Alternative feeders

[Qoph]

Are you new to reptiles?


Would you have a problem feeding frozen/thawed mammals or just live?

I would prefer not to at all, but while many may find this odd, I would prefer to feed live if necessary. I find feeding dead animals barbaric in comparison. Unless you've got a pet vulture or something. This is why I would like to feed lizards - because they've not got any incisors and I've seen mouse bites on a snake before. Of course, they were really bad and probably because people left the mice in without paying attention. This would be a return to reptiles for me. Last time I had any was when I was about thirteen or fourteen. An iguana and two anoles which we always called chameleons.

The problem with feeder lizards and amphibians is that (in the US) they are pretty much all wild caught and thus full of parasites.

I wouldn't use them if they were not bred for feeding. I will do separate research on that if it becomes relevant. I've already done a little and found a few sources. These pythons have bad eyesight then, and only rely on their heat pits and smell?

Ball pythons are well known to be picky feeder, the chance of an alternate prey is almost zero, additionally not only do they not need a variety in their diet but doing so will only make them even more picky and lead to long fast.

If you want a snake that east bug consider a Rough Green Snake.

I love green snakes as well, but after watching and reading so much about pythons, and seeing how a rather large Burmese python is what got me really interested years ago, I'm not sure anything else would fill that gap, even if I really liked them as well. If they take a lizard as their first meal, are they more likely to want to eat them? Or are they likely to be totally disinterested in any case? Or is it that nobody has tried because of the difficulty?

If you wanna get a pet that you can experiment feeding variety to then get a tarantula. Seriously theres so many options with them... Tons of different types of roaches, worms, flies, etc.

I'm arachnophobic, is all I've got to say to that. Curiously, scorpions don't creep me out because they look more like crabs, but their stingers scare me off.

Ball Pythons are geared towards eating rodents. The area that they're native to has at least 20 different species of rodent. Did you mean you don't want to feed rodents? Or just mice in particular? They'll also eat rats, African soft furred rats (ASF's), Gerbils, Hamsters (rather expensive for these last two) or many other types of rodent. And Frozen/Thawed rodents are always a good option if you just don't wish to feed live. Just make sure you heat the prey item up first so they can sense it with their heat pits.

If it is absolutely necessary to feed rodents, which would be the safest for a live feeding? Are any of them diurnal, where the snake is nocturnal, making everything go smoother hopefully?

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would prefer not to at all, but while many may find this odd, I would prefer to feed live if necessary. I find feeding dead animals barbaric in comparison.

How is feeding pre-killed rodents barbaric? Last time I checked when I sit down to my dinner table my food is quite dead. When you pre-kill a rodent you have the ability to do so in the quickest/most humane way possible. Using CO2 gas the rodents fall asleep and don't wake back up. No pain, no panic just sleep. Whereas feeding live isn't going to be painless or necessarily quick either. Not to mention the fact that a live rodent has the potential to hurt the snake during the feeding process.

Ball Pythons evolved to hunt/eat small mammals and to some extent birds. They mainly use their heat pits and sense of smell to hunt. Insects and lizards aren't even going to show up on the menu to them. As has been stated numerous times in this thread already, if you don't want to feed rodents don't get a ball python, it's just that simple. Don't put your wants in front of the snakes needs.

[Qoph]

As has been stated numerous times in this thread already, if you don't want to feed rodents don't get a ball python, it's just that simple. Don't put your wants in front of the snakes needs.

I'm not, and that's why I'm here in the first place trying to figure it all out. Capisce? Anyway, I failed to multiquote this one, but the reason I find it 'barbaric' is that snakes normally kill their food on their own. I don't like the mass manufacture of food, as much is wasted that way, and it's often careless*. Live food won't waste, unless you keep it poorly. I'm still interested in knowing if there is a rodent species safer than the rest for live feeding because they're either not as aggressive or because they're diurnal.


*I appreciate responses, but remember both reasons apply at once, and it's just the way I think, which is unlikely to change. I understand the argument that gas leads to a quicker death, and factor it in.

[MarkS]

If it is absolutely necessary to feed rodents, which would be the safest for a live feeding? Are any of them diurnal, where the snake is nocturnal, making everything go smoother hopefully?

Well, if you absolutely have to feed live, a young small rat is much less likely to fight back then an adult mouse.