Quote Originally Posted by ArcticBlue
Feeding live mice to snakes is no less cruel in my opinion. Suffucation is not a pleasant way to die. I would be happy to continue the discussion in PM, do not want to distract from the OPs question, as it is an important one.
Not to start a flame war, however, if you're going to give advice, and then someone comes and questions the soundness of advice (even if it is just one or two choice words, such as here, as 99/100's of it was great), what good does it do to take the convo to PM's? The information should be readily available to those who are reading this thread. Besides, it's a discussion on feeding live... I believe the topic fits quite well.

Feeding stunned is considered more cruel to the prey, and dangerous overall because there's a chance the prey may wake-up from it's stupor while actually being swallowed and causing even more damage to the snake then a mere scratch or defensive bite. The prey may not be knocked unconscious and only be paralyzed, causing the prey to experience both suffocation, and the nasty lump you gave it from being smashed around; or that the snake may refuse the meal and you're left with a prey item that will awaken to terrible amounts of pain. If you care for a pain-free death for the prey, make a proper CO2 chamber to peacefully put the prey to sleep.

Once again, I am not trying to single you out, but if you give advice, be prepared to stand by it if someone questions it.