adopted a ball python new here a bit scared

[wispurs]

i said responsably didnt i? im just trying to let this girl know that its not something to be taken lightly and responsable owners make it humane for the snake and the rat because it is dangerous and harms the snake if done wrong

oh yeah, its not mean at all, provided the rat is too little to fend for itself.

whatever.

[punkoldschool]

lol punkolschool niether of us are feeding live animals..

lol i know your not it just the cruel comment that got to me

[WingedWolfPsion]

I'm sorry, but your snake really doesn't love you. If it's trying to get out of its cage, that doesn't mean it wants to be held--it means something is wrong with its cage, and you should adjust things until the snake is calm and happy there.

Snakes are not capable of love. It doesn't matter what it SEEMS to be doing--the capability IS NOT there. You are mistaking the snake's behavior for something it is not, because it SEEMS to be something else to you--you're looking at it through mammalian eyes, basically. To really make your snake happy, you need to understand snakes. I recommend doing a lot of reading and research.

The snake may be really used to handling, so that handling doesn't distress it much, but that shouldn't be mistaken for enjoying handling. A snake will go for what is familiar and secure over what is strange and exposed.

As for rodents--you should be aware that a rodent grabbed by a snake screams because it was startled (I know this, because I breed rodents for my snakes, and I have startled them before--same sound)--after that, it's completely unconscious in less than 10 seconds (in the vast majority of cases). This isn't even really enough time for it to feel pain from the snake's teeth. Any movement after that point is 'agonal'--unconscious spasms as the animal dies.

CO2 causes the animals to become groggy and then fall over and pass out, and then die of suffocation. This takes a few minutes. This is used as a euthanasia method because it's very hands-off and clean for the humans, and reasonably humane for the rodents--not because it is the most humane method for killing rodents.
Breaking the neck or a sharp blow to the head is probably more humane for the rodents, as it causes instant or near-instant death with no room for anxiety beforehand.

So, live feeding is really not horribly inhumane, and CO2 is really not horribly humane--just the way things are.

[Kaorte]

What is wrong with just saying that YOU love your snake and YOU love handling it? Why does the snake need to reciprocate? Why does the snake need to be "different"? What is wrong with him just being like any other snake?

I know we all want to think that our pets (and children for that matter) are different from the majority but it is a simple fact that they really aren't that different. Especially when it comes to emotional capacity.

There is nothing wrong with loving your animal and loving handling it. But because these animals lack a social structure, they will not reciprocate your feelings.

This is something that is very common with human thought, anthropomorphizing.

[Ryu]

hahahahahahahaha this thread is so greeat i actually took the time to read the entire thing. get a haagen daz and chill out, woman lol.
im new to bp's too but i was a little animal nerd back in the day so i know some basic things about reptiles in general. humans and mammals do things to make themselves happy and show affection and all that. they live. reptiles and amphibians on the other hand dont 'live', they survive. they dont just do things for the hell of it like we do, they do whatever they do to keep themselves alive. is that such a hard concept? they dont eat cause they wanna sit down and have dinner convos with u, they just want their food so they can keep surviving and once they take it, they want u to leave them the hell alone. a dog will come to u and want u to play with them and everything. when u open a snakes cage when they seem to want out, they dont come to ur hand and say hi. they just want out. most of the time when u put the snake back in the tank, they try to get back out from the side of the tank but they dont move toward u, they move away from u and the tank because he gets stressed from both. when they are cold and u hold them and they stay, they dont really wanna hang out with u, they simply need to increase their body temperature to ensure their survival. once hes warm enough i can just about guarantee that he'll move away from u.
as a matter of fact, heres a little test u can do: let the snake loose in your backyard and see if ever see him again. if he loves u he should come back right? lol (dont actually do it)

[luckycharm318]

I dont care what any herpetologist says. I dont care what anyone says, im going by how MY snake acts. not by how some snake kept by someone else with a narrow minded view of how snakes do or dont feel, thinks. you are NOT a snake and probably just havnt had an affectionate snake who CHOOSES to sit with you and show an interest in being held.

Sorry if you cant comprehend that my snake seems to like these things. its not my fault that he WANTS to be held and you cant understand nor explain it.

This is your first snake correct? Why come to take advice if you're just going to throw it back in the face of the person who gave it to you, and say that you're right, and everyone else is wrong?

Here's the truth, you don't know squat about what your snake is "feeling" because they do not have emotions, and it is therefore impossible for you to know what the snake "feels." Also being able to communicate mentally with snakes is impossible, so that's out too.

Snakes have NEEDS, not wants or desires, NEEDS. They need heat to digest and thermoregulate, they need shelter to feel secure, they need water and humidity to stay hydrated, and they need food to survive. All these things are necessary for their survival, your love and attention is not. They tolerate handling and other things by humans because they know that they are out-matched size-wise, and would not win in a fight, and as a plus, humans are warm to sit on. Who loves and pays attention to snakes, or any other creature for that matter, out in the wild? NO ONE.

I know that you will toss this information out the window along with all the other information that people have given you so far in an attempt to help you with your new snake, but at least I gave it a go.

[rizl0p]

nice topic

[exotica0095]

another thing that makes bb unlike other snakes is the fact right after he eats he willl let u pet his head its like hes saying "thank you for feeding me" most snakes would strike you if u did that after they eat but not BB (short for beebee)

[luckycharm318]

oh yeah, its not mean at all, provided the rat is too little to fend for itself.

whatever.

P.S. That picture of the snake with skin missing? That was done by a mouse or a rat. Too little to fend for themselves, right! If the snake isn't hungry, the mouse/rat has plenty of opportunity to defend itself and attack the snake.

[wispurs]

P.S. That picture of the snake with skin missing? That was done by a mouse or a rat. Too little to fend for themselves, right! If the snake isn't hungry, the mouse/rat has plenty of opportunity to defend itself and attack the snake.

well then, maybe of for the safety both, it is INHUMANE to feed live animals to snakes and this is a perfect example of why. you call it the circle of life, i call it karma.