Bad Frozen rats

[ElliotNess]

That's terrible. I'm not sure why people don't properly fresh kill.


The entire setup cost less than 20.00.

I purchased this glass jar with a metal lid from Walmart for 4.92(Kitchen).
https://www.walmart.com/ip/DNP-2QT-C...-Teal/51755721

I purchased a 2 pack of valve stems from the auto department for 2.03.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-Val...1-1-4/45791096

I then bought a CO2 tire inflator from the bike section for 11.38.
It comes with a 16g but it fits a 12g flush. The 16g is better for tires but hard to source.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-CO2...lator/49455294


Steps are simple.
1. Drill a hole slightly smaller than the valve stem "collar" in the lid and through whatever sealing material. Mine was waxy coated paper.
2. Insert the valve stem through hole.

The CO2 inflator has a trigger so you can slowly put them to sleep and then let them pass and feed fresh killed HUMANELY. I understand that if you have 200 snakes this could be expensive but if do it properly, it shouldn't be that much.

So I only euthanize 2-3 at a time because of feed schedule. So 1 12g cartridge with do 2-3 sessions, possibly more or less if you use different sized chambers . A 25ct of CO2 is 13 dollars. So about 50 cents a cartridge or .25 cents a session. You can put quite a few per session because you are removing oxygen so it doesn't affect the outcome.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Copperhea...5-Pack/3139301

[Sunnieskys]

I could not fresh kill. That of course is just me. Same reason I cannot have a farm. I get attached to all my animals lol. It is a weakness. Kudos to those who can. I can totally see the benefits of it.

[Pitonica]

Thanks Eliot.. Nice post.
I suggested that to the guy but no use.
My nice rodents have arrived so hopefully I forget those poor rats...


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[bcr229]

The white spots could be freezer burn versus CO2 burns. The look on their faces is just gnarly though.

[EL-Ziggy]

I think you did the right thing tossing those rodents Pit. I guess there are pros and cons to buying locally. I don't have a trusted local supplier so I have to purchase my feeders online. I use Perfect Prey and Big Cheese and I've never had any issues with the quality of their feeders. Sometimes it's worth paying a little more for that extra peace of mind.

[Dutti]

Why? So you're not given some rats that appear to have been killed incorrectly and poorly packaged?

I've used a few sources for my frozen feeders and since they were reputable places I have had no complaints or quality issues.

Whenever someone says live is this or that it makes me picture myself trying to feed my big Blood her XXL rat and each time I come to the same conclusion, which is that would be a terrible experience for all three of us, that being me, my snake, and the Opossum sized rat.

The BRB I own was bought from a family whose kid lost interest. He is a great snake and super inquisitive but the previous owner feed live (because that's all he'll eat) and the rat chewed a hole in the snake(silver dollar size). Luckily they had a good vet but the snake still carries the scar. Now while you're going to say "but they weren't watching close enough," and I agree. How long does it take for a large rat to do damage before you can stop it? I'm not willing to risk that.

I'll just keep buying from reputable businesses.

Surely they were not watching as the rat bit the BRB. For a rat to be able to bite the snake, one of the following must happen:

1- The snake don,t want to eat and the owner is not watching and left the rat with the snake(did not take it out). So its owner fault.
2- The rat is much bigger than the snake, the size of the prey is wrong. Also owner fault.
3- Putting the rat suddenly with the snake. The owner should let the snake smell the rat first to let it get into a hunting mode.
Other than that i don,t see a chance for a rat to bite a hungry snake.

You don,t beginn feeding the snake live prey with a XXL rat. You beginn when the snake is young and increase the size of the prey gradually as the snake grows. If you feel comfortable feeding frozen, then its the right thing to do. The main thing is that the snake is healthy, growing and eating.

[KMG]

Surely they were not watching as the rat bit the BRB. For a rat to be able to bite the snake, one of the following must happen:

1- The snake don,t want to eat and the owner is not watching and left the rat with the snake(did not take it out). So its owner fault.
2- The rat is much bigger than the snake, the size of the prey is wrong. Also owner fault.
3- Putting the rat suddenly with the snake. The owner should let the snake smell the rat first to let it get into a hunting mode.
Other than that i don,t see a chance for a rat to bite a hungry snake.

You don,t beginn feeding the snake live prey with a XXL rat. You beginn when the snake is young and increase the size of the prey gradually as the snake grows. If you feel comfortable feeding frozen, then its the right thing to do. The main thing is that the snake is healthy, growing and eating.

I disagree.

A rat most certainly can harm a snake even being the proper size, owner watching, or getting a snake in "hunting mode." If the snake doesn't get a great coil the rat can will bite and chew until it goes out. This can be all it needs to harm the snake.

I've fed live. I've had bites on my snakes. I've had to thump their head to make them stop. It made me feel terrible. At the end of the day dead rats are safest and most humane option for both the snake and rat.

[Dutti]

I disagree.

A rat most certainly can harm a snake even being the proper size, owner watching, or getting a snake in "hunting mode." If the snake doesn't get a great coil the rat can will bite and chew until it goes out. This can be all it needs to harm the snake.

I've fed live. I've had bites on my snakes. I've had to thump their head to make them stop. It made me feel terrible. At the end of the day dead rats are safest and most humane option for both the snake and rat.

Big snakes don,t have to coil to kill the rat. My 8 months Dumerils Boa don,t coil anymore to kill the large mice that he is eating. His bite is enough to kill it. Once my yearling BCI has his mouth on the rats face, it,s finished. The rat has no face anymore.

[Sunnieskys]

"most" breeders even do F/T mice/rats just for the factor mentioned above and only feed live if it is a last resort. why is this being debated? lol

[KMG]

Big snakes don,t have to coil to kill the rat. My 8 months Dumerils Boa don,t coil anymore to kill the large mice that he is eating. His bite is enough to kill it. Once my yearling BCI has his mouth on the rats face, it,s finished. The rat has no face anymore.

Large mice?

Get back to me when you're dealing with rats.

Mice put up much less fight and have less fight to give.

Any snake eating large mice is not big. IMHO.

The largest I ever had to feed live were medium rats when I first got my BRB. Those guys really had something to live for. Though my BRB is long(6+) and takes medium rats his head is not big and wide and his bite doesn't kill on contact. You can't judge all other snakes and feeders by your limited experience with large mice. My big Blood could kill a large mouse by laying on it.

One day your snake will be taking medium rats and we'll see how you feed then. Until then you can only speculate.