Will cutting a rodents teeth prevent risk of live feeding injury?

[PartySnake13]

I'm considering a ball python, but the main thing holding me back is their tendency to skip meals; I can't justify wasting a rat every time he/she refuses a meal.
My proposed solution is to feed live, because if the meal is refused, the rodent can be kept in a separate enclosure and maintained for another day.


I want to know, will trimming a rodents teeth down to the nub prevent live feeding disasters?



Do you personally feed live?
If so, what are your experiences?

Are the dangers of feeding small rats to ball pythons overhyped, or is eventual injury really as certain as it's portrayed to be online?

[Bogertophis]

What a horrible idea! I'd suggest that you NOT get a ball python. How about an Australian Spotted python? They happily eat f/t, & so do many other snakes.

And I have to ask: Just how do you think you'll be able to file down the teeth of a live rodent? Do you imagine that's not painful, frightening or that they're
going to sit still for that??? DO NOT TRY THIS.

I feed fresh-killed or f/t, never live. The dangers are real & not "over-hyped"...sooner or later your snake will need the vet, & may die anyway. If you doubt this,
call any exotic vet that has treated snakes for a while & ask them about the injuries they see...about the snakes with their eyes chewed out, & all that. Ask them
if antibiotics always work for infections that result. And consider how you'll feel if your pet survives & every day you have to look at them all scarred up & know
that you could have prevented it. It happens in the wild too, but wild snakes do not have a choice...there's no room service, they have to survive as best as they
can, & very few live as long as captive pets. for this reason.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I honestly don't even want to know what made you think of that......
A properly cared for rat is not a problem.
There are risks to feeding live and frozen.
I have fed thousands of live with only a couple scratches as damage.

[PartySnake13]

What a horrible idea! I'd suggest that you NOT get a ball python. How about an Australian Spotted python? They happily eat f/t, & so do many other snakes.

And I have to ask: Just how do you think you'll be able to file down the teeth of a live rodent? Do you imagine that's not painful, frightening or that they're
going to sit still for that??? DO NOT TRY THIS.

I feed fresh-killed or f/t, never live. The dangers are real & not "over-hyped"...sooner or later your snake will need the vet, & may die anyway. If you doubt this,
call any exotic vet that has treated snakes for a while & ask them about the injuries they see...about the snakes with their eyes chewed out, & all that. Ask them
if antibiotics always work for infections that result. And consider how you'll feel if your pet survives & every day you have to look at them all scarred up & know
that you could have prevented it. It happens in the wild too, but wild snakes do not have a choice...there's no room service, they have to survive as best as they
can, & very few live as long as captive pets. for this reason.

I honestly don't even want to know what made you think of that......
A properly cared for rat is not a problem.
There are risks to feeding live and frozen.
I have fed thousands of live with only a couple scratches as damage.

Let's keep in mind that rat's teeth are much different than our own, their teeth regenerate throughout their entire lives.


It's common place for rat keepers to regularly snip their rats teeth if it has orthodontic issues.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have fed well over 25000 live preys (likely double) and never stunned or cut a feeders teeth.

If you can't feed live responsibly than feed f/t, if you don't want to waste food than don't get a anake.

There are keys to feed live and the first one is to not stress or abuse a feeder.

[pretends2bnormal]

Let's keep in mind that rat's teeth are much different than our own, their teeth regenerate throughout their entire lives.


It's common place for rat keepers to regularly snip their rats teeth if it has orthodontic issues.

Teeth trimming is not the same as cutting them to the point where they cannot damage a snake. You'd need to cut to the gums and after a quick search, they DO have a nerve in their incisors that you would have to cut to do what you want. (Source, ratbehavior.org/teeth.htm - anatomy of a tooth section)

Definitely do not torture live rats like that just to feed a snake.

Either accept the risks that might happen when feeding live if it becomes necessary, learn all the methods to avoid live feedings with a potentially finicky snake, or choose a snake known for take frozen thaw easily. (Including most colubrids, carpet pythons, boas, etc.)

I have a few snakes who do better with live, and it is my personal choice to feed this way to those snakes. I take full responsibility if something happens. To that end, I breed my own rats from exceedingly good pet quality lines and even after being struck, none of my pups or older rats have even attempted to bite down on the snake reflexively despite the pain (pet store rats fed a few times previously all attempted to bite ones they had been grabbed by the snake).

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[PartySnake13]

I have fed well over 25000 live preys (likely double) and never stunned or cut a feeders teeth.

If you can't feed live responsibly than feed f/t, if you don't want to waste food than don't get a anake.

There are keys to feed live and the first one is to not stress or abuse a feeder.

I pm'd you, I'd like to know how to responsibly feed live.

[CALM Pythons]

Whatever your talking about as to do with Rats teeth forget all that. I breed, Nobody cuts their teeth thats nuts. Nothing like pissing off a Rat then putting it in a enclosure with a snake, thats how a snake gets hurt!!
If you want a Ball, feed smaller than normal rats to avoid injury once they are adults. I myself do NOT go by the size rule of “rodent as large as thickest part of the snake” when a Ball is full grown. That would mean my large female would take large rats and a Live large rat would mess her up good, she is a gentle eater and would get bit Im sure.
She only takes Live so she is my one snake that doesnt get fresh killed or frozen.
Another key to feeding is dont over feed. Balls are usually not gluttons. If you have a snake that refused try once every 3 weeks and that will reduce refusals.
Also if they refuse, wait a min of 2 weeks to try again. A Ball python can refuse when you keep trying as it becomes habit forming.



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[FollowTheSun]

I believe in humane treatment of all animals, especially those under our care. That includes prey animals. I even expect my daughter to take good care of her feeder crickets until they are given to her lizard.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I pm'd you, I'd like to know how to responsibly feed live.

Answered your PM but I will also repost here because I believe it is something everyone should know

The first steps start with the prey itself.

If you purchase the prey give it an hour or two when you will offer water and food, no knowing how they are taking care of making sure they are fed and hydrated prior to being fed is important, obviously a starving feeder will see your snake as a food source.

Scent the room by leaving the feeder nearby the snake enclosure, this help entice the snake to eat (basically do this while doing the step above), it is especially important with Ball Pythons as they are a little more finicky than other species.

Feed in the enclosure.

Feed the appropriate size prey because a Ball Python can eat a large prey does not means he should or need to I have 3500/4000 grams females that eat nothing larger than 150 grams rat on a weekly basis.

Do not stress the feeder, the proper feeder is one that is well fed well hydrated and not stress and usually those feeder will just sit in a corner grooming themselves waiting for their fate, if your snake does not snatch them immediately.

Do not leave the prey in the enclosure for more than 10 min, if your snake is not eating within that time frame, it just won't

Finally if a snake is a poor hunter/aimer simply feed F/T for the obvious reasons, it happens and it's not worth the risk.

Finally whether you feed F/T or live there will be waste because that is what ball python do they will skip a meal or fast, they all do eventually so you either re-freeze and offer again and than toss, or you end up with a pet rat or two as at some point they are bigger than what should be fed.

The trick to also have an BP that feed with more consistency is to feed small prey weekly or even every 7 to 10 days and skip meals every now and then.