Live prey vs......

I hear so many opinions on what to feed my snakes, whether it be live, frozen/thawed, or pre-killed, that I am doind a poll based on everyones personal preference. Thanks to all who take place and/or have an opinion.

:floating:

Does not matter to me....I feed it any way they eat it :D

HEHEHE


Just a which not a why, right?

;) :P


(PS - check out our Search function - theres a ton of material on this topic if you'd like more details)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smulkin

HEHEHE
Just a which not a why, right?
;) :P
)

---

hahah.....lets hope it stays a ''which'' not a ''why'' conversation (most likely not...but lets see)....they can use the search function to check out all the past ''why'' discussions :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daniel1983

Does not matter to me....I feed it any way they eat it :D

---

i agree on that my bp will not look at a Pre-killed prey or Frozen/Thawed prey he like live

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by strikerratt

i agree on that my bp will not look at a Pre-killed prey or Frozen/Thawed prey he like live

---

and yes i know Feeding live is bad but my ball python will not go 4 Pre-killed prey or Frozen/Thawed prey i wood love to get him on Pre killed but he just will not go 4 it at all

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by strikerratt

and yes i know Feeding live is bad

---

Don't let anyone tell you that. There is NOTHING bad about feeding live prey to your ball python as long as it's done responsibly.

-adam

I went with Prekilled since it is safer than live prey but 2 of my snakes will only take live prey to they eat live prey.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Don't let anyone tell you that. There is NOTHING bad about feeding live prey to your ball python as long as it's done responsibly.

-adam

---

i do not let anyone tell me that feeding live is bad it is all my bp will eat i do feed responsibly

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Python-77

I went with Prekilled since it is safer than live prey but 2 of my snakes will only take live prey to they eat live prey.

---

yes Prekilled is safer

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by strikerratt

yes Prekilled is safer

---

In my opinion ... responsible live feeding is just as safe as feeding pre-killed. I've been feeding live to many ball pythons for many years and have never had a single ball python bitten, scratched, or mauled.

Before we get our panties all twisted up, please note that I am only giving my OPINION based on the fairly decent amount of experience I have working with ball pythons and having tried feeding them live, frozen, and pre-killed.

Anyone that thinks live feeding is "dangerous" is certainly willing to stop by my shop any feeding day and watch a couple hundred live rats go "down the shoot" without incident :D

Again ... this is my OPINION ... breathe deep and get over it :neener:


-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

In my opinion ... responsible live feeding is just as safe as feeding pre-killed. I've been feeding live to many ball pythons for many years and have never had a single ball python bitten, scratched, or mauled.

Before we get our panties all twisted up, please note that I am only giving my OPINION based on the fairly decent amount of experience I have working with ball pythons and having tried feeding them live, frozen, and pre-killed.

Anyone that thinks live feeding is "dangerous" is certainly willing to stop by my shop any feeding day and watch a couple hundred live rats go "down the shoot" without incident :D

Again ... this is my OPINION ... breathe deep and get over it :neener:


-adam

---

good opinion

I would definitely feed live if I could stand to breed the little boogers. All the threads reminded me how stinky they are. Thawing is a pain in the rear, added to the pain of having to sit there and dangle it for like 5-10 minutes (picky girls! - If the mouse isn't doing the right zombie mambo then they'll just wait until I get it right) but right now it's the easiest. No mousie cages to clean either.

Adam no twisted panties here!! ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tigerlily

I would definitely feed live if I could stand to breed the little boogers. All the threads reminded me how stinky they are. Thawing is a pain in the rear, added to the pain of having to sit there and dangle it for like 5-10 minutes (picky girls! - If the mouse isn't doing the right zombie mambo then they'll just wait until I get it right) but right now it's the easiest. No mousie cages to clean either.

---

That's why I always advocate feeding whatever is most convenient for both the snake and the keeper. For some people F/T is much better, for me, it's easier to do live. If done responsibly either method can be safe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Adam no twisted panties here!! ;)

---

Don't get me started on panties Chrisite .... I'd definitely get myself in a WHOLE HEAP of trouble ;) :D :twisted:

-adam

If you feed live and supervise you should be fine.

I opt for p/k only because I feel better knowing I don't have to worry about bites.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion - and given responsible husbandry in the best interest of their herp should of course have the latitude to choose the approaches they feel are right for them whether that be housing, substrate or state of prey.

I feed F/T only. There are 2 reasons for this

1. The local pet shop charges $4-7 for a rat and they never have anything large. So as you can see I can do much better on Frozen online.

2. Well I simply prefer frozen. No need to breed (I don’t think the wife would want me breeding rats) no need to go out and buy them, wasting even more time at a pet shop that doesn’t know the difference between a ball python and a red tail boa.

Live has its purpose, let’s not forget ball pythons don’t go to a freezer in the wild.

My recommendation is try to get your animals on F/T, but if they refuse and prefer live then give them live.

i am on my way to the Pet Store to get a small rat 4 the pb & a Pinkie mouse 4 corn snake so i will be giving a p/k to the pb so we will see how it gos

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFT

1. The local pet shop charges $4-7 for a rat and they never have anything large. So as you can see I can do much better on Frozen online.

---

There's no reason to ever feed a ball python a large rat no matter how big it is. My biggest girls (the monsters) only get small rats.

Also, I pay well under $1 a rat at the quantities I buy, so it's actually cheaper for me to buy live.

Do you know what a pain in the dumper it would be to thaw a couple hundred rodents each week? I don't even know where I'd lay them out??? :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFT

Live has its purpose, let’s not forget ball pythons don’t go to a freezer in the wild.

---

Exactly, ball pythons are instinctively live feeders. They have to be trained to eat dead prey. That's why for many people, F/T is out of the question.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFT

My recommendation is try to get your animals on F/T, but if they refuse and prefer live then give them live.

---

Exactly, feed you animal what it will eat.

-adam

I'm so tempted to find out how MUCH trouble you could get yourself into Adam :devilish: At the very least it would keep the mood light and I know I can always use a good laugh! :imslow: :lmao:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tigerlily

I'm so tempted to find out how MUCH trouble you could get yourself into Adam :devilish: At the very least it would keep the mood light and I know I can always use a good laugh! :imslow: :lmao:

---

You are EVIL!!!! (i like that) .... If you're even half the hottie that your sister is you could probably get me banned from the internet without much trouble!!! :hump: :twisted: :twisted: :rofl:

-adam

Small Rat to my female....would be interesting. I can see it now she strikes at it only to accidentally swallow the whole thing. Lol

i feed nothing but live. i have not tried p/k or f/t i just dont want to switch. i dont mind the sitting around and making sure that they are alright.

I almost always feed frozen thawed, but I have fed prekilled. I often buy smaller amounts of live feeders at the swap (I don't think I could go through 50 mouse fuzzies before they went back). I would prefer that my babies not get spoiled on live and start refusing anything else :twisted:

Sorry Adam...Wendy's the cute one. I guess I'm the evil one. Although I might be able to get you suspended ;) I guess I should embrace my evilness! :devilish: So watch out :D

i use to feed f/t but it got crazy trying to thaw 20 out a week and in a about 30 day when i get my 20 females and my new baby that would be about 60 a week too crazy so now i feed live it easier and faster. but cost me alot more. 2.50 a rat. Adam where do you get your and do they ship.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

You are EVIL!!!! (i like that) .... If you're even half the hottie that your sister is you could probably get me banned from the internet without much trouble!!! :hump: :twisted: :twisted: :rofl:

-adam

---

Hey Adam, thanks! :blowkiss: :(

Don't let Christie lie to you...she's cute and evil, that's why I love her!

Just to throw my 2 cents in I don't have any qualms feeding my new cresties live crickets!! I know, I'm outta my league. Well, you guys play nice :-)

Dude, sassing back is hard when you can't type... there was supposed to be a wink instead of a sad face...and me a Biology teacher... Yes, that's right folks, I teach the youth of America...be afraid, be very afraid.

hey adam
how do you responsibly feed a live adult rat to a snake.
for example how do you feed live and make sure there is a low chance of a rat bite?

im just asking out of curiosity. i'm not trying to challenge a statement anyone has made.

I personally feed either frozen or live. Whatever is available.

I have a friend who got a bp, cause he liked the one I had. At one point, he bought 2 mice, and he told me that since his bp's was shedding, he had to wait to feed them. But my friend isn't exactly the smartest guy I have ever met. So he did not feed them. He had the mice for 3 days, and on the fourth day, he woke up to see that one mouse had killed the other and had half eaten it.

Sure, there is an obvious moral to this story, but I think that there is something more important to learn here. It took 4 days of starvation to turn a mouse into a blood thirsty carnivore.

There is nothing wrong with feeding live, as long as the mouse doesn't stay with your snake for hours. If your snake doesn't eat within 20 minutes, there is a good chance he/she won't eat it at all. Most of the horror stories we hear of mice or rat munching on snakes are based on the fact that they where left together for days, unsupervised. Some may have seen mice or rats attacking snakes in much shorter time, but generally speaking, it takes up to a few days for a hungry mouse or rat to see a snake as a meal.

good news i got him eat a p/k bad news the cam died on me but i got some pics i will get the pics up in a day

the pic r in my gallery

Nice shots lol.

I love it when they rear up and take the rat straight down like a hungry chimney or something. You ever see yours do that and lose balance and topple over?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smulkin

HEHEHE


Just a which not a why, right?

;) :P

---

let's hear that agian smulkin

it all depends on what works for u and ur herp

Sure thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smulkin

I love it when they rear up and take the rat straight down like a hungry chimney or something. You ever see yours do that and lose balance and topple over?

---

ha haaaa one of mine did that just the other night. he was all reared up like a cobra taking down his rat and looking cool when he started to lean a little and thump! he layed there and swallowed the rest of his dinner on his side. silly thing. :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFT

Small Rat to my female....would be interesting. I can see it now she strikes at it only to accidentally swallow the whole thing. Lol

---

I promise you that I have females MUCH bigger than your largest and they do fine with small rats.

I noticed your profile says that you're a ball python "breeder" ... then you must know that if you make those girls too fat, they will either not produce or slug out.

Small rats rock for adult ball pythons!

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Sorry Adam...Wendy's the cute one. I guess I'm the evil one. Although I might be able to get you suspended ;) I guess I should embrace my evilness! :devilish: So watch out :D

---

I have a feeling that either one of you guys would do equally well getting me in "HOT WATER" .... LOL ;)

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gncz73

Adam where do you get your and do they ship.

---

A friend of mine breeds rats ... no, he doesn't even really sell to the public, they are just for his collection and he hooks me up big time. I'm lucky to know him.

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wendyhoo9

Hey Adam, thanks! :blowkiss: :(

Don't let Christie lie to you...she's cute and evil, that's why I love her!

---

If you guys ever want to invite me over for a family gathering, I'm awesome at washing dishes!!!! :D :twisted: ;)

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BALLPYTHON

hey adam
how do you responsibly feed a live adult rat to a snake.
for example how do you feed live and make sure there is a low chance of a rat bite?

---

1. I feed my snakes in their enclosure ... this minimizes stress on the snake and allows them to "hunt" from familiar ground.

2. I leave their hide boxes (and everything else) in the cage ... this gives them some cover to hunt from and protects their bodies from the rats.

3. I feed nothing bigger than a small rat ... small rats teeth are still very soft just in case ... that said, I've never had to worry about "just in case".

4. If the meal isn't eaten within a reasonable about of time, it is removed before the rat gets the chance to become hungry/bored/curious.

In my experience, the rats are oblivious to the idea that there is even a snake in the box with them and usually just hang out in the corner and chew on the substrate until they are nailed (although, most of the time they are nailed mid air before they even hit the floor of the cage)!

-adam

thanks Adam and yes you are lucky to have a friend thats hooks you up like that

i went to feeding my rtb prekilled fuzzie rats do to i fill rats have more nutrion and i dont want my snake hurt one of my old bps got bite by a live mouse once so then i started knocking them out.i never could get my bp to eat frozen thawed.

Half of mine eat f/t or p/k.. the other half eat live- out of neccessity. I tried to get all mine switched over to p/k or f/t, but 2 of my bp's refuse anything thats NOT live. And to be honest, if I had a HUGE collection, I just dont know that feeding f/t would be a good choice b/c of the space it would take to thaw a bunch of rodents.

Valid point - I'd think trying to supervise all those feeds would be equally tricky.

I have a few BP's that have gotten to the point that they no longer bother with constriction - once the dead rat is laid on the doorstep of their hide they'll just start gulping. Neph (afrock) won't even take anything live anymore - or constrict it for that matter - and considering her potential size that just a-ok with me lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I promise you that I have females MUCH bigger than your largest and they do fine with small rats.

I noticed your profile says that you're a ball python "breeder" ... then you must know that if you make those girls too fat, they will either not produce or slug out.

Small rats rock for adult ball pythons!

-adam

---

:D this could get fun
So Adam what do you want to put on the fact that your females are "Much bigger" than mine? Let me know.

As for producing slugs or nothing well......
2004 10 eggs all good ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...akes/eggs3.jpg

2005 12 eggs all good :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...y18th20052.jpg

sure looks like them large rats hurt her bad....
lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smulkin

Valid point - I'd think trying to supervise all those feeds would be equally tricky.

---

Well, I am a professional. ;) :P :rofl:

Seriously though ... for beginners and people with a few snakes that want to feed live I absolutely advocate responsible feeding and direct supervision until the rat is all the way gone.

Once your collection gets fairly large, you certainly gain the experience to know who needs to be watched closely and who will do fine just having a rodent dropped into their enclosure. I certainly wouldn't be an advocate of feeding your average pet ball python the same way I feed my collection.

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFT

:D this could get fun
So Adam what do you want to put on the fact that your females are "Much bigger" than mine? Let me know.

---

Looks like you're the man boss! LOL

http://www.8ballpythons.com/images/lesser-breeding.jpg

-adam

Quote:

---

Once your collection gets fairly large, you certainly gain the experience to know who needs to be watched closely and who will do fine just having a rodent dropped into their enclosure.

---

I would think that would have as much to do with the rodents as it would the snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Smulkin

I would think that would have as much to do with the rodents as it would the snake.

---

How's that? I know my snakes ... aggressive ones, timid ones, etc ... don't know the rodents from Adam ... (pardon the pun) ... rats and mice aren't vicious carnivores that are just sitting waiting for the opportunity to sink their fangs into a snake .... they are actually pretty passive until they are cornered, and contrary to popular internet forum beliefs, ball pythons are quite adept at cornering, killing, and eating live prey in a way that allows them to be safe. ;)


-adam