Craigslist Post

[djansen]

So.... where do we as snake keepers draw the line concerning which animals are OK to feed and which ones are not?

Is it intelligence? Cuteness? Popularity? Nutrition? Danger aspect?

What are the guidelines when deciding what is appropriate to feed or eat and what is not???

Are these decisions solely based on compassion, survival, or empathy? I'm curious to know what some of you think...

I think it should be based on as close to what the animal eats naturally in the wild as possible.

as far as feeding it a pet vs an animal bred for food its all the same, does your pet rabbit know its a pet and the one you bought for your snake know it is food?

My thoughts on feeding dogs and cats to large snakes is that its your decision, we are the intelligent species here and in the end its up to you. It makes me laugh when people get so defensive over pet animals in the city yet does anyone know what happens to alot of cats and dogs on farms? hmmm lets just say most animals are not "put down" by a vet. The thing is most decent people dont go around telling everybody what goes on, its just life. I think being fed to a snake or whatever farmers do is better than letting it starve to death. so if your going to feed your snake some kittens that are going to starve or live a hellish life do it and dont go and post it on the internet or whatever.
just my opinion.

[Thor26]

there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what isn't and it varies from person to person. Who in the world would try to feed there snakes sausages lawl

[MelissaFlipski]

So.... where do we as snake keepers draw the line concerning which animals are OK to feed and which ones are not?

Is it intelligence? Cuteness? Popularity? Nutrition? Danger aspect?

What are the guidelines when deciding what is appropriate to feed or eat and what is not???

Are these decisions solely based on compassion, survival, or empathy? I'm curious to know what some of you think...

I think the moral and ethical issue with Craig's List is how the person getting the free animal represents him or herself. If they pretend to provide a loving home for the pet and then do something other than that, whatever it may be, that is immoral and unethical. If the person shows up for a "free animal" ad and says, "I plan on using it to feed my burm," then he/she is being HONEST. Then it's up to the Craig's List ad person to decide what to do. Most ads, these days, simply say "not for snake food."

When I realized that I was severely allergic to my guinea pig in college, I listed it as free to a good home. One of the calls I got was from a guy with a burm. I was naive; and it didn't even occur to me that he could want it for snake food rather than a pet. But he never called me back - I was prepared to give it to him as a pet with the caging and all. The guy had a conscious. So he spoke well for the snake community for me. Wherever he is, I hope his snakes are all doing well.