snake got bit

[BPelizabeth]

Ok... now whats your opinion on feeding live? I asked the question what are the pros of feeding live? I gave my cons and could not think of any pros.

ugh...I feel like I have written this a thousand times....again this is my opinion

Pros-
1. it is easier for me...I do plan on getting many more BP's by the end of the year and eventually am planning to breed my own

2. I like going to the store to pick up feeders each week...it is fun for me to check out their new stuff....play with their tegu for a while...and talk to the owner about what she has seen around

3. I think thawing mice is gross....I really don't want 10-15 soggy mice laying around while I wait for them to get the right temp.

4. My 83 yr old Mom lives with us...and though she is hip to the snakes...she has opened the bag by accident grabbed one of the mice and freaked

5. I personally think that live has better nutrients due to not being frozen. And I do not really know when this rodent was frozen. I have to rely on the person I bought it from to tell me that and hope they are being honest.

6. There have been tragedies feeding FT as well as live. The nails of the FT do not have the give that live does...therefore it has been known at times to cause internal injuries.

7. It takes less time for me overall to do it this way and less messy. Get em...put em in the critter carrier...feed them off....clean out the carrier...done.

8. My personal opinion is it is much more natural for them.

That is all I can think of now.....but I am sure I will think of more. Again...I don't give a poo what anyone else does....I am not here to convince anyone. However with that being said...it gets really really old when some ppl that do feed F/T push it so much.

[Wh00h0069]

Ok, like I said if you had a choice. I know some balls only take live and there is no way around that. obviously if the snake will starve then live prey is the way to go (any prey, wraped in bacon if need be).
And I know of people that leave live prey in overnight and have seen first had a couple attacks from rodents that were pretty nasty on some nice morphs so just because he said he has had no issues does not mean it does not happen.

I agree. I would much rather feed my ball pythons f/t, and do with the ones that will take them. I personally don't leave live rodents in overnight, but I do trust Brian when he says that he doesn't have any issues. Rodents can hurt snakes, but most do not if they are not hungry. I do not supervise live feedings, and have never had any serious issues with rodents hurting my snakes.

[rabernet]

lol....Robin you are not helping....lol. How in the world did that happen?

Opened the tub and one decided to take a suicide leap. I had him cornered for a bit, but he got away - and I don't know where he went.....

[BPelizabeth]

Opened the tub and one decided to take a suicide leap. I had him cornered for a bit, but he got away - and I don't know where he went.....

holy crap! I am so sorry to laugh....I have never lost a mouse yet...dropped a few though...but always got them. I have lost a few crickets and freaked out. UGH....I hate those things...they freak me out.

[Wh00h0069]

Ummm,, Well I have an ASF that escaped last night and was found in the hallway alive but half chewed up by the cat.. Does that count???

Glad to hear you were able to find it. I always freak when they get loose in my house. Normally the dogs are able to pinpoint their location though.

[Kaorte]

6. There have been tragedies feeding FT as well as live. The nails of the FT do not have the give that live does...therefore it has been known at times to cause internal injuries.

I am curious, what "tragedies"?

[LP.]

I'm pretty much agreeing with what BPElizabeth is saying. It's the owners choice on what they feed THEIR snake. I love going into the petstores around my area and seeing the reptiles and fish when I pick up my prey. And this whole arguement IS getting VERY old. I only have 2 snakes. One is very stubborn, and when I tried to give him a F/T mouse, he refused, even if I leave it in the enclosure over night he does not eat it, even though the breeder I got him from said he fed F/T. Where as my other snake will take anything I throw in there, except rats. I can throw in 1 live 1 F/T, both F/T, both live, or however many mice I'm offering her, she takes it all with out a problem. I care about about the issues about feeding live vs f/t, but not enough to cause a whole arguement about it. If my snake gets bit minorly or severely, I know what to do. I'm not losing sleep over it, and I'm not going to get ticked off about how others feed their snakes.

[p3titexburial]

Probably a little off topic but... when your snakes refuse F/T where do you throw them? ...I flush them down the toilet... but... something tells me rats going into my water tank may not be the best idea I've ever had...

Um, basically I feed f/t because I can't stomach killing a live mouse/rat. It's like I won't kill a chicken but I'll chop one up from the supermarket for dinner.

I think most of the time people haven't exhausted their resources or isn't doing something exactly right for that insanely picky ball python that won't take f/t.

With live, there's still a chance, no matter how small, even if you do everything right, the stars are aligned, the moon is full, for something to go wrong, which is a risk I'm also not willing to take. Some people are willing, and that's fine, but that's not me.

Feeding f/t is not always easier, I got a picky girl that needs it to be have it at night (but before 9), prescented, brained, heated, and hidden then dangled before she'll take it. The preparation time is ridiculous. I'm sure she'll snap up live in a second, but it's my personal preference.

What I find slightly odd is that there are still people out there who don't know f/t is an OPTION. They feed live because they think there's no other choice. I've run into some snake owners at the petshop (and other places) asking me why I'm buying frozen feeders, and when I tell them they're really surprised that it can be done. I was one of those people who didn't know either until I started researching.

I do recommend f/t or p/k when people ask me about keeping them, but I also remind them that there are a few that will only take live. In the end it's their choice.

[LP.]

I have a question about F/T actually. Why can't you refreeze them? Or why do people advise against?

[p3titexburial]

Because they can pop and the decomposition may not be terribly good for the snake. (decomposition is basically the breakdown of cell membranes and the digestion of it by bacteria... which breed quickly and cause illness... which is why we don't eat spoiled food either.)

I had an almost-pop once... but realized something was off when I picked it up and the dead rat POOPED and some guts came out with it. I defrosted another one and threw that one away...