first live mouse

first time ive fed him since i got him.jsut gave my juve Salmonella a live small mouse, and i must say it has to be THE COOLSET THING EVER to watch a snake strike a live mouse. SO COOL!!!! hes swollowing it now.... so cool. at first i thought the mosue was a little to big for him, but not even 15 min and its all teh way in. soo cool......

Cool I might have pics by next weekend i will feed her next thurs day (i just got her shes still seting in)

isn't it cool? i fed my snake on saturday and I didn't think that he'd be able to swallow the mouse! after that, he crawled into a small hiding place with the mouse in his belly, and he's been there ever since.

You shouldn't be feeding live mice :( Very bad for your snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simplest_Mistake

You shouldn't be feeding live mice :( Very bad for your snake.

---

You shouldn't give out bad information. Live feeding can be perfectly safe if done responsibly.
;)
-adam

i just wanna ask was the food item bigger then the largest part of the snakes body?and live feeding can be safe if you knock out the mouse a lil but it isnt all that safe. i have seen soem crazy pictures of snakes beign killed or chunks biten out of them from live feeding when it coems to my snake nothing is alive after they go to regular white mice i leave hopper mice alive but after that nope i feel it is just safer to kill them.but if any body takes the risk hey its there snake i feel the herp owner buys its snakes food so let them feed the snake what they want but it always lingers that it isnt as safe as pre killed or f/t

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by doobysnack

and live feeding can be safe if you knock out the mouse a lil but it isnt all that safe.

---

How to you "knock out the mouse a lil"?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by doobysnack

i have seen soem crazy pictures of snakes beign killed or chunks biten out of them from live feeding

---

Those pictures are not from "live feedings" .... those pictures represent what happens when you leave a rodent in a cage with a snake unsupervided for days or weeks at a time. The rodent has to eat something. It's not live feeding that does that to those snakes, it's IDIOTIC owners. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by doobysnack

but it always lingers that it isnt as safe as pre killed or f/t

---

If that's what you want to believe, than that's cool. Personally, I've been feeding my ball python colony a couple hundred rodents each week for the last 10 years and have never had a single scratch, bite, or mauling. I consider responsible supervised live feeding as safe as any other method. :D

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by doobysnack

i just wanna ask was the food item bigger then the largest part of the snakes body?and live feeding can be safe if you knock out the mouse a lil but it isnt all that safe. i have seen soem crazy pictures of snakes beign killed or chunks biten out of them from live feeding when it coems to my snake nothing is alive after they go to regular white mice i leave hopper mice alive but after that nope i feel it is just safer to kill them.but if any body takes the risk hey its there snake i feel the herp owner buys its snakes food so let them feed the snake what they want but it always lingers that it isnt as safe as pre killed or f/t

---

Show me the pic and tell me the TRUE story of what happened and I can tell you EXACTLY what the person's error was that got their snake injured. Feed properly and there will be no problems.

EDIT: oh ya....knocking out(that is horrible for the rodent BTW)....when any animal is 'knocked out', it eventually wakes up. So you leave an unsupervised animal in with the snake that you think poses no threat, it wakes up really P.O.ed because it got knocked in the head and takes a chunk out of the snake.....that is was is called IMPROPER feeding.

Not wanting to get into the live vs pre-killed vs frozen/thawed debate here all I will say is this.....responsible care is responsible care....you should monitor your snake's feeding regardless of what it's eating. Leaving a live prey in a snake's enclosure for unsupervised, extended lengths of time isn't wise. Tossing in a dead prey and not removing it if it remains uneaten isn't wise.

When it comes down to it I think it's about what works for you as far as availability, cost and convenience and for the snake as far as what it will take readily and thrive on.

Last thought here, I'd rely more on the advice of those with experience or what I've seen with my own eyes or even my own common sense more than anything else.


~~Jo~~

well i have owned snakes since i can remember startign with a black snake and very true you do need to supervise your snakes witch i do with every feeding and right i think i even said there are responsible ways to feed live prey i (PERSONALLY) prefer to feed(MY) snakes prey killed .and did you happen to see this lol hey its there snake i feel the herp owner buys its snakes food so let them feed the snake what they want.

lol i have no problem feedign live i just liek prey killed better. no effense to any one ment in that previous thread.lol

Thanks,
Wendell

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by doobysnack

lol i have no problem feedign live i just liek prey killed better.

---

Thats what is all about:)....

The only problem that ever arises in these type of discussions is when someone says feeding live is WRONG. I consider that giving out bad information(and alot of others do too). Personally, I feed p/k and f/t because I do not have the time to properly feed live. I made that responsible decision, but there are many people out there that do not. Instead of saying 'live feeding is wrong', learn the proper methods of feeding live and educate people that do not know any better. If you hear of someone feeding improperly, tell them what they are doing wrong or suggest other methods.

ha ha....rant rant rant...i need to stop :)

....ha.....remember, they eat live in the wild not p/k or f/t...these animals were built to take down live prey :D

EDIT: Just a thought, why doesn't someone type up an article on the proper methods of feeding live prey items and put it in the articles section....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daniel1983

EDIT: Just a thought, why doesn't someone type up an article on the proper methods of feeding live prey items and put it in the articles section....

---

I've actually been working on one for a while now for the journal section of my website (be more than happy to share it here as well) ... it's just that between hatchlings, new web site design, life, and blah blah blah I just haven't had the time to finish it up! .... I'm finally getting some help at the shop now though so maybe it'll be done soon!

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I've actually been working on one for a while now for the journal section of my website (be more than happy to share it here as well) ... it's just that between hatchlings, new web site design, life, and blah blah blah I just haven't had the time to finish it up! .... I'm finally getting some help at the shop now though so maybe it'll be done soon!

---

ha ha....you sound busy :) good luck in all the new stuff

...oh boy, hatchlings... :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daniel1983

...oh boy, hatchlings... :D

---

Looks like you're set for a 4th of July baby! ;) We'll talk next week for sure!

-adam

ohhhh ditto on the hatchlings!


~~Jo~~

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

You shouldn't give out bad information. Live feeding can be perfectly safe if done responsibly.
;)
-adam

---

Exactly...but it can be harmful too...and not everyone is "responsible" when they feed live. My information is not bad information. Just google about the topic and I am sure you can find lots of horror stories, about snakes getting hurt very badly from live feeding. Also, feeding f/t is much safer beacause if the rodent has ant sort of disease, freezing normally kills it (depending on what it is). The person I got my Corn snake from fed live, and didn't even watch. She has some bites on her sides. The first time I offered her f/t she ate it. Yes, there are some advantages of feeding live, but IN MY OPINION, feeding f/t or p/k is much healthier and safer for your snake. We could go on and on about it... The point is, I believe in feeding f/t or p/k...and you feed live. We are both right...to some extent. ::NOTE:: you said it "Can be safe if done responsibly". Well with p/k even if you mess up, your snake doesn't get hurt. I am not going to say even if you mess up with f/t, your snake doesn't get hurt, because you can burn you snake if you don't thaw the rodents out correctly.

thanks for the replies i ahvent been on in a while. and yes its the coolses t thing ever.


my take on the live. prekilled and f/t thing is this.
live: the snake is intinctually trained to kill live, so try to get it food it can kill easily with out harm to itself. my bp takes down live small mice like a champ. AND i WATCH him do it everytime, jsut to be on the safe side.

prekilled: or half killed as i usualyl do it. all the ease of live, non of the risks with scratches, if any. whack the mouse on a hard surface (no the tank, itll scare the snake) untill its twitchy and jsut set him in the tank, Sal took that one down like a champ too.

F/T: jsut make sure not to over heat it or underthaw it. a frozen rock in a cold blooded animal can be harmful, im willing to bet, kinda like brainfreeze to us. but to get my bp in the feeding mood, set the mouse under the heating lamp ontop the screen, ove rthe tank, about 5 minutes after i did that, Sal popped his head out of the hide probably cuz he could smell it. after the mouse was warm enough, set him insied the tank, a little zombie twitches with a chopstick, and ::SNAP:: and curl. funny thing was, Sall was curled around him alot longer than he would around a live one, thinking it wasnt dead yet.... thought was was amusing, thinking to myself " oh cmon it was already dead, just eat the d-mned thing."

so now i know he will go for anything. and im happy


interesting side note:
Sal stays in his hide alot, from what i can see, but hen i get home and turn off the lamp round 8 pm every night, he likes to come out and play. so i bring him out, and notice hes alot smoother and such, so i look in his hide and he shed, but the wired thign is, that it was a complete shed, not one little piece still on him, and theres only reptibark and the smooth inside of a cerial bowl inside the hide. dont they need like rough corners and such to help shed the skin. it was in one big piece too. thoguht that was interesting.....

Quote:

---

Also, feeding f/t is much safer beacause if the rodent has ant sort of disease, freezing normally kills it (depending on what it is)

---

What diseases? Rabies? Cardiomyopathy? Pinkeye? :) Sorry, got a little carried away there... Snakes do not get internal parasites from rodents. Most parasites are species-specific and will not be passed onto another species. Snakes get parasites from unclean conditions where there is feces everywhere as well as other snakes present in the enclosure. If one has it, they will all get it.

Plus, freezing does nothing to kill parasites anyway. It will usually just put the ova and adult parasites in a dormant state until the animal is thawed out again. But regardless, snakes cannot contract parasites from rodents, so whatever the method of feeding the snake, it will be safe(unless it is in an uneducated manner-leaving the rodent in the not hungry snake's cage for 3 days with no food or water....)

I was told it would kill any type of RI. And definetly the pinkeye :rolleyes: I did say IMO...meaning no one had to argee with me.......

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simplest_Mistake

Exactly...but it can be harmful too...and not everyone is "responsible" when they feed live. My information is not bad information. Just google about the topic and I am sure you can find lots of horror stories, about snakes getting hurt very badly from live feeding. Also, feeding f/t is much safer beacause if the rodent has ant sort of disease, freezing normally kills it (depending on what it is). The person I got my Corn snake from fed live, and didn't even watch. She has some bites on her sides. The first time I offered her f/t she ate it. Yes, there are some advantages of feeding live, but IN MY OPINION, feeding f/t or p/k is much healthier and safer for your snake. We could go on and on about it... The point is, I believe in feeding f/t or p/k...and you feed live. We are both right...to some extent. ::NOTE:: you said it "Can be safe if done responsibly". Well with p/k even if you mess up, your snake doesn't get hurt. I am not going to say even if you mess up with f/t, your snake doesn't get hurt, because you can burn you snake if you don't thaw the rodents out correctly.

---

Yes, we could go on and on about it, but we won't ... do what you must, you sound like you've got this ball python stuff all figured out ;) My only point was that you said ...

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simplest_Mistake

You shouldn't be feeding live mice :( Very bad for your snake.

---

---

Who are you to tell people what they should and shouldn't feed their snakes?

And yes, it IS bad information to say that it's "very bad for your snake".

When you made that statement, you did not state it as opinion, you stated it as fact ... and it is false.

-adam

i feed both of my snakes live every week and have never had one little incedent ... but of coarse i watch my babies like a hawk on feeding day :) they even eat small rats with no incedents. i kind of help by sticking something in the rats mouth when it goes to bite, but most of the time they wedge it somewhere where it cant get to them, and i also watch to see if they are scratching my snakes. so in my opinion as long as you are a responsible pet owner and watch over them then feed what you will :)


edit---> CONGRATS on the first feeding of the live mouse!!!!!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simplest_Mistake

I did say IMO...meaning no one had to argee with me.......

---

I could not really figure out what part you were stating as opinion...alot of it sounded like you were stating facts. Making a "fact" type statement then saying 'in my opinion' is not the best way to go about things. So many things that have been stated as an 'opinion-facts' are just an opinion. These statements have no proof behind them, but are mistakenly considered fact by people that are not familiar with the topic. Some people mistake these opinions as facts....then they spread the false information...and....you get the end result. When someone makes a statement like the one you made, most people here like to jump at the chance to 'set the record staight'....please do not take it as insulting, attacking and such...we all just want to help out

I think that instead of saying that:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simplest_Mistake

You shouldn't be feeding live mice Very bad for your snake.

---

You should have said something more like this:
''Feeding live rodents can be harzardous to your snake if done improperly. Please make sure you are feeding live correctly. I have pictures to show how feeding live improperly can hurt the snake and I will gladly tell you how to feed live properly so that does not happen. If you can not feed your snake live rodents properly, may I suggest feeding p/k or f/t rodents''

I really doubt that anyone would ever have a problem with that statement :)

We are all here to help out.....

Yes, I guess I could have worded that a little better. I am going to stop fighting about this now. What it boils down to when feeding live/frozen/prekilled is what you think is best for you snake. I personally believe in f/t or p/k...and the other person is clearly a believer in live. Thats his choice, and those are his snakes. Just like my snakes are my snakes, and I would get really po'd if someone told me to feed them live. So...everyone lets stop fighting!

Yes I agree I shouldn't have said it like that...I am sorry. I have been thinking about how mad it would make me if someone told me to feed all my snakes live. Like I said...it is a personal opinion on how/what you feed your snakes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Yes, we could go on and on about it, but we won't ... do what you must, you sound like you've got this ball python stuff all figured out ;) My only point was that you said ...



Who are you to tell people what they should and shouldn't feed their snakes?

And yes, it IS bad information to say that it's "very bad for your snake".

When you made that statement, you did not state it as opinion, you stated it as fact ... and it is false.

-adam

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Simplest_Mistake

So...everyone lets stop fighting!

---

ha ha....We dont fight....We have discussions :D

I think it's the passion in all of us for this species that sometimes makes posts come out too strongly worded but it's also that passion that pushes us all to want to do the very best for these lovely snakes.

Perhaps if we all took that extra moment to re-read our own posts from the point of view of...how would I like this post directed AT me rather than FROM me....remember folks the edit button is a good thing LOL.


~~Jo~~

P.S. Me being the voice of reason is generally accepted by scholars around the world as yet another sign of the coming apocolypse :neener:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frankykeno

I think it's the passion in all of us for this species that sometimes makes posts come out too strongly worded ....

---

ha ha.....thats why I always try to use my massive library of online facial expressions to let people know that I am not out to get them... :) and :D ...... 90% of communication is visual....so when you write online there is a lot of room for misunderstandings