Feeders Remorse???

[cueball]

I have a small group of ball pythons and most of them eat f/t rodents. Some of them will only accept live rodents. To keep a reliable and steady flow of live rodents I have started raising a small group of rats. This is going fine and the rats are reproducing as planned. The snakes are eating the rats.

All is perfect right? Not at all

Part of the reason that I keep ball pythons is that I love animals. It really makes me sad to feed live and it makes me even more sad when I have raised the rats for this purpose. I am trying very hard to keep in mind that this is nature and to not be so upset about it. However that does not seem to be working for me thus far, 2 months. Enough babbling. For those of you in a similar situation does this feeling slowly disappear? I am willing to give it some time as I really enjoy the pythons. However I do not think I can win this battle every week for ever.

Thank you for reading this post and your valued response.

[monkeywrench133]

I can completely sympathize. I started breeding my own rats about 3 months ago, and I've gone from the original 5 to at least 70 with two females ready to drop litters any day. I enjoy the rats, never thought I would, but they are neat critters. Two things that have helped me keep things in perspective are this: 1) old cowboy saying "never name something you may end up eating" 2) I focus on the process, not the individuals. Meaning I enjoy the process of caring for my rats, not the individual rats. Don't focus on any ONE, look at the whole.

My problem now, ironically, is not the six year old little girl, its her mom! the six year old has no problem with the concept that the rats will eventually end up as food, even though she enjoys playing with the hoppers. Her mom, however, has names for about a dozen of them, and has started asking "you aren't really going to feed Fred to the snakes, are you?". So, I'm in trouble!

[Wild Bill]

I do enjoy raising the rats and laugh at their antics occasionally. But I have no problem feeding them off, I have no problem looking at a cow and going "MMMMMM STEAK". Its all the circle of life. In todays age we have become distant of the kill and slaughter of animals for food. If you had to butcher your own meat and had done it your whole life, this wouldn't even cross your mind.

Funny Story:

I met a lady about a month ago, she was at a chicken dinner fund raiser for a local family. They had an awesome chicken dinner followed by an auction. In the auction they had a group of live chickens for "egg laying". They stated that in the auction they were great for having fresh eggs every morning. The lady turned to me and said "I could never eat a egg laid by a chicken". So I thought she didn't eat eggs, her husband turned and said "what do you think we had for breakfast this morning?" LOL!!! She didn't even realize the eggs she eats for breakfast were from chickens. She thought they just came from somewhere. LOL.

[Evan Jamison]

I remember years back when I got my first ball, that I was somewhat torn during feeding time. I was absolutely enthralled by the way my snake would kill and swallow an entire mouse, yet I felt strange because I was the indirect cause of death. I had kept a few rats as pets for 5 or 6 years prior, and I think that added to my internal struggle, but the enjoyment of watching the way nature has shaped the feeding response of snakes soon overshadowed that feeling of guilt. After many years of feeding many snakes (mainly live), I can't say that I don't feel anything when I hear a thump and then a squeal (sometimes it's relief with those finicky feeders) but it definitely doesn't affect me like as it did for the first while.


I do have rules when it comes to the rodents though, no attachments. No naming, no "set this one aside", no pets. My nephews and nieces that come visit seem fine with the fact that all the rodents are eventual food, they even gave me all their gerbil babies for a couple years with the intention that they would become food.

I do everything I can to keep my rodents healthy and happy, but I only see them as food, otherwise I think it would be more difficult. Once I started breeding my own rodents, I had been feeding a good number of live every week for years, so I have never felt that personal attachment to them.

Hope this helps.

-Evan

[Danielle(THM)]

You've got to be kidding me! Wow, that's a new low . Anyways, about feeders, I have a pet rat, but she will never be fed off, because all of her babies will be. I understand that sometimes to some people it sounds cruel, but it has never really effected me. Maybe I'm just too desensitized for my own good. Just don't let yourself get attached, and think of it as a relatively quick way for them to pass on, and the way to keep your snake alive.

[cueball]

Thank you for the words of encouragement! Hopefully these feelings of remorse will dull with time.

[elevatethis]

Think of it like this...Rats are at the bottom of the caste and you are just expediting the process! You're helping them move up sooner!

[jglass38]

Cue, I am with you. Part of the reason I have no intention of raising rats. I don't mind getting hatchlings started on live but I prefer to get them switched to FT as quickly as possible. Not sure I could stomach raising an animal up and feeding it off. Or even worse, gassing them. Its just me..Of course my views are pretty warped anyway because I have dont have the same feelings towards humans. I am just an animal lover...

[adizziedoll]

I totally went through what you did for a looooong time.

I had pet rats at the same time I had my first pair of BPs, and I just adored them. They are really great pets, and it's unfortunate that people miss out on what they have to offer. Because of this, I fed them both mice, and lots of em. With 2 pythons, spending the extra like $4 bucks a week to feed mice instead of rats was worth it.

But then more Bp's started crawling into my house somehow...? LOL, so it was time for rat feedings. The BPs I got that were like starved because people thought they ate a mouse once every 2 months readily took frozen, but a lot of them weren't feeling that whole dig. I knew what I had to do, so I kind of just did it. It was REALLY hard at first, because I wanted to play with them and I remembered my pet rats and how sweet they were.

It's been about 1/2 a year, and It's getting better. It helps not to look at the rat thinking "fido", or think about what's going to happen. Didn't anyone tell you that the less you think the better off you are?? No, really though, the less you look at them and think about how cute they are the better. MUCH better. The death squeal will always give a little jab to your heart though, but you numb to it some.

I think with some conditioning, your mind will settle. I hope all goes well!

[JLC]

But then more Bp's started crawling into my house somehow...?

ROFL! Do you think that line of confusion would work on my husband? New BP??? I don't know dear...he just sort of followed me home!