mice/rats alternatives....

[JohnNJ]

I don't understand how you guys are getting past the thing about throwing a rat out of a window.

And pliers? Really?

You may want to consider a canary.

But seriously, you should only use frozen rodents.

[Daybreaker]

I would suggest going with your chicks to feed your BP too. If you need gloves, pliers, and throwing the rat/mouse into the tank (or out the window...which is very inhumane IMO to do to any living creature regardless if you like it or not) how would you be able to remove a rat/mouse if it got ahold of your snake and was biting or attacking it while feeding? So yes, I say go with chicks and see how your BP does.

[satomi325]

no way. dont see that happening, im a pretty organized person, and i know what lies in my future. And i dont see me selling, or giving away my BP under any circumstance. Some thing seriously of track has to happen for me to do so. I have a pretty secure union job, a well laid out plan for my future, and nothing in those plans include me having to get rid of my BP. I would have never bought a animal that lives 20-30 years without having some assurance to me being able to keep him that long, me and Vic and staying together until the end!

I admire your loyalty.

[kitedemon]

I don't think your personal feelings are the issue. There is a valid reason that is enough for me. I don't think there is any problem offering chicks over rats. It might actually be less threat to the snake a chick really has little defence compared to a rat of equal size. The real question is what will your BP make of a chick? I think that is the next part of this question will your snake strike and feed on a chick or not. I think you are at a point where you should try.

If that fails then you might think about trying to switch your snake to F/T they are not the same as live. They definitely don't bite moms either. (phobias and fears are not laughing matters but humour overcomes adversity sometimes...)

Try the chick, and if not maybe try a F/T rat it may be easier for you to get you head around.

[FrankieCarbone]

F/T are out of the question, as i have stated before, i refuse to have frozen rats next to my t-bones and sirloin steaks in my freezer (im a serious steak eater), also the whole process of thawing them in warm water and what not. I much rather just feed various small mice than do that.

As far as the pliers and out the window situation, first of i did not put that much force on the pliers that the rat bled or anything, and the throwing out the window like i said i live on the first floor sort of (my house is weird) and the rat landed on bushes and the way he ran off im pretty sure he was alright, as a matter of fact hes probably already gotten pregnant, and or, pregnated some other rat out here in NYC and there some half albino half grey litter out there...

And to answer another question, how would i pull a rat that got a hold of my BP, im scared of mice/rats yes, but if i were to see my prescious BP being bit in the head or something by a rat you better belief my phobia will be gone for that split second when i grab the hell out of that rat bare handed or not and THEN i can say i would inhumanely throw him out of the window or do something alot worse, like i said i love my BP..

Im still thinking this thru, for the next couple of weeks im gonna feed him 2-3 small mice until i figuere out what im gonna do. Also i still have to comb thru all the spots that sell live chicks and find the one i trust....

[ball python 22]

And chics being dirtier than rats/mice? i mean come on, seriously, not trying to be offensive, but can u really sit there and say that a baby chicken is dirtier than a rat?[/QUOTE]

Yes I have owned baby chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks, and parrots and rats and mice have beat them in being clean.

[Inarikins]

F/T are out of the question, as i have stated before, i refuse to have frozen rats next to my t-bones and sirloin steaks in my freezer (im a serious steak eater), also the whole process of thawing them in warm water and what not. I much rather just feed various small mice than do that.

If you don't want them in there next to your food (and I don't see why it would really matter, they're usually vacuum-sealed in their own bags and the steaks are in their own packaging so there wouldn't be any cross-contamination) you could always get a small freezer just for rats/mice. I might have to go this route for my BP as my mom also hates the idea of rodents in the freezer.

Maybe you should try and get a pet rat. Take care of it, handle it, help your phobia of them go away. Sometimes knowledge of an animal is enough to erase (or at least diminish) the phobia of that animal.

[FrankieCarbone]

Maybe you should try and get a pet rat. Take care of it, handle it, help your phobia of them go away. Sometimes knowledge of an animal is enough to erase (or at least diminish) the phobia of that animal.

sorry but there is no way that it happening, there is a better chance of the economy getting back on track by tommorrow than that!

as far as the small freezer thing, i thought of that, but the apartment where i live things are a little tight as far as electricity goes, i.e if you have 2 a/c on at the same time it shorts a circuit. On top of that i dont have the space for a small fridge, and also i dont like the idea of the whole thawing out the mouse/rat, and lets not forget to mention alot of BP's dont take f/t. And the whole rats next to a my steaks in the freezer thing, wether there triple vacuum sealed or not, there still dead rats next to my food, no way.

I think the next step is like kitedemon suggest, what will my BP make of a chick and will he take it. Im gonna continue on 2-3 mice a week until i make my decision, hes at 800g+ right now, and when he gets to the point where he is too big for all those small mice, i will give the baby chick a chance.

Again thanks everybody for your your help and input on this...