which do you prefere?

just wondering for future knowledge...maybe some of you breeders out there can give me a hint?

any food, as long as they are eating, though i do prefer for them to be on rats. :)

As a suggestion, you might want to do a search on this topic as there have been several polls on this on already with plenty of opinions tossed around. =)

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Originally Posted by mlededee

any food, as long as they are eating, though i do prefer for them to be on rats. :)

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I think the same....live, f/t, p/k....it does not make a difference as long as they are eatting.

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Originally Posted by cassandra

As a suggestion, you might want to do a search on this topic as there have been several polls on this on already with plenty of opinions tossed around. =)

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I've seen the general discussion of what to feed your snakes, but not on preferences of when you BUY the snake. If you could find me the links that would be great :)

I feed whatever they prefer to gobble down. ;)

Is this a trick question?

I would imagine frozen/thawed would be safest for snake, cheapest for you, and most humane way to feed a snake....

Oh round we go again LOL....

Up front, there is no right or wrong way to feed your snake....live, frozen/thawed, pre-killed...mice or rats...as long as the snake eats it...eats it consistently and is growing and healthy and you are a happy snake owner....you got it goin on!

However, there is nothing inherently cruel or inhumane in feeding live. This is not a pet animal we are talking about here. This is a snake, that even if bred in captivity is barely a slither from the wild. In my mind, not a domesticated animal. We humans like to make everything antiseptic and apart from the natural processes of life. Snakes eat rodents...snake were designed to eat live rodents and rodents were designed to be prey...been going on for eons of time and will go on for eons of time....Mother Nature is no dumb broad :)

We raise our own rats....we feed live...by choice and through responsible, careful consideration of all factors...including the rats. As my posts and anyone will tell you I'm a fiend about the rats being properly managed for both their welfare and that of our snakes. I actually respect our rats and their contribution to the predator/prey dynamic that occurs every Thursday in our home. I would never allow a living creature to be treated inhumanely or without respect for it's place and function.

Please understand, I am not promoting live feed over another method but I do take exception with it being labelled inhumane and tend to hop on my lil ole soapbox so do forgive the small rant here LOL.

As to the original poll question, as long as the snake is a good eater we don't care what or how it eats and will copy the way it's been eating till it's settled in. Then if we wish to use another prey or method we'll attempt to transfer the snake over to our way at that time.

~~Jo~~

I don't like pre-killed that much I usually feed live, but I stand there with tweezers just in case Mary J grabs a wrong way and the mouse ends up tearing her up so with the tweezers I reach in there and hold the mouth but it rarely happens I jus do it as a precautionary step in my feeding process

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Originally Posted by Sheets12

but I stand there with tweezers just in case Mary J grabs a wrong way and the mouse ends up tearing her up so with the tweezers I reach in there and hold the mouth

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:confused: Have you ever seen a mouse tear up your snake? My snakes grab from the head, from the side and from the rear end if they're excited enough to strike a retreating mouse. Never, ever, has a mouse had much opportunity to "tear up" the snakes. They might nip the snake, but have never broken the skin, and in my experience, once they feel a nip, they just constrict tighter and the mouse is more concerned with trying to breath than biting.

I seriously doubt that tweezers are necessary. Let your snake do it's thing, years and years of evolution have made her quite capable of dispatching the mouse without your assistance. If you're concerned about the mouse biting your snake to the point of assisting your snake with tweezers, you might want to consider f/t or pre-killed. :)

It is good you are monitoring a live feed, that's important to make sure your snake can handle it's live prey appropriately and aggressively. However, most mice are not going to "tear up" anything when faced with a snake that knows what to do with live prey, most of the time they just don't get the chance.

One of the things Adam Wysocki taught Mike and I was to offer appropriate sized live prey. In other words not large enough to cause the snake any problems dealing with the prey. None of our snakes, even the large females ever get anything bigger than a good sized small rat - though they may eat more than one each feeding night. We also remove live prey if the snake does not, within minutes, exhibit an aggressive feeding response. We don't let live prey wander about for a few hours or overnight (exception might be pinks or fuzzies if you are working with a stubborn eater). We also make sure the prey itself is well fed and hydrated so it does not get presented half-crazed, unfortunately some pet store feeders are very poorly cared for that way.


~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

We also make sure the prey itself is well fed and hydrated so it does not get presented half-crazed, unfortunately some pet store feeders are very poorly cared for that way.


~~Jo~~

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Which is the reason I purchase my mice at least a week before feeding, so that they can have a week in my care with proper feeding and watering.

Hey guys, I didnt want everyone to get into the Live or P/k discussion. I know how everyone feels about feeding their OWN animals. I just want to know the answer to the question....

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Originally Posted by adizziedoll

Hey guys, I didnt want everyone to get into the Live or P/k discussion. I know how everyone feels about feeding their OWN animals. I just want to know the answer to the question....

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Threads sometimes take on a life of their own around here. It's just a risk you gotta accept. ;) As for the answer to your question, there isn't going to be one "right" answer. There will just be two schools of thought:

ONE: I just want the snake to be an established eater when I buy it, so I don't care what it is eating.

TWO: I feed my other animals ________ (live, prekilled, f/t) and so it is helpful to me if the snake I buy is already established on ____________ (live, prekilled, f/t).

I don't think you're going to get any more specific knowledge than that from this particular question.

As others have stated here, the most important thing is that the animal is eating. If you're going to be particular about whether it is eating live, pre-killed, or f/t, I'd say go for whatever you plan to feed it.

Oops. I guess Judy already said that. Sorry, Judy!

I prefere to use the French spelling of verbs. :P

k, thank guys :) I wasn't sure if people had a preference, or if it was just "as long as it's established"

i used to prefer that snakes i was interested in purchasing were feeding on f/t because that what i fed at the time. now i feed a little of everything depending on the snake, so it only really matters that a new snake will eat, regardless of what it is.

Feed what works for you and your snake...I have started buying bulk frozen rodents because it is cheaper than breeding my own right now....but I still have a few that will only take live...and one that is in transition with p/k

so that means that I fed live, p/k, and f/t tonight ;)

Whatever I have. I find myself feeding f/t, pre-killed, and live all the time. I like all of them and it stands true that each snake has its own preference, and so I abide by each snake's preference.

Everyone has a preference and I don't think it matters one way or another. To me feeding them PK seems easier. I did the FT thing and gets to be a pain with a bunch of snakes, even though it is cheaper (at least where I live). I'd rather whack'em and throw'em in. No watching or soaking, but that's just me.

I prefer F/T its just alot easier to have a bunch of rodents in the freezer and take them out and defrost them as you need them than going out and getting a bunch of live rodents and pre killing or feeding live

I prefere frozen / thawed , but my bp prefere's live.. :rolleye2:

i hand feed her i hold the mouse by the tail and she never misses it if i let the mouse run loose in her cage she will ignore it

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Originally Posted by Monty

i hand feed her i hold the mouse by the tail and she never misses it if i let the mouse run loose in her cage she will ignore it

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Just because you haven't been bitten yet, doesn't mean it's not going to happen. You are also introducing the biting end of a frightened animal to your snake, which is going to result in an injury to your snake one day.

Drop the mouse in the opposite end of the enclosure and give your snake some time, without an audience to hunt it. If she hasn't eaten it in 30 minutes, remove it and try again the following week.

My preference, is rats. I would love it if they would eat prekilled, but I have not had luck, so I just feed live (supervised, to make sure that the rat is not going to bite the snake.) I breed my own rats, so it works for me. I simply drop the rat in at the right angle so that it will likely not be able to bite, and go from there.

F/T is the best and safest for the snake, pre-killed is the next best choice. You can usually tell when a snake has been fed live, generally have scars from bad strikes. I use to feed live to my BPs, because I thought thats all they would eat but after nearly loosing one to feeding live, I said thats it, no more. I tried pre-killed, they took that, fed that for awhile and tried F/T and they now reulary take F/T rats. To many people just assume their snake will only take live and thats not the case,most times.

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

F/T is the best and safest for the snake, pre-killed is the next best choice. You can usually tell when a snake has been fed live, generally have scars from bad strikes. I use to feed live to my BPs, because I thought thats all they would eat but after nearly loosing one to feeding live, I said thats it, no more. I tried pre-killed, they took that, fed that for awhile and tried F/T and they now reulary take F/T rats. To many people just assume their snake will only take live and thats not the case,most times.

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I've fed over 2000 live feedings with no injuries to my snakes. Feeding live can be done safely if done correctly and prey that is offered is not too large for your snake. The largest rats that get fed to even my adults are 3-4 week old rats.

None of my crew have scars on them. Let's not perpetuate the myth that responsible live feeding is dangerous.

I feed live and prekilled. The nice thing about prekilled is the safety of the snake (I had an Albino get bit once) and the escapee problem. I had a small rat escape once, those suckers are fast! The problem is if the snake doesn't eat it can be tricky getting the little frightened whippersnappers out! :eek:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

I've fed over 2000 live feedings with no injuries to my snakes. Feeding live can be done safely if done correctly and prey that is offered is not too large for your snake. The largest rats that get fed to even my adults are 3-4 week old rats.

None of my crew have scars on them. Let's not perpetuate the myth that responsible live feeding is dangerous.

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Myth lmao, its sad if you really believe that. So apparently according to you, if someone has a problem feeding live, its their fault. I never left my snake alone when feeding live, I was feeding my BP a mouse when it happened, if anything the prey was not big enough. I personally dont know why anyone would feed live, just to feed live,yea its cool but not at the risk of your snakes health. All the BPs I have and have had, all were being fed live because thats all they would eat:rolleyes:. Had no problems switching them over to F/T.

for those who still think its a myth, take a look at this
http://aquatic-terrors.com/forums/in...showtopic=3281

very sad but very true, know the person and she is anything but a irresponsible keeper.

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

Myth lmao, its sad if you really believe that. So apparently according to you, if someone has a problem feeding live, its their fault. I never left my snake alone when feeding live, I was feeding my BP a mouse when it happened, if anything the prey was not big enough. I personally dont know why anyone would feed live, just to feed live,yea its cool but not at the risk of your snakes health. All the BPs I have and have had, all were being fed live because thats all they would eat:rolleyes:. Had no problems switching them over to F/T.

for those who still think its a myth, take a look at this
http://aquatic-terrors.com/forums/in...showtopic=3281

very sad but very true, know the person and she is anything but a irresponsible keeper.

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Jason, I don't feed live because it's "cool". There have been many discussions on feeding live responsibly here and this forum supports each keeper's right to choose to feed what works best for them.

Adam Wysocki has stated many times that he feeds his collection of over 200 snakes live and has fed live for over 20 years - no injuries.

If the risk was that great, I'm sure he would have experienced some by now. I also doubt he'd be feeding live to his high end morphs if he was concerned about a real risk of injuries.

If the risk was that great, I surely would have had even a puncture wound with the number of live feedings I have under my belt.

The live feeders don't tell people they should feed live, but do prickle a bit when they are accused of not caring or being poor keepers. F/T or pre-killed works best for you - live works best for me.

There are a few threads here that discuss live vs. pre-killed or f/t that you may find interesting:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ight=Live+feed

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ight=Live+feed

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

I never left my snake alone when feeding live, I was feeding my BP a mouse when it happened, if anything the prey was not big enough.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

I use to feed live to my BPs, because I thought thats all they would eat but after nearly loosing one to feeding live

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How did you almost lose one to feeding a mouse live, and one that you say was not large enough? I'm curious?

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Originally Posted by rabernet

How did you almost lose one to feeding a mouse live, and one that you say was not large enough? I'm curious?

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I was feeding one of my BPs live like I always did when I was pretty new to the hobby and didnt know any better. Anyways, put the mouse in the cage like always and watched closely to make sure all went well, the BP striked and grabbed the mouse by the back, in a split second, the mouse turn around and latched onto the snakes neck, thankfully I was right their, in the few seconds the mouse has ahold of the snakes neck, it ripped it open and nearly killed him :(. After that, I decided their has to be a different and safer way, so tried pre-killed, took that right away. In my 12+ years of keeping snakes, I have helped hundreds of people that say their snake will only take live, well 98% of the time, I tell them to try pre-killed and the snake takes it no problems, heck their is no reason the snake shouldnt take it, same scent,warmth,and movement can easily be done if needed;). Sorry if I came across rude in the other post, feeding live is something I have a strong opinion about because I have experienced the dangers and seen others with similar and even worse.

Yea, people just have no energy left for this one. Now, the issue of whether or not to feed in a separate tub is another matter entirely! :D

Me personally, I feed live but in a separate tub. I've taken alot of help from the nice and helpful people on BP.net, but there are times when I choose to do something that's not aligned with the consensus here. I imagine that's true for all members. But, the group is very mature and even disagreements around here are mere skirmishes by internet standards!

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

I was feeding one of my BPs live like I always did when I was pretty new to the hobby and didnt know any better. Anyways, put the mouse in the cage like always and watched closely to make sure all went well, the BP striked and grabbed the mouse by the back, in a split second, the mouse turn around and latched onto the snakes neck, thankfully I was right their, in the few seconds the mouse has ahold of the snakes neck, it ripped it open and nearly killed him :(. After that, I decided their has to be a different and safer way, so tried pre-killed, took that right away. In my 12+ years of keeping snakes, I have helped hundreds of people that say their snake will only take live, well 98% of the time, I tell them to try pre-killed and the snake takes it no problems, heck their is no reason the snake shouldnt take it, same scent,warmth,and movement can easily be done if needed;). Sorry if I came across rude in the other post, feeding live is something I have a strong opinion about because I have experienced the dangers and seen others with similar and even worse.

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That's a sad story. I know everybody that hangs out here is a BP freak so it must have been tough to go through.

In the end I agree non-live prey is the absolute safest and I have to admit that morbid curiousity makes me feed live. Plus, the moral dilemma I experience everytime complements my complex personality. :psychotic

Based on the statistics, I think what you experienced could reasonably be called a freak accident. That's why I don't think its really irresponsible to feed live.

i voted for f/t. mine both eat live- can't seem to get them to switch over- then again, i haven't tried very hard for fear of stressing them too much. but, for me, f/t would be MUCH more convenient. i live 45 minutes away from the nearest pet store so it's kind of a pain to have to go every week. and i can't get extra for next week (like i did when they still ate mice) because i'm afraid the rats will grow too much in a week... maybe i should try a little harder to get them to switch!

Technically, rodents aren't actualy designed to be prey (addressing a much earlier post here). Every animal is designed to survive as efficiently as possible, and so snakes are designed to be able to kill and eat rodents. I see nothing inhumane about it personally.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Oh round we go again LOL....

Up front, there is no right or wrong way to feed your snake....live, frozen/thawed, pre-killed...mice or rats...as long as the snake eats it...eats it consistently and is growing and healthy and you are a happy snake owner....you got it goin on!

However, there is nothing inherently cruel or inhumane in feeding live. This is not a pet animal we are talking about here. This is a snake, that even if bred in captivity is barely a slither from the wild. In my mind, not a domesticated animal. We humans like to make everything antiseptic and apart from the natural processes of life. Snakes eat rodents...snake were designed to eat live rodents and rodents were designed to be prey...been going on for eons of time and will go on for eons of time....Mother Nature is no dumb broad :)

We raise our own rats....we feed live...by choice and through responsible, careful consideration of all factors...including the rats. As my posts and anyone will tell you I'm a fiend about the rats being properly managed for both their welfare and that of our snakes. I actually respect our rats and their contribution to the predator/prey dynamic that occurs every Thursday in our home. I would never allow a living creature to be treated inhumanely or without respect for it's place and function.

Please understand, I am not promoting live feed over another method but I do take exception with it being labelled inhumane and tend to hop on my lil ole soapbox so do forgive the small rant here LOL.

As to the original poll question, as long as the snake is a good eater we don't care what or how it eats and will copy the way it's been eating till it's settled in. Then if we wish to use another prey or method we'll attempt to transfer the snake over to our way at that time.

~~Jo~~

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Well said!

I personally feed F/T to all of my snakes in their tubs except the ones that absolutely will not take F/T or pre-killed (and trust me i've tried everything to get them to take F/T). The ones that eat live I feed in rubbermaid tubs and I watch the whole time to make sure nothing happens to my BP's or RTB's.

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

You can usually tell when a snake has been fed live, generally have scars from bad strikes.

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That is just flat out wrong. Not one of my 68 snakes has a scratch on it. They have all been fed live every meal of their life. EVERY large breeder that I know of feeds live. The only difference between a snake that is fed live and a snake thet is fed FT is that the snake eating live actually eats every week.

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Originally Posted by ReptileMan27

In my 12+ years of keeping snakes, I have helped hundreds of people that say their snake will only take live, well 98% of the time, I tell them to try pre-killed and the snake takes it no problems, heck their is no reason the snake shouldnt take it, same scent,warmth,and movement can easily be done if needed;).

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You were born in 1987. You started helping people feed P/K before the age of 8??? That is impressive. :rolleyes:

Je suis prefere...

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Originally Posted by pfan151

That is just flat out wrong. Not one of my 68 snakes has a scratch on it. They have all been fed live every meal of their life. EVERY large breeder that I know of feeds live. The only difference between a snake that is fed live and a snake thet is fed FT is that the snake eating live actually eats every week.

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Jon is 100% right. I feed all 30+ snakes live and never have had a bite. If you are feeding an appropiate size rodent (not too big) there should never be a problem. Mine eat like clock work every week. i beleve Adam@ 8 ball does the same and he feeds 100's of snakes.

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Originally Posted by pfan151

You were born in 1987. You started helping people feed P/K before the age of 8??? That is impressive. :rolleyes:

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LOL :lmao: