Ok, I've decided...

[Andrew00]

Not that any of you guys probably really care... but I have decided to feed my ball python prekilled food when i get it. And the reason is simply because of rats! I guess I wan't thinking that eventually I will have to feed it rats when it gets full grown, and well I hate rats! I don't want to handle a live one, or atleast give a live one a chance to bite at the snake! I always just had this little mosue pictured in my head, but when reading about rats, and remmbering being bit by a giant one before I have made up my mind!

[Brandon.O]

Thats great I think P/K and F/T are the best choices, its the safest way and not to mention a heck of alot easier....

and well I hate rats! I don't want to handle a live one, or atleast give a live one a chance to bite at the snake!

Well if your going to be feeding P/K then you will kinda have to "handle a live one" becuase you have to go out get it , come home and kill it

Have you ever thought about Frozen food ? its so much easier to stock up than to go out everytime you need a rat and come home and kill it yourself.

[Andrew00]

I suppose your right! I think though I will have to let the snake settle in for a little while, because I think my mom will have to become a little more desesitized before having dead mice in the freezer :shock: Then I'll probably ask you guys where to buy them from on the internet.

[Brandon.O]

I think the best place is Rodent pro.com , i have never orderd from there but i hear they are one of the best people to get your feeders from.

I get mine from a local breeder, she sells them to me frozen, maybe you can try and find somebody like that, even though Rodent pro isnt really expensive im sure you could find somebody who will sell them to you cheap.

[daftperception]

theres links in the web links part of the site to good frozen food for your snake and you can also get them at herp shows which are my favorite way because you don't have to pay shipping and you get to look at lots of herps.

[SatanicIntention]

My girl will most likely get fed frozen too. It's just what she's used to. Also, I have 5 rats as pets with more on the way, and I really don't think I could have live rats around me that I would personally have to kill. I would end up keeping them! I am ordering from RodentPro soon after X-Mas, so I will probably get 25 pups, 25 weaned and 20 small. That should hold her for a little while

[DrEwTiMe]

I really hate rats and even with that i still don't think i could kill one. Even mice i can't kill, thats why my snake feeds live right now lol, and also because even though i have seen it over 25 times it still gives me the same thrill to watch mother nature at work. Im not sure what im gonna do once she is big enough to need to eat rats, she just feeds so well on live now since that is what she was started on i don't want to risk stressing her out and changing the way she eats. She might get too stressed and eat nothing.

[Brandon.O]

I doubt that.

She might refuse to eat it if its not live but eventually she should take it, the younger the snake is i think its easier to switch them from live to P/K or ?F/T

I couldent bear watching my snakes take down a live rat......have you seen the teeth on those things ! woo no way.

It would be way to nerve wracking just thinking of the things that can go horribly wrong.

[DrEwTiMe]

Exactly Brandon, i don't even want to risk it, if i know one thing its that rats can be mean little mothers hehe. Im debating whether to build a gas chamber like someone posted in the feeding section or buying them frozen but i don't think my mom would like it much to stumble on frozen mice in the freezer heh, she loves the snake and all but one step at a time

[Brandon.O]

Hahah, i know what you mean, now that i am feeding medium adult rats my mom makes me keep them in the freezer in the garage.she hates lookin at them

Im goin to build a gas chamber soon, ill be breeding my own mice for my corn snake. That should be fun.