"Kingsnake Eats Ball Python" on YouTube

[scalrtn]

I discovered a recent video on YouTube in which a young Ball Python is fed live to a Kingsnake (looks like a Florida intergrade). I was quite beside myself.

It hurts me to know that such an unthinkable act could even be conceivable... Never mind that such an encounter is virtually impossible in the wild...I suppose there are enough videos where rodents and young birds are fed to reptiles with an apparent perverse fascination, but this one just feels a bit too close to home. I actually lost sleep over it. I won't repost the link, but I felt compelled to call attention to it.

I don't know who "Ignacio Torres" is but, at least in my mind, he's a sociopath.

[200xth]

Not really any different than us feeding rats to snakes.

[Reinz]

Thanks for not posting the link. I may have been curious enough to click on it then regret it.

[Mr. Misha]

It's hard to think that your dear pets are used as feeders for lager snakes. However, it just the cycle of life.

I definitely wouldn't want to see videos about it but I understand it.

[C2tcardin]

It's what King snakes do, I doubt anyone here would decide to use one of their BP's as a feeder, I certainly wouldn't, but owners of other snakes likely could. I've seen normals at reptile shows for $20 so who know's perhaps king owners like to provide a snake to theirs every so often. The last repticon show I went to a few weeks back had a guy selling live rabbits right across from a breeder with 12 foot Retics, I'm sure the folks on a rabbit owners/breeders forum would pass out if they saw all the YT videos of Retics feeding.

[anicatgirl]

Ty for not posting the link. I try really hard to not look at that stuff. I know it happens, but still. There was a guy on one of the BP facebook groups who posted a bunch of cobra eating BP pics right before he got banned. I wouldn't post such things of my snake eating mice/rats on those groups, that's just rude and cruel! It makes me sad to see anything like this... I too lose a lot of sleep when I see these things... I don't even like feeding live but it's what got my girl to eat again, and I couldn't put my ethics about the situation in the way of her well being.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I was quite beside myself.

So are rat keepers!

It hurts me to know that such an unthinkable act could even be conceivable... Never mind that such an encounter is virtually impossible in the wild

Probably what rat owners think too, a Ball Python would NEVER meet the kind of rat we feed in captivity either.

It's the circle of life, snake eat mice and rats, and some snake eat other snakes.

What would you suggest a snake eating snake be fed?

at least in my mind, he's a sociopath.

So are you in someone else's mind that does not keep snake.

[Boomerang]

Not really any different than us feeding rats to snakes.

Exactly my thought. Rats at least have personalities and a better handle on intelligence. It's just a snake and they do it in the wild. It's not a human baby!

[Lizardlicks]

King snakes, indigos, some cobras... lots of snakes eat other snakes to live, and keepers of those snakes have to source food for them. Lots of youtube videos exist of snakes eating live rats, mice, chicks... yet for other people these are pets that they would never ever think of feeding to another animal. Doesn't make this gentlemen a sociopath at all. He's just documenting feeding behavior of his pet for people who might be interested in seeing it.

[Daigga]

Generally speaking I don't make or view videos of captive live feeding since I feel these videos promote the wrong kind of interest. Note that nearly none of these videos are about how to safely feed live; they're only about the strange fascination of watching something kill something else.

That being said, it's kind of hypocritical of us as a community to shame people who occasionally feed a snake to another snake since, as others have said, the mice, rat, and rabbit communities feel the exact same way when we feed our snakes and we brush them off more often than not. I personally might prefer the snakes be killed before such a feeding, but I'll also admit that euthanizing a snake isn't the easiest or cheapest way to go, and I don't even know if these kinds of snakes would be willing to eat a dead ball python.