Insane dream idea: would it be possible?

[Bogertophis]

Having tried a batch of Reptilinks on a handful of snake species (none of which were BPs, but all of which are less fussy feeders than the average BP), I'd say something like the lab-grown Snakefurky being suggested would have to be pretty sophisticated. I got almost zero acceptance of the links, and a couple snakes that took one once wouldn't repeat the trick.

There are lots of plant based meat products for humans that are quite tasty, and do a pretty decent job of looking and tasting like processed meat. I'm a happy carnivore but eat this sort of thing from time to time because it tastes good; I really like Boca burgers, but there are more realistic products out there. I suspect that once this sort of thing gets more mainstream for humans out of necessity, it will trickle into pet food more and more (I'm assuming there is already plant-based dog and cat food).



There are complicated issues behind lab grown meat (most apply to the plant-based meat I just mentioned, too), and not the common ones that stem from irrational 'yuck' concerns. Some of them are environmental -- for one, the raw organic materials will have to be farmed in the first place, and the heavily industrialized practices that this will certainly entail are just those practices that are causing the most pressing environmental issues currently. Also, pushing the problem of human overpopulation down the road with more efficient food production will lead to Malthusian catastrophe (perhaps that's already begun) when the technological solutions run out (the jury is quite out on the overall benefit of the Green Revolution, and lab grown meat may ramp that up even more). The common selling point that such technologies save water, air and land depend on a very short term view of the benefits (about the length of one generation of investors and voters, by my estimate). There are also ignored social costs of shifting both food culture and farming practices more quickly than social structures can adapt.

I've never tried offering Reptilinks to any of my snakes- I think the king & milk snakes I used to keep might have accepted them, but in the wild they'll eat roadkill, so that's not saying too much. Very few of my snakes might accept them, & I have no plans to try them at this time. I'd expect similar results to what you got.

On a side note, I've been happily consuming Boca Burgers for a long time- I also greatly prefer Morningstar Farms "bacon" to the real thing- likewise for many years. I'm not vegan at all, I just prefer certain products, both for taste & ease of preparation. Cooking real bacon is such a mess! & I actually prefer the taste of M.F. "bacon" also. So as you said, I think better substitutes will emerge for pets too.

And I agree, it's a very complicated situation- that's putting it mildly. I'm still glad to see the world of science working on it, but it's not sure thing at all. I've noticed that every new "solution" tends to bring up a new downside also.