Quote Originally Posted by 2kdime View Post
I see your point yes. But I don't believe in feeding same species to one another.

Again I don't wanna argue. And true any rabbit or rat owner would cringe at the thought of a snake eating they're little pet.

I guess it all just boils down to feeding same species in general to one another that I don't like.

You certainly wouldn't feed a dog to another dog. I guess it can go both ways though. My opinion is strictly personal.

And snakes eating ther snakes in the wild certainly does happen. I just care not to do it.
I think you are being too hard on this guy. I own a king snake, which as you know would regularly eat other snakes on the wild. Though I typically feed mice as you suggest, I live in an area where there are an abundance of ribbon and garter snakes. That said , I'll occasional catch a small one to feed to my king snake ..as a treat or diet supplement ..

I'm an avid reptile owner and have been all of my life. In my 40s I have an assortment of reptiles, about a dozen different lizards , two tortoises and the king snakes..any time you can mimic what these caprice animals might be exposed to in nature is a bonus..for example my kids and I will catch grasshoppers maybe 40-50 a week which our lizards love..and though I might dust the otherwise nutrionless store bought crickets I believe my animals thrive because of the addition of the grasshoppers spiders moths and other insects we add to their diets..please no posts about pesticides I'm in a field on our property, there are no pesticides..

Your analogy about "feeder dogs" is weak..I love reptiles and my first snake was a ribbon snake, bit now I own a Kong snake which is programmed to eat other snakes..I've got a heart so I won't watch the but I recognize the benefit to the snake I own so I'll just toss it in the tank and cone back later..we own a few red ear sliders who are in a small pond behind the house, an occasional through on guppies and gold fish as a treat..that said, I also have a fish tank with fancy comets ..one has nothing to do with the other..some fish pets some food food..and that's how I see the feeder snake issue..perhaps this story of the woman who I met who keeps praying mantis as pets..well let's just says on that field of grasshoppers is an occasional praying mantis on the prowl..and no all I can say is I can swear I saw my veiled chameleon smile as he swallowed one of those down..folded it in half and chomped away! You take on any pet you have an oblation to keep it as healthy as possible and that mean among up the diet whenever possible..ps, there are people who keep mice and rats as pets so at the very least, it's all about perspective..