There are pros and cons about both and it's ultimately up to you about what you feed. I personally feed my corn snakes frozen thawed and my ball pythons live.

Pros of Live Feeding
  • Considered by some to be more "natural" because it's what they eat in the wild
  • Doesn't require freezer space to keep frozen rodents in bulk
  • You can breed your own food which helps to balance out the cost - you can also sell your extras to other people and pet stores that sell feeders


Cons of Live Feeding
  • Costly - I find that it's cheaper to buy in bulk online then going to a petshop to get feeder rats every week
  • There is a risk of injury to the snake - the snake can (and will if you aren't careful) get bitten by it's dinner
  • If your snake doesn't eat, then you have to have a "leftover tank" with food and water for your rodents
  • In some places, it's not as easily accessible as F/T feeders


Pros of F/T Feeding
  • You can bulk order your rodents and store them in a freezer. Then you only shell out money once every few months
  • Your rodents can't bite your snake
  • Some people consider it more convenient


Cons of F/T Feeding
  • It fills up your freezer with rats - sometimes you have to purchase your own freezer because the mother, wife, significant other doesn't want rodents in the human freezer
  • If you don't thaw it out long enough, it can kill your snake
  • Not every snake will take F/T. Some need something with a heartbeat
  • You can't really have leftovers - you have to throw out wasted food because of issues with refreezing


These are just a few of the pros/cons of both methods of feeding. Ultimately it's up to you and what your snake will or will not eat for you.