Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 2,909

0 members and 2,909 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,031
Threads: 248,489
Posts: 2,568,446
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, isismomma
Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Live or Dead?!

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-15-2003
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
    Posts
    64
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    Hey Guys, (and gals),
    I want to know and understand more on the feeding live or dead questions, but by all means dont want to spark another fire on and/or about the subject, just kinda wanted to get it in another post and let some more experienced feeders explain some thoughts/facts for me and others.

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran Marla's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-30-2003
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    3,294
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
    Images: 47

    Live or Dead?!

    The most important thing is that the snake be healthy. Therefore, it is best to encourage the snake to eat. Some snakes take to pre-killed easily, others don't. P/K or F/T are far safer for the snake (actually, F/T is safest because 30 days in the freezer will kill almost all microorganisms the rodent may be carrying) due to the fact that dead rodents do not bite or scratch.

    Eating live is still preferable to not eating at all, though ball pythons (not babies) can go over 2 years without eating and still recover and just one mouse or rat bite can kill if it's well-placed or it causes infection. This whole issue is just one more reason to buy CB, CBB, or CH as it's much more likely the snake was started on P/K or F/T.
    3.1.1 BP (Snyder, Hanover, Bo Peep, Sir NAITF, Eve), 1.2.3 Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Sandiego, Carmen, Scooby, Camo, BABIES ), 1.0 Chow (Buddha), 0.2 cats (Jezebel, PCBH "Nanners"), 0.3 humans
    xnview for resizing and coverting pics

    Support Ball-Pythons.net by shopping our store!

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-15-2003
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
    Posts
    64
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    K, P/T is pre-killed, what is F/T, frozen treat,lol?
    I was fortunate to get my snakes after they were 3-4 yrs old, and have pretty much been used to eating live, and the feed method.
    We feed in the bath tub, cleaned for reptiles of corse, this way the snakes do not tasume that its gonna get food wheun you reach in to pull him/her ot ofs the cage, and also when done eating and re-hinged jaw,we bath them, wipe 'em off and let them rest while enjoying their full tummy. This is how the BP's had been done for a while, and I had started the same method on our boa with no bad reports.
    Every feeding time, one at a time, the snake is never left alone to attack, after the kill is no big deal, but during is when its important mainly because sometimes the rats can scratch them so I uasually grab the rats tail to limit the foot reach, and if it gets to be to much i thunk the rats on the head to knock 'em out.
    But honestly I think my snakes enjoy the hunt/ kill as much as eating them.

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-08-2003
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    187
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    I would have to agree with on that that your bp loves the hunt. I know whenever Zeus gets hungry he always has his head at the door of his hide waiting for food to come walking by. He knows it's feeding time when I put him into his feeding cage. As soon as he gets placed into it, he curls up in his hide box (that is in the cage) and is highly active (sometimes striking at the cage glass towards me).

    But, I am in the process of trying to convert him to f/t (frozen/thawed) rats. So, far so good, but I have to let the rats get at least to room temp and then heat them up just a little more to get them above room temp. He then has no problem taking them.
    Da Wolf

    "The strength of the pack is in the wolf. The strength of the wolf is in the pack." Rudyard Kipling 1894

    1.0 Ball Python (Zeus)
    1.0 Jungle Python (Apollo)

  5. #5
    Guest
    I would not call putting a snake and a mouse in a tub "hunting", lol......but I definitely agree that f/t or p/k is the best way to go.....sometimes you have to what you have to do in order to get your snake feeding. As long as you are aware of the risks involved with feeding live I suppose its better than no feeding at all.

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-15-2003
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
    Posts
    64
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    I guess it wouldnt be a technical hunt now would it, maybe I should spruce up the old tub with plants and sustrate and such. Give it the out side appeal! ya?
    lol, the things we think of!

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-02-2004
    Posts
    56
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Hey guys

    From a purely practical standpoint f/t is MUCH easier since you don't have to have/get a live rodent each week, per snake.


    --Maarken

  8. #8
    Big Papa Bear Ironhead's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-30-2003
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    1,550
    Thanks
    97
    Thanked 17 Times in 16 Posts
    Images: 50

    ball python

    From a purely practical standpoint f/t is MUCH easier since you don't have to have/get a live rodent each week, per snake.
    You still have to go back and buy more frozen when your supply run's out.

    I am raising my own mice, so my supply will be endless, sometimes over board, but I supply for a couple of friends snakes needs also.
    The only difference between tattooed people and non-tattooed people is....

    ....Tattooed people don't care if you're not tattooed.
    ____________________________________
    If you don't stand behind our troops, please, feel free to stand in front of them!




  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-02-2004
    Posts
    56
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    This is very frustrating

    Yeah, I plan of breeding my own too. But you still have the issue of having the proper sized rodent come feeding day. If they're eating f/t you can just freeze them whenever they're at the proper size, and not worry about timing litters and such.


    --Maarken

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1