Frozen or live?!

I've been feeding my snake frozen since I purchased him, but now he seems less interested in the lifeless frozen mice. Is getting live mice worth the risk of my snake being harmed? Is frozen the best choice of food?


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Feeding live can be just as safe as feeding f/t: just supervise the feedings, don't leave the feeder in with the snake unattended unless it's something that can't harm the snake (ie fuzzies, pups, etc), and have a pen/pencil/etc handy for feeders with teeth so you can catch the feeder before it bites the snake (if the snake coiled the feeder in a way where the feeder's head is able to freely move).

I prefer f/t but I don't consider it "better" than live: some think that live is healthier for the snake but I haven't read up if there is truth to this. F/t is convenient for me (even with 30+ snakes) so it depends on the person.

I prefer live and have never had issues with it.

Neither live or f/t is better than the other. Both have pros and cons.
Just feed what works for you and your animal.

I do live. And just like Daybreaker said "just supervise the feedings"!

Thanks guys!


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Live or F/T so long it is done responsibly does not really matter however the question is do you have a reliable source of live feeders, is it gonna convenient for you in the long run, and are you ok if your BP never switch back to F/T.

I used to do mixed but I spent most of the last 2 years switching them to frozen. I prefer it for many reasons.

If you ant to keep them interested in the F/T animal. Once they hit, grab the tail and wiggle it a little like it's fighting. I do this when some of mine get lazy.

I do live. Supervised. It's hard not to watch.

mine is one live at the moment im trying to switch her to f/t again tomorrow. but just keep an on on them if u try live like everyone said, good luck

I disagree that supervision makes feeding life okay. I fed my Ball Python live when I first got him, and I could see the mice squirming inside of his throat. There's nothing you can do to help if the rodent causes internal damage.
Using tongs to move the mouse around is the equivalent of giving him a live mouse. As long as you're heating the mouse enough, and you're moving the mouse around, you shouldn't have an issue. Some snakes are really stubborn about eating F/T, but eventually they will eat it.

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Originally Posted by B.O.S Reptiles

I disagree that supervision makes feeding life okay. I fed my Ball Python live when I first got him, and I could see the mice squirming inside of his throat. There's nothing you can do to help if the rodent causes internal damage.
Using tongs to move the mouse around is the equivalent of giving him a live mouse. As long as you're heating the mouse enough, and you're moving the mouse around, you shouldn't have an issue. Some snakes are really stubborn about eating F/T, but eventually they will eat it.

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I disagree, the snake will not just have to get over it nor will some ever get over it. There are large balls out there that will only eat live mice to this day.

Feeding live is perfectly fine, while we're not raising wild smart snakes, they do have a prey drive and if you're too worried about it give the live rodent a quick stun and then let the snake after it.

I in fact read a member who helped suffocate a rat because a snake wasn't getting it all the way.

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Some snakes will not just get over it. As for worry.... nobody freezes and thaws rodents for snakes in the wild... snakes are made to eat live prey. As long as its a supervised feeding live is perfectly fine.
Either way you choose is fine :)

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Originally Posted by B.O.S Reptiles

I disagree that supervision makes feeding life okay.

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Sorry but that is based on you owning one BP for 7 months ;)

If you think F/T is 100% safe think again.

There is nothing 100% safe in this world but knowing how to feed live or f/t means minimum risk making either one fine.

It´s about being knowledgeable when it comes to feeding techniques and options rather then scaring people of.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by B.O.S Reptiles

I disagree that supervision makes feeding life okay. I fed my Ball Python live when I first got him, and I could see the mice squirming inside of his throat. There's nothing you can do to help if the rodent causes internal damage.
Using tongs to move the mouse around is the equivalent of giving him a live mouse. As long as you're heating the mouse enough, and you're moving the mouse around, you shouldn't have an issue. Some snakes are really stubborn about eating F/T, but eventually they will eat it.

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While surpervision is not a 100% guaranty your snake won't get bitten, it is that it won't get seriously hurt. As for swallowing alive, snakes that don't constrict or don't always constrict swallow prey alive all the time, never hurts them. My Sonoran gopher has swallowed live prey alive every time I've given it to him. He's never been hurt. Some snakes prefer live animals, nothing you can do about that. Strong feeders don't get hurt by prey, it's the problem feeders that would rather be attacked than attack.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by B.O.S Reptiles

I disagree that supervision makes feeding life okay. I fed my Ball Python live when I first got him, and I could see the mice squirming inside of his throat. There's nothing you can do to help if the rodent causes internal damage.
Using tongs to move the mouse around is the equivalent of giving him a live mouse. As long as you're heating the mouse enough, and you're moving the mouse around, you shouldn't have an issue. Some snakes are really stubborn about eating F/T, but eventually they will eat it.

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Everybody has their opinions and while I share yours about f/t, if you breed hundreds of snakes then f/t just isn't practical. Even with using the tongs to move the mouse around isn't the same thing as giving him a live mouse because they will still have different smells. While we may not be able to exactly point it out, be sure that a snake that can smell something far away can pick out the difference and it knows what it likes. I wouldn't say they eventually will eat it because I've seen some that won't. While it may not be common they do have exceptions, same thing with some balls will never make the switch to rats.

@OP
For me f/t works better because I don't produce my own rats. If I produced my own rats then I would most likely do pre-killed or live, depending on the feeding response of the snake being fed. Then f/t ends up being way cheaper then live and when I buy in bulk I sell off extra which basically covers some of my price and if I sell a lot then it covers it all. My small f/t rat I get for $1.15 a piece or maybe 1.25, if I were to go to a pet shop and get that from there then I'd be looking at like $7 at least. Though I do have a friend who will sell me a small rat for like $2, but some people may not know people like I do. I've also been in the hobby quite a long time.

The reason I chose f/t was not only for convenience but also for health purposes. I know that the brand i choose breeds mice/ rats specifically to be fed to reptiles. A lot of small mom & pop pet stores don't exactly produce the cleanest, healthiest, feeders. Even if they look nice & plump the breeding conditions may not be ideal. I would only suggest feeding live if you are breeding your own, or know that your supplier takes adequate care of their breeder specimens.