Is live feeding really that bad?

[Zincubus]

Call me cold or whatever but YOU chose to post on a public forum....... I dont care what you have, doesnt change the debate or the facts.

Be more useful and start preaching thermostat use. More snakes are injured because of inregulated heat than live feeding each year.

I wasn't after sympathy , just explaining that I've got a terrible memory . Fact .

Another fact is that there are risks , possibly huge risks to your snakes when feeding live .

[Nixon]

I know they do. I just find her tactics a bit weird but she got and ate the mouse herself so she's doing it right.

Zincubus, if you don't have anything good to share then please don't reply. Yes, some snakes can get injuries as you said in your first post, but that's from people not supervising them while feeding. People were just stating that you can't assume things that you haven't got an experience with. You can't automatically assume something is bad or good by just internet. Take getting sick for example, type in "I have a cough" and the internet tells you that you have HIV.

[highqualityballz]

You realize some snakes only take live right? If you went to africa right now how many bps do you think you would find with eyes missing?

[BCS]

Okay, I am just going to put this out there because there seems to be a bit of arguing over this now. Many keepers do "keep" based on opinions. Heck, even those who don't keep snakes have an opinion. I HATE dogs, my opinion is that are messy, noisy, and need training. My opinion... I risk a bigger chance of getting bit by my mother in law's two dogs then I do my collection of 22 snakes... again my opinion. But my opinion is based on the deaths per year of dog attacks compared to ball python and boa attacks. So some of it is education while some of it is opinionated. Same goes here. It is educated that snakes do get harmed by live feeding... but it is someone else's opinion that live prey suffers this way and the fact that this happens ALL THE TIME... which it doesn't. I disagree to the whole suffering thing. I used to euthanize my own feeders using C02. It took 20 minutes. They basically suffocated while they slept, and the younger they are, the longer it takes. And they were terrified. Death by snake strangulation is just as terrifying BUT it takes my adult female to constrict a jumbo ASF in 2 minutes! 2 minutes seems a lot better then suffering for 20 minutes. Again, that is my opinion. I have never been suffocated by C02 or by a snake so how the hell am I supposed to know. I use my opinion and I am educated by science.

When I fed my first live (someone sold me a female claiming she was on F/T... not, liar. Never went to that breeder again), so I had no choice but to feed live to her. I felt SOOO bad for the mouse. But then I realized how quick it was and now I swear by it. I do not euthanize my own feeders any longer because it is actually makes me feel worse then it did when a snake did it for me. My 20 minute killing sucked compared to my snakes 2 minute killing. And regardless, no matter what I feed my snakes, they were once alive, frozen or otherwise and it is something all of us keepers must understand.

You can definitely have an opinion about live feeding, but DO NOT post anything that is your opinion and start arguing about it because your opinion is better then everyone else's, in your opinion. It is a fact that snakes get harmed but it is NOT a fact that it happens ALL THE TIME! If one or two photos makes you uncomfortable with it, then that is up to you but go on to you tube and google live feeding. There will be hundreds of videos and not one snake will be harmed in any video which I think it definitely trumps your 2 photos of harmed snakes.

OKay, blah blah blah... I'm do now.

[Zincubus]

You realize some snakes only take live right? If you went to africa right now how many bps do you think you would find with eyes missing?

With all due respect their prey are not always fighting for their lives in an extremely confined space ....

I could probably survive ok if Mike Tyson was chasing me around a soccer stadium but if we were stuck together in a small room he'd rip my head off .

[highqualityballz]

Still can't understand anyone feeding live . I'd feel so bad for the rodent so it won't be happening plus I've heard reports of mice age rats crying for ages whilst they're being constricted ( supposedly sounds like a human baby crying !) . Also I care far too much for my precious snakes to rusk them being bitten or scratched causing infections or worse and scarring . Check out the thousands of online photos of bitten / scratched snakes . Many lose an eye . Why on earth take the risk when you can defrost and simply heat up for ten seconds with a hair dryer ..

Just my take on things ..

You realize some snakes WILL not take f/t and only eat live right? How many snakes do you think you would find in the wild (africa) with eyes missing?

[Zincubus]

Okay, I am just going to put this out there because there seems to be a bit of arguing over this now. Many keepers do "keep" based on opinions. Heck, even those who don't keep snakes have an opinion. I HATE dogs, my opinion is that are messy, noisy, and need training. My opinion... I risk a bigger chance of getting bit by my mother in law's two dogs then I do my collection of 22 snakes... again my opinion. But my opinion is based on the deaths per year of dog attacks compared to ball python and boa attacks. So some of it is education while some of it is opinionated. Same goes here. It is educated that snakes do get harmed by live feeding... but it is someone else's opinion that live prey suffers this way and the fact that this happens ALL THE TIME... which it doesn't. I disagree to the whole suffering thing. I used to euthanize my own feeders using C02. It took 20 minutes. They basically suffocated while they slept, and the younger they are, the longer it takes. And they were terrified. Death by snake strangulation is just as terrifying BUT it takes my adult female to constrict a jumbo ASF in 2 minutes! 2 minutes seems a lot better then suffering for 20 minutes. Again, that is my opinion. I have never been suffocated by C02 or by a snake so how the hell am I supposed to know. I use my opinion and I am educated by science.

When I fed my first live (someone sold me a female claiming she was on F/T... not, liar. Never went to that breeder again), so I had no choice but to feed live to her. I felt SOOO bad for the mouse. But then I realized how quick it was and now I swear by it. I do not euthanize my own feeders any longer because it is actually makes me feel worse then it did when a snake did it for me. My 20 minute killing sucked compared to my snakes 2 minute killing. And regardless, no matter what I feed my snakes, they were once alive, frozen or otherwise and it is something all of us keepers must understand.

You can definitely have an opinion about live feeding, but DO NOT post anything that is your opinion and start arguing about it because your opinion is better then everyone else's, in your opinion. It is a fact that snakes get harmed but it is NOT a fact that it happens ALL THE TIME! If one or two photos makes you uncomfortable with it, then that is up to you but go on to you tube and google live feeding. There will be hundreds of videos and not one snake will be harmed in any video which I think it definitely trumps your 2 photos of harmed snakes.

OKay, blah blah blah... I'm do now.

Fair points bud but I've NEVER EVER said that things go wrong EVERY time I just think its fair to point out that SOMETIMES things do go wrong and the snake get hurt ( or worse ) . I think it's only reasonable to show both sides .

[Zincubus]

I know they do. I just find her tactics a bit weird but she got and ate the mouse herself so she's doing it right.

Zincubus, if you don't have anything GOOD to share then please don't reply. Yes, some snakes can get injuries as you said in your first post, but that's from people not supervising them while feeding. People were just stating that you can't assume things that you haven't got an experience with. You can't automatically assume something is bad or good by just internet. Take getting sick for example, type in "I have a cough" and the internet tells you that you have HIV.

I think it's GOOD that I take the time to offer an alternative view. After all - mine aren't at any risk I'm just thinking of others

Thing is .. some don't supervise all the time .. especially if they're got few snakes .

[Nixon]

Never in your original post did you say that these things 'sometimes' happen. It really looked like you thinking it was a very big thing. And like the others said, you can't talk bad about something you never tried. I'd understand not wanting to risk it but then you can't go off and say it's an immoral thing to do.

With proper knowledge and supervision feeding live is safe. Like those people who has fed thousands of snakes live prey and not one injury because they are cautious.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Not of my word ? Jees I've slept since then and I'm Aspergers with a terrible memory - that was ages ago .

I just stumbled upon this thread and offered a different perspective ..

I don't see how directing others to online pics of injured snakes is a bad thing tbh ..

A novice may think there's no risk as they eat live in the wild (not confined ) .

April 5th not ages ago.

You don't offer a different perspective you force YOUR opinion based on ZERO experience and you keep trying to scare people instead of educating them.

Some of us offer FACTS based on experience

Like I said before I do not care what people feed so long they do it based on knowledge and not out of fear because someone as an agenda.