Feeding problem

hey everyone, i have a quick question about feeding.
My female ball has been feed live mice for as long as i had her... last feeding she had, she got bit by the mouse during.....the bite was not bad there was just a spot of blood i disinfected the bite just in case but the problem is when i tried feeding her frozen..but she refused...after about 40 min and 3 tries i gave up.....my question is what can i do to make live feeding better???:confused:

You can try shaking up the mouse before you put it in there. My girlfriend likes to put the mouse in a mouse ball and let the dog kick it around a bit so the mouse is kind of disoriented. You can also feed more of a smaller mouse.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hornby

You can try shaking up the mouse before you put it in there. My girlfriend likes to put the mouse in a mouse ball and let the dog kick it around a bit so the mouse is kind of disoriented. You can also feed more of a smaller mouse.

---

So you think that stressing out a feeder before offering it to your snake is helpful? :rolleyes:

This is stressful and unnecessary unless of course your want your the mouse to bite your snake. :rolleyes:

How about letting nature take it's course BP are VERY efficient.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MattA*

hey everyone, i have a quick question about feeding.
My female ball has been feed live mice for as long as i had her... last feeding she had, she got bit by the mouse during.....the bite was not bad there was just a spot of blood i disinfected the bite just in case but the problem is when i tried feeding her frozen..but she refused...after about 40 min and 3 tries i gave up.....my question is what can i do to make live feeding better???:confused:

---

Sometimes they do take small bites, that is part of it. But research the means of minimizing it.

Do you raise your own, buy live, etc.?

When I have to buy live I give them at least 24 hours to acclimate, get hydrated and well fed before I feed them off.

Just keeps the prey calmer.

Would a smaller size, and two off be a solution?

Bruce

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hornby

You can try shaking up the mouse before you put it in there. My girlfriend likes to put the mouse in a mouse ball and let the dog kick it around a bit so the mouse is kind of disoriented. You can also feed more of a smaller mouse.

---

So antogonizing the prey is your suggestion?

If you check back I would love to hear your rationale on this one.

Bruce

Well for starters, its a mouse and its small so it gets dizzy making for easy prey. Go spin in circles a bunch then try and get in a fist fight see how well you do ;).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hornby

Well for starters, its a mouse and its small so it gets dizzy making for easy prey. Go spin in circles a bunch then try and get in a fist fight see how well you do ;).

---

I don't have words...

well iv never heard of shaking it around like that had no clue it works... i do bye my mice form a local pet store.. my friend works there so i get good deals... and keeping it around dose seem to help because sometimes i do end up getting the mouse late and and by then i just leave it overnight just never thought it actually helps.. thank you for your help tho
ooo and BTW dose anyone here breed their own mice...and is it hard?

We just started. Haven't had any babies yet, but it seems pretty basic there are a few preg ones in there now. Make sure you only get 1 male or else the cage will stink like no ones business. I'm also told you should separate the mother and babies as soon as they are born. The ones in the petstore are usually around 4 weeks or so and they have to be 6 to start breeding, so don't be surprised if you don't notice anything for the first few weeks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hornby

My girlfriend likes to put the mouse in a mouse ball and let the dog kick it around a bit so the mouse is kind of disoriented. You can also feed more of a smaller mouse.

---

Thats funny stuff.

ya i heard u only have to have one male also..
but dont they need to stay with the with the mother for a a week or soo to get milk??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hornby

We just started. Haven't had any babies yet, but it seems pretty basic there are a few preg ones in there now. Make sure you only get 1 male or else the cage will stink like no ones business. I'm also told you should separate the mother and babies as soon as they are born. The ones in the petstore are usually around 4 weeks or so and they have to be 6 to start breeding, so don't be surprised if you don't notice anything for the first few weeks.

---

There is no need to separate the mothers and babes.

I hate saying this, but it may be beneficial to read and research a bit before offering advice.

Bruce

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MattA*

ya i heard u only have to have one male also..
but dont they need to stay with the with the mother for a a week or soo to get milk??

---

I believe he is suggesting separating the mother AND the babies together.

Again, this is not necessary. A well established colony will co-parent without concern.

bruce

ya i thought so..well if mice are anything like hamsters then it would prob. be better to take the father out because my sister had a litter and the male ended up eating like 3 before we separated them...well thank you for helping me out..and ya if i do actually start breeding ill be sure to do my research..

Yes I was referring to separate the mother and her babies from the rest of them. A friend of mine that I work with had the problem with the male eating the babies apparently (I think he had 2 males though). Also forgot to mention, but make sure you have some sort of salt for them otherwise they may start to eat others ears and stuff.

salt?? what do u mean like just cubes of salt..or is there some special one i have to buy at a pet store?....and ya a friend of mine has mice and few of them are missing ears..i know why now lol

Ya if you go to PetCo or anything like that you will find rodent salt. Its just a wheel they can lick when they need it. Otherwise they go for blood.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

I don't have words...

---

Well I do ;)

Kevin before giving out ridiculous and potentially dangerous advice you might want to do some research! How about that?

I don't see what the big issue is. If you shake a mouse it doesn't get agressive it gets disoriented hence making it an easy kill. I don't know what kind of mice you feed to your snakes, but i've done this many times and its worked every time. I've never had a mouse bite my snake. Maybe if you do this to a rat or something that may be different, but we were talking about mice here. So before you go critising someones advice please read the entire thread.

Thanks,
Kevin

Kevin it is a VERY big deal.

Not all snakes hit right off the bat, not all of them are efficient constrictors.

Putting a disorientated and confused rodent in with a snake can result in some VERY nasty bites.

Live feeding can be done effectively and safely, but it is imperative that live feedings be done responsibly.

Not to mention it is not a very respectful way to treat your prey item (yeah, I know it is getting fed off). But for many of us, feeding live means treating BOTH of our animals with respect.

I seldom tell someone that their advice is *wrong*... but in this case I think that is a very inappropriate piece of advice to give a new keeper.

Bruce

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hornby

I don't see what the big issue is. If you shake a mouse it doesn't get agressive it gets disoriented hence making it an easy kill. I don't know what kind of mice you feed to your snakes, but i've done this many times and its worked every time. I've never had a mouse bite my snake. Maybe if you do this to a rat or something that may be different, but we were talking about mice here. So before you go critising someones advice please read the entire thread.

Thanks,
Kevin

---

Being inhumane to an animal, whether feeder mouse or puppy, is still inhumane.
I'm a big advocate for humane treatment of all animals, so before you try and comment back something snide, I'll let you know I'm in for the long haul, so roll up your sleeves. :gj:




OP, please do not shake or try and disorient your prey before feeding. Give your girl a week to rest, and offer the mouse again.

If you don't want her to get bit, offer a prekilled mouse (you can buy frozen and thaw them, or CO2 the mouse)

Personally I think suffocating your rodents through CO2 is actually fairly cruel.

Whether or not something is considered "humane" is entirely based on "does it look gross or not?" and has nothing at all to do with what truly creates the least amount of harm. Cutting somethings head off isn't considered humane, however it is the absolute best way of killing something since it is instantaneous and painless. However shoving an animal in a box that is flooded with Carbon Dioxide where they will slowly die of suffocation, unable to breed and in distress.

Not saying I wouldn't do that, or that people shouldn't or that I wouldn't purchase animals prekilled in that way. But the fact that it's considered humane while severing the spine with an axe blade isn't makes one re-think the definition of humane. It's like how injecting a human with poison or sticking them in a room full of Chlorine gas are both considered humane ways of killing them, and the guillotine and hanging are not.

There are means by which humane and inhumane are quantified, and it not simply by what looks one way or another. I do not gas my rodents because I *think* it is humane. I gas them based on the consensus that has been reached through facts.

And hanging? Probably not the best example as it is not a sure fire way to die... :)

And I have read that decapîtation is classified as a humane way to end the suffering of certain animals... just for the record.

But yeah... back on track...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oxylepy

Personally I think suffocating your rodents through CO2 is actually fairly cruel.

Whether or not something is considered "humane" is entirely based on "does it look gross or not?" and has nothing at all to do with what truly creates the least amount of harm. Cutting somethings head off isn't considered humane, however it is the absolute best way of killing something since it is instantaneous and painless. However shoving an animal in a box that is flooded with Carbon Dioxide where they will slowly die of suffocation, unable to breed and in distress.

Not saying I wouldn't do that, or that people shouldn't or that I wouldn't purchase animals prekilled in that way. But the fact that it's considered humane while severing the spine with an axe blade isn't makes one re-think the definition of humane. It's like how injecting a human with poison or sticking them in a room full of Chlorine gas are both considered humane ways of killing them, and the guillotine and hanging are not.

---

What? LOL, since when is sticking people in chlorine gas filled room considered humane?? When the Nazi's were doing it? :rolleyes: I don't believe the Nazi's did it because it was "humane".

Sounds like you really don't understand how seriously euthanasia is taken by veterinary professionals.

Decapitation is considered humane. The ARVMA has outlined the standards for humane euthanasia, and anything done physically like decap or cervial dislocation is done by a person who has been trained specifically for this procedure to make sure it is done in a humane manner.

http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_we...euthanasia.pdf

heyy guys well i fed my snake today i got a mouse last night and i fed her a few min ago..it went really well the mouse was at my house over night and it did seem to help she was a lot calmer and there was no problems this time..
thank you all for your help
and as to the ball in mouse thing id have to agree with the guys...it dose seem a lil weird to put it in a ball or shake it up...it just gives it one more reason to bite back..

Congrats on the feed. :)

Nothing better than a successful feed. Except maybe a poop, shed, lock, or eggs. :P

Bruce

hahah
yes all those are good to lol

i just feed my mice a piece of cheese so they are full before i offer them to the snake. is that wrong? never had a bite yet. i just drop it in and let nature take its course

They do not bite because they are hungry, they bite if they are threatened or agitated.

But yes, keeping your rodent well fed and hydrated is a good way to keep them calm.

B

yea if i ever leave mice over night or maybe a lil longer i always leave food and water in their... the calmer the mouse the less of a chance of it biting back