If snakes died from catching and killing their own live prey, then how is it our world is covered in beautiful wild snakes?Originally Posted by daji_
There IS a chance that a live rodent can injure a snake with a hard bite in just the wrong place. (Face and eye are the most vulnerable to a quick defensive bite) But the horror stories you see of snakes half-eaten by their "prey" are NOT from responsible feedings. That only happens when a starving, dehydrated rodent is left alone for hours or days at a time with a snake who has no interest in eating.
The fact is, out of the millions of live feedings done every day among breeders and keepers around the world, only a minute fraction ever end up as serious injuries. And I've NEVER heard of a live rodent killing a snake during a responsibly conducted feeding.
There is ALSO a risk of killing or making your snake sick with feeding frozen prey. If it is not thoroughly thawed, the partly frozen insides of the prey animal can make your snake seriously sick. Also, prey that has been heated too much could cause interior burns, and cooked meat can also make the snake sick.
There is risk and consequence in everything we do. Our responsibility as keepers is to understand those risks and do all we can to minimize them. Decide what works best for you and do your best to do it right.
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