deficiencies from feeding exclusively on FT rodents--at least none that have ever been noticed.

If you have any concerns about it at all, dip the FT rodents' rumps in a bit of a reptile vitamin mix containing thiamine, and call it good.

The benefits of killing any potential parasites, and having a ready stock of food on hand at all times, outweighs any trouble that might result from freezing the prey.

PK rodents are really safe to feed. Snakes find them pretty enticing, so long as they are warm, and there's no worries about a bite. Parasite risk is still there, though.

Live rodents are easy to feed--put them in the bin, and let the snake do all the work. Risk of bites always exists, and there's a parasite risk as well. Don't fret over it--if the snake is bitten, apply a bit of betadine--they will most likely be just fine.

I prefer feeding FT, for many reasons.

Actually, parasite risk from live is very low, to non-existent according to Dr. Scott Stahl. In fact, a parasite that prefers an endothermic environment is not going to find an ectothermic one to be a good host. That's why parasites are species specific.

I've been feeding live for over 5 years with no parasite transmission and no more than maybe 5 insignificant scratches to my collection in that time.

Here's Dr. Stahl's Reptile Radio show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/reptile...ile-Veterinary

We went from F/T to live and I have to say.....Live all the way!!! It is so much easier for us and plus I get to go to the shop and pick them out each week. Which going to the reptile store is a fun time for me. Anyways....to me it is easier my snakes seem to LOVE it.

As for the risk...I did have a mouse bite one of my snakes. Did not hurt the snake at all or leave a mark. However now we stun them right before. There is another thread on that with some very passionate views. I don't want to get that going again....just look it up to get some ideas. There was also some interesting information in regards to F/T and their nails (apparently it is harder after being frozen). Now I did not confirm this and do not know if this is true but it does seem to make sense to me.

Feeding in the enclosure...I would recommend it! Less stress on the snake and no they do not get more aggresive. Although I have to say....I think my normal knows when it is Saturday (her feeding day).

I am also new to keeping ball pythons, and I was a bit worried as well about the feeding procedures when I first got my new addition home. I decided to feed my BP freshly killed prey, for all of the same reasons others do here on the forum.

I rescued my BP from kijiji, and not only was she/he not cared for, but I have found some scaring on top of her head and a bit down her neck. This scaring was most likely caused by live prey, but I am not 100%.

I ensure the prey is dead before offering it to her/him, I do not want a rat to wake up after being stunned. My process for killing the rat is as such: I take the rat out of its travel box and place it in the feeding tub, allowing the rat to spread it's scent around. While the rat is in there I take my snake out and hold her while I spot clean/change water in her tank. Then I open her feeding tub, take the rat out, wipe out any rat feces, and place the snake in and close the lid again. Then I place the rat in a bag and with a swift firm swing I take it off the tile floor (concrete under the tile). This is a quick death for the rat, and I find it quite humane considering the alternative. I have not had a rat only get hurt nor have I had to swing twice. I take it out of the bag, check to ensure there is no feces on the rat from traveling home in that small box or from the sack, and offer it to my snake. She has not taken longer than 15 seconds to strike, and I hope things stay this way. But she/he is a BP, who knows what I am in store for with feeding.

Like I said, I am new to this as well and Im not to sure how much help I can give, but I hope you find the way that is best for you and your snake. Good luck with your feeding!

Cheers

I fed my BP live last night for the first time. And he completely annihilated that mouse lol. He struck him right on the mouth holding it's jaw shut and just strangled him. He seemed more interested in the live then the fresh-killed, also. So thanks for convincing me it's safe guys, I'm sure from now on he'll be a great eater. =D

As long as the prey is the right size, your snake will have a "killer time." Dont over stimate your snake though... When you start dealing with bigger rats be very careful about the size of the rat and the snake.

I have to say though, Rat pups and weaned Rats I find that they are MUCH safer than adult mice. Small rats are not usualy a problem either, I find only when you start getting to the medium and up larger size rats it becomes a more troublesome matter.