I feel horrible. Has anything similar to this happened to anyone?

[RideRed12]

Alright so I'll start at the beginning but make it short. I have my first BP that ive had for 2 months. Hes 3 months old and was eating regularly up until 3 weeks ago. In a last ditch effort to get him to eat I went to the store and bought two little white hopper mice, alive. I got them home and I decided I really couldnt go through with killing them if I really dont have to. So I decided to try one last time to get my bp to eat frozen thawed again tonight. Well while my f/t was thawing, I opened up the hamster cage I had these cute little mice in to let him sniff around and hopefully get hungry. Well both of them went to hide in the little wooden cheese box and before I knew it my snake had one constricting with the other mouses tail in his mouth. I was in shock and didnt know what to do. The mouse that had his tail in his mouth was freaking out about to bite my bp and I had no choice but to strangle it. It was horrible, he watched me kill him. Neither of those mice had to die, and I had to physically kill one of them.

Long story short, I feel horrible. Anyone else go through anything similar.?

P.S. Now that hes eaten live will he ever eat f/t again?

[angllady2]

If he's young, he'll go back and forth pretty easily.

I can greatly sympathize with you. I found out a week ago why people tell you not to try cervical dislocation on rats bigger than weaned. I didn't think it would be that hard if I used a sturdy screwdriver to do it. I was greatly mistaken.

I had no idea how thick and heavy the spine on a larger rat is, and after three unsuccessful attempts to dislocate the neck of the now pitifully squealing rat, I did the only other thing I could think of and whacked it's head with the screwdriver handle as hard as I could. That did the trick, but I could still hear it's terrified and pained squeals in my head for the next several days, it was quite upsetting to say the least.

Gale

[RideRed12]

Btw, I know this is the food chain and I know I sound like a little girl but I also believe that no animals should suffer before they die. I would wish that on anything.

[RideRed12]

Gale, I appreciate the response. I know that it isnt a big deal to some, but I grew up with animals and cant stand to see them suffer.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Ball pythons that eat FT can be given live, and they will switch back with no problem. It is incontestable that the majority of ball pythons prefer live over frozen/thawed, if given the choice. Fortunately, they prefer eating over not eating, when all else is well, lol.

[Clint Bundy]

You will get used to it. I used to feel the same way many years ago. But if the mice don't die my snake will and he is higher on the food chain.

[Karbon]

I just could never do the live feeding thing. I can't stand to watch something die a slow painful death

F/T all the way, i'll never go live.
Of course that's just me. I don't have anything against anyone that feeds live.

[ahunt037]

i too dont like to see an animal suffer but for some reason my snakes wont eat f/t so i have to feed live and in some ways i feel that the way snakes kill is a little better than the ways other animals kill

for example
snake constrict till cant breathe or blood stops reaching vital organs
painful? yes but not as bad as my next example

Lions attack the neck first looking for the large artery in the neck of most animals but does this instantly kill them? not always alot of times the animal is still alive as the lions tear it apart

sorry for the visuals but im just tryin to say that if i was to be eaten by an animal i would prefer to be constricted not torn apart while still alive

[RideRed12]

Yes I completely agree, I see it pointless to make something harmless suffer. The worst part is it was an accident and I was being stupid about it. I shouldnt have let the snake in there cage. The worst part was watching this little mouse that ive been bonding with for 5 days stare at me while I killed him.

I also had my 15 year old dog put to sleep in June, so having to watch these little guys die too hit a little to close to home. I really shouldnt be but I am really upset about it.

I just could never do the live feeding thing. I can't stand to watch something die a slow painful death

F/T all the way, i'll never go live.
Of course that's just me. I don't have anything against anyone that feeds live.

[shelliebear]

I had an experience like that. I bought a rat pup from a small pet store as a feeder, because that's the only size my baby BP can take for now.
They put the little guy in a paper bag, so I could hear and feel him moving around in it. Poor thing couldn't even see yet.
So I ended up feeling bad, and took him out in the car. He was so cute. I snuggled with him for forever, and then remembered I had just paid what little money I had for it as food, and my mom is TERRIFIED of rodents (NONE IN THE HOUSE EXCEPT FROZEN ONES! are allowed).
I eventually gave him to my fiance, who...gave the rat to my ball python. It was so sad. I went upstairs and covered my ears, crying.
I'm now trying to switch all my snakes to F/T (all but two are). I can't do that again.
I'm sorry about what happened. I understand.
When you're not in the scenario, you think, "It's part of nature." but then you see the mouse or rat and you think, "But does ti have to be this one???"
Again, sorry, and I understand.
Shellie