Quote Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki View Post
I'm not sure what I've ever done to give you the impression that the information I share on this message board is less than accurate, but I say what I mean and mean what I say.



Well ... thank you ... I think.



Maybe they would be for you, but not for me ... my animals are my life ... each one is closely inspected each week for all sorts of potential health problems and a rodent related injury would be noticed immediately.

I'm not trying to "convince" anyone that live feeding is SAFE ... only that it can be done safely, and that's only because that is a feat that I've managed to accomplished on a large scale for a long time.

I've extended the invite before for anyone that wishes to come to my shop on feeding day and feed 700+ ball pythons live to see how many get bit ... it still stands.

-adam
HAHA. Ok, Adam, I'll say unequivocably that I don't think you're lying at all. And, if you keep that close an eye on all those snakes then that's great and I believe you. I only called the "nary a bite or scratch" into question because it suggests that a rodent never even gets a chance. In the feedings I've witnessed a strike to the rear of the rodent gives it a small window of time to do something. Occasionally, it has the presence of mind to actually twist back and try to bite. No doubt, nearly every time I've seen this the retaliation is totally ineffective and is met by even more squeezing force. So, we'll rule ineffective bites/scratches out of the conversation.

I read your safe-feeding list and I have some things to add and/or question:

* Prey size definately has a huge impact. My carpet sustained several nasty rat bites when I was feeding him large rats. I switched to feeding him mediums and so far I have not noticed any new injuries. I make up for the change in size by occasionally feeding multple rats.

* I'm still debating the value of leaving everything in the cage. I can understand the value of leaving the snake's home undisturbed but I have noticed that poor strikes are more common when there are obstacles in the "kill-zone". My BP's eye scratch was from a small mouse that he took butt-first from around a corner. Because he had to pull the mouse back to get it to a point where he could constrict, it had more than average reaction time. The mouse used this time to double back and bite at my BP's face and eye.

My theory on this subject is that people with tubs tend to have simple cage layouts and perhaps overlook the effect of furniture in a decorative enclosure. In general, I think its easy for anybody giving advice to unknowingly assume that the snake's environment is the same as theirs.

* Does BP advice apply to bigger snakes? I'm leaning towards "no" on this. I think its true that a snake should always be able to overpower a smaller prey item. But, I don't think its true that it can prevent the rodent from retaliating 100% of the time. This is where the other part comes in: how well armored is the snake? I have not found it to be true that larger snakes are always proportionately more armored. Case in point: my 6' carpet has big, thick scales while my 10' olive has thin, fine scales even smaller than my BP. There is no doubt in my mind that the jumbo rats she eats could chew through her skin like paper (if they were live that is).


Cheers!