How do you feel when feeding mice, rats, etc.?

[HypoPita]

Figured I'd take a break from cleaning the apartment to give my input

I love all animals. Cute or ugly I care about em. When I first got snakes, I felt kind of bad for the prey, in a "it sucks to watch the life leave an animals eyes, but it's life, and it's what's gotta happen." This was when I fed live. It's one of the million and a half reasons I got a snake in the first place, was it would help me deal with death. If I couldn't stand watching an animal die, I couldn't stand my intended career where I will witness people dying. It didn't take long for me to get over it. I know it's the circle of life. It probably was just the first couple times that I fed that that I felt kind of bad, and I'm not talking the "I shouldn't be doing this" kind of bad, just "that has to really suck.."

Like I said, I'm fine with it now, feeding f/t obviously, for almost two years now. Their food is regarded as such; food. I definitely find more pleasure in watching my snakes eat on F/T than live, since it is more about the technique and strength of the strike vs watching a living animals brains squished out through its nose. Makes me smirk when Lelu strikes and I hear a big crunch. She's muscular as heck, and doin what she does best. My baby is growin up so fast... *tear*

[bad-one]

I used to get sad, especially when it was a rat I liked. But now, after a good 4 years of feeding them off I just drop in a live rat (or do the zombie rat dance with an f/t), wait for the strike+coil and move to the next snake.

Feeding day has actually become my favorite day of the week, it makes me happy to see my snakes feeding and thriving.

[ThyTempest]

I didnt vote. I feel much worse feeding and euthanizing rats than I do our ASF's. The rats are friendly and we breed for colors, a project in itself. The ASFs bite me every chance they get and just don't breed consistantly anymore, so I only feel a pinprick of remorse.

[americangypsy]

Tell me about it. I was going to feed one of these off a couple of weeks ago...her name is now Maggie & she watches TV with me at night.

you know once you name them thier yours for life lol. I had a couple of these , Pumpkin and Merlin .

[STEW]

I just have my son properly put our feeders to rest (I will omit out how this is done for the sake of you rat lovers and animal rights activists). Once this is completed, I just lay them in the enclosure and they get gobbled up. I feel nothing.

[SnakeGirl3]

I feel bad if a rat is killed "just because." If it's dying because it's going to be snake food, then no, it doesn't bother me. I mean, I don't kill off a bunch of rats just for the thrill of it; if I kill off a bunch at once, it's because they are going in the freezer to be snake food at some point.

Bottom line: I don't like for anything to die in vain, but if it serves a purpose for the animal to die, I'm OK with it.

[HypoPita]

I feel pretty descent feeding my rats. The come up and eat out of their little hopper all cute like. They normally go run after, and I go "awwwwwwwww!"



.........what......what are you guys looking at me like that for.....



.....OH!! RIGHT, right...how I feel when I feed them off. I knew that..


Who has two thumbs, and is bored out of his mind? Thiiiis guyyy. *thumbs to chest*

[Bruce Whitehead]

I can feed them off without any problems, but that is a bit of a conflict as I really like rats.

I think they are one of the sweetest and most ideal pets a person could have. I have put pet rats into way too many friends' houses, and always recommend them as pets for younger children.

My partner has done portraits of our rats, they all have names, and we are both deathly allergic to them, but we put up with it and just have to keep our numbers down.

I have driven two hours to drop off a retired breeder that is going to be a pet rather than put it down.

But that being said, if a rat is in pain, sick, or suffering, no matter how much I love it I can put it down in a heartbeat. We usually have a nice last meal of saucisse, cheese, bacon bits, and fancy breads first mind you...

They are an amazing animal and I cannot say enough nice things about them. Even my feeders are bred for color and genetics (even though I feed them off).

One of the best things about having snakes, has been getting to keep rats.

ASFs, not so much. Although, since I changed their housing around mine no longer bite, I can handle them, and do think they are cute, but I NEVER get attached to them.

Same with my mouse colony. They are GREAT mice (and I used to loathe the dirty beasts) but I do not consider them pets. I am just lucky to have a nice colony that breeds lots, does not bite, and never eat their young or spray.

Bruce

[Bruce Whitehead]

Sorry this thread was lacking PICTURES!!!

Bruce

PS: In that last picture Melinda is not dead, she is just seriously wondering how this became her life.

[Imabur.]

I was kind of upset the first time I had to feed my BP, butttt, then the mouse bit me. That changed a lot about my view on feeding mice to snakes =]

They are still cute but I just look at it as the 'circle of life'