Most snakes won't associate the food with a human hand Austin as most keepers know to use hemostats, long tweezers or tongs to actually hold the frozen/thawed or pre-killed rodent with. Feeding direct from the hand leads to SFE's (stupid feeding errors LOL). The dangling is actually more of an attempt to replicate the lifelike movements of a live prey item in order to encourage a feeding strike (you'll see it called the "zombie mouse dance" or the "dead rat boogie"Originally Posted by Austin Smith
)
We currently feed all live (both mice and rats). When we fed f/t we only refroze prey items that were fully furred. Pinkie size tend to be very mushy if refrozen. Prey items that were refused and removed within 30 minutes were refrozen immediately but marked as a refreeze with the snake's name so it was only offered back to that same snake (to avoid prey sharing between those in quarantine and the regular collection). Anything that was left longer was tossed out.
Whether you choose to feed live, frozen/thawed or pre-killed is up to you and the snake. All feeding methods are appropriate if done correctly. In the end it will be mostly the snake that decides as they tend to imprint on a prey type and a feeding method pretty strongly. Part of your purchasing decisions should be looking for a young healthy snake that has been fed in the method you prefer and with prey (rats or mice) that you can supply it with regularily and of a superior quality.
If you need any help to locate specific threads using our search function, caresheets, etc. please don't hesitate to ask. It sounds like you are trying to get your bases covered before buying the snake and that's always a good thing. There are also some great threads about housing, heating, etc. that will give you some good ideas and likely save you a ton of money (pet stores are notorious for overcharging and selling you things you do not need...they are also not the best source for a good snake).
Reply With Quote