Live VS F/T

[MikeV]

MikeV, I also wondered that. I have always done f/t, even with a big collection. It was cheaper and easier than breeding my own, which I did for a long time as well. When I bred my own, I whacked and froze, then I just said screw it and ordered f/t online.

The only exceptions were a few rattlers that would only take live.

maybe for me it was the hassle of keeping up the breeders, cleaning their tubs, which was way worse than cleaning snake tubs...lol. And had to be done every few days.

Yeah id imagine cleaning rodent cages a lot is terrible lol. the smell, oh gawd

Anyway yeah im really interested in seeing why peoiple switch to live with big collections (or mid-sized collections)

[Sarin]

I see, I find it interesting that you will be going to live like JLC.

Im curious, is it because its easier to feed live when you have a large collection? Im very curious as to why many people feed f/t when they have a msaller collection then switch to live when the collection grows

Well with large collections, imagine having to thaw out 100+ feeders. Then warming each one up and dangling it in front of each snake. It'll take ages! With live you just throw the rat in, and check on them 5 or 10 minutes later.

[MikeV]

Well with large collections, imagine having to thaw out 100+ feeders. Then warming each one up and dangling it in front of each snake. It'll take ages! With live you just throw the rat in, and check on them 5 or 10 minutes later.

Yeah thats what I thought lol

It makes sense to skip all that and just toss in a live animal. Much easier that way

[jfreels]

f/t here. it takes me less time to prepare the f/t than it does to go pick up live. I'd have to have my own colonies to make live worth it and even then, I'd still gas them and freeze them.

[rabernet]

I prefer to feed mine live.

Sent from my HTC Droid Incredible using Tapatalk.

[Quiet Tempest]

I feed mine live and/or fresh killed. Between those two I prefer fresh killed because I don't have to babysit the feeding and can get all the animals fed more quickly but I start hatchlings out on live and I like to offer my corn snakes live nowadays because mine are a sedentary lot and could use the exercise. I really don't like dealing with frozen feeders unless I absolutely have to.

[L.West]

Quick question for all you live feeders - have any of you ever had a problem with a rat bringing in mites from the pet store. I've only fed live twice and already have had an issue with mites and I never had a problem with mites before buying a rat from a pet store.

I'm sort of afraid to buy rats now.

Your thoughts.

[jfreels]

rat mites <> snake mites

[smoffler]

I've always fed live and on rare occassions feed F/T I think that the natural way of the animal feeding should stay that way I've not had an issue with a rat/mouse attacking my snakes nor have I had a mite problem from them eating live.

I am fasicinated by the constricting and the entire predator stalking the prey.



sent from tapatalk for the ball python lover on the go!!!

[rabernet]

Quick question for all you live feeders - have any of you ever had a problem with a rat bringing in mites from the pet store. I've only fed live twice and already have had an issue with mites and I never had a problem with mites before buying a rat from a pet store.

I'm sort of afraid to buy rats now.

Your thoughts.

With over 15K live rats fed off, I've never gotten mites from my feeders.