Breeding rats for your own feeders is a ton of work, it's also considerably less cost and you are in control of quality. Most hatchling or newborn snakes aren't going to take f/t straight off the bat and it's better to get an animal eating eagerly then switch, vs start them off in a pattern of refusing food. Feeding live isn't very risky if done properly, both of your examples were not. Leaving a live rat in the cage unattended? Feeding a live rabbit? This is like saying heat mats are bad because some people use them without thermostats and cook their snakes.
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