Live Caught food question

[strangefamous]

So my roomate has been catching small mice in a live trap and saving them for my snake. I keep telling him that I will not feed her wild caught mice. Is this something that you guys and girls would advise against? My thoughts are NO WAY. Why risk disease and such. Thoughts?

[ballpythonluvr]

There is no way I would ever feed my snake wild caught mice. You have to worry about diseases and parasites, not to mention the pesticides that a wild caught mouse may have been exposed to.

[strangefamous]

That is all I needed. Thanks pal.

[dr del]

Hi,

I agree - suppose other people are using poison to control the rodents and your room mate catches one that has eaten poison but not died yet?

I dread to think what would happen if you fed that to a snake.


dr del

[rabernet]

I would thank your room-mate for being so interested in your snake and thinking of him, but share with him the fact that it could have indeed been poisoned and that you don't want to take that risk.

I'd also make sure that your room-mate doesn't take it upon themselves to feed your snake these mice when you aren't home. I'd cover that topic as well.

[myanney]

My mom used to joke about that, why buy rats when we can just go out back and get them from the barn? Yeah, right...

[WingedWolfPsion]

Wild mice virtually ALWAYS carry internal parasites, and snakes are the end host for several common types. It wouldn't be worth the savings in feed to have to worm your snake several times a year, that's for certain.