Live food...why? Honestly & with facts!

[WingedWolfPsion]

Little brats *lol* and understood. Case by case is of course realistic.

Indeed! I just hope people realize that. I just got the impression that people just throw one in, and that's it. Until next feeding. They're too busy to worry about it, kind of thing. I really hope that's not the case for anyone.

That is a fact! I must admit, not too long ago I heard of this happening to a snake. I got all paranoid. Unless i sit there pulling rat teeth though, what am I going to do about it? I can clip toenails...or at least in our case we soak our meals until they thaw, and then warm, so i'm sure the keratin in then nails soften...so i don't usually cut them down. But teeth...if they're going to get hurt sometimes, they just are. I try to mother and protect them as much as i can, though *lol*

Yup. But, that doesn't mean i'm not going to keep trying, or not bop it in the head, or freeze it if it dies, and try to refeed anyway *lol* I guess i just want to hear that it's worth the time, for people to take that little extra step. I know i'm not going to change anyone's mind, but maybe they'll just think about things a little differently sometimes. Hey, prevention is the first cure.



LOL That is true. I do realize i'm putting extreme cases out there. My problem is not even really live food...it's the attitude, and lack of enthusiasim i see sometimes.

Anyway...One last question I forgot about! If you feed live...what do you do about fleas?? I'm going to be treating a snake next week (after the good'ol paycheck) for tapeworms. I've read that they get these, from the fleas ingested along with live food.

Thoughts?

If the rats you are feeding have FLEAS...omg, find a different supplier! That's horrifying! (Not to mention dangerous).
I would never go NEAR anyone who gave me a rat with fleas on it, and I certainly wouldn't feed it to my snakes.

Lice and mites are also not acceptable. Feeders should be healthy and free of parasites! If they aren't, then the rodent breeder is doing something VERY wrong. Sniffles from myco are one thing, but fleas? Really?

By the way, I see the 'scales like armor' comment, a lot. Their scales are not like armor, they are like your fingernails, only significantly thinner. They protect from minor scratches, and that's all. They will protect a snake from being scratched by a kicking rodent, but rat and mouse teeth will go through them like butter, so don't believe that offers significant protection, lol.
Seriously, rats CAN chew through concrete.