Is live feeding really that dangerous?

[highqualityballz]

My 900g female BP does not seem to be interested in f/the and actually hasn't eaten since I got her which was a little over a month ago. I think I'm going to try to feed live but I keep hearing horror stories of infections from rat bites, losing an eye etc. Is live really that serious of a problem. P.s my husbandry Is great I got her around the same time I got my male and he is eating f/t like a beast and they're Temps are almost identical. The place I got her from said she sometimes eats f/t and u was hoping that would be all she ate for me, but clearly that's not the case. So again my question is how dangerous is live feeding really? Should I just wait for her to take f/t? Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks

[Eric Alan]

It's only dangerous if you're not responsible when you do it. Feed an appropriately sized meal, supervise the feeding, don't leave anything bigger than a pup alone with your snake unsupervised, etc...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Yes if not done responsibly, but it is safe if done responsibly as well.

It's about being educated and knowing how to properly feed live.

I feed 250 live preys a months (not counting hatchlings, that's a drop in a bucket compare to some) and have done so for 9 years with my breeders and holdbacks and NEVER had an issue.

The keys to success

Pre-scent the room bring the feeder near the enclosure 30 min prior to feeding.

Give food and water to the feeder if you purchased it from a store.

Do not stress the feeder.

Do not feed an oversized prey

Drop the feeder and remove if uneaten after 15 to 20 min

[BCS]

I feed my snake strictly on live (except my corn snake and boa). Hatchlings I plan on selling are strictly fed F/T simply because people prefer snakes who eat F/T.

Live feeding is not dangerous depending on the owner. I feed live because it is less time consuming, cheaper (I breed my own rats) and most picky eaters will take live without question and you have a less chance of getting bit if the snake misses.

The rule for feeding live is to never... sorry... NEVER, that's better, leave the snake alone with the live prey. If the snake is just not hungry, but you leave to go to work, you will come home to a damaged snake. If the snake does not eat in 20 minutes, make sure to remove the live prey and try again in 5-7 days.

There is always a risk when the snake actually snatches and begins to constrict. The prey may be in a position to bite the snake. I have had this happen, but besides a couple missing scales, the rat did not break the skin. Snakes are built to avoid damage from their surroundings and from their prey. I have not yet had one get a wound, bleed, infection or chewed beyond belief.

[pbyeerts]

If I can safely live feed my Ginger, than anyone can. She's a stone cold killer, lol.

Make sure to have the right size rat, and have food and bedding placed in the cardboard box for the drive home. A calm rat is a safer rat.

It took Ginger a while to figure out how to hunt. I started with mice, which I recommend. Once she perfected hunting mice, we moved up to rats.

[Aercadia]

DH and I discussed this before we purchased our first snek - as a kid who grew up watching NatGeo, I have always enjoyed watching "things eating things".

(Last night while we were working on the Carpet enclosure, we watched a few toads out on the driveway eating the stupid flying beetles that come into the garage and bother us - we flicked a few back outside and the toads came rushing to the "buffet"... fun to watch and root for our little exterminators!)

I figured on live-feeding being part of the entertainment of owning a snek. DH stressed that we would not be live-feeding, and when I put on my best pout, he explained the potential dangers (which I understand can be mitigated by being a responsible and watchful participant in the feeding), but added - why add the additional complication? Snek doesn't get any more satisfaction out of hunting live prey than "hunting" what we offer it at the end of tongs, and when we start feeding larger things to our growing sneks, it's normal and natural to expect a grown rodent to fight for its life and cause damage in the process.

We are going to avoid live-feeding as a matter of simplicity - easier storage (frozen), easier for potential pet-sitters, and it removes the potential for food-related injuries... one less thing thing worry about. :) I am a chronic worrier, so this is the clincher for me.

[beeze]

I feed my BP live. He will not take f/t. I have tried so many times. He will go as far as laying on top of the f/t to show me he isn't having it. Live is what I use, I can't bring myself to stun or kill his food on my own. I monitor him the whole time he is feeding. Once he starts to ingest his food, then I give him his privacy, but still check on him. Some snakes are picky, mine is one of them. I also feel like allowing him to have live lets him retain some of his natural instincts. I too have read horror stories, but if the live feeding is done with care and diligence, I don't see anything wrong with it. I feed my BP, atm, live adult feeder mice or rat fuzzies if the pet store in town has them. I've not run into any trouble. Granted, my snake is not at the size to take larger meals yet, but, I don't think I will be switching to f/t any time soon.

[Mr. Misha]

I'm another person who feeds only live and been doing it without any incidents for a few years now.

As everyone already said, use good judgement in feeder size, treat the feeder with respect and don't stress it out before feeding and make sure you supervise the feedings. You should do fine.

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[Tsanford]

I only feed live, and I feed about 130 live rats a month. I have never had an injury so far. All my snakes are already hungry and waiting on feeding day. Most rats don't get to touch the tub floor without being snatched up. The snakes that don't take food within 10 min are removed till next week feed.

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[DVirginiana]

If you only have one snake it's probably cheaper and easier to feed f/t, but my BP won't take anything but live. I always keep a pair of tongs on hand when she's eating so I can put them in the feeder's mouth if it starts trying to bite her. Usually don't even have to do that though.