Converting from f/t to live....

[SoCaliSon]

I respectfully disagree, I do not feel that stunning is humane, nor necessary. If you choose to feed live, and do so following the recommended guidelines for feeding live, there should be no problems for her snake to take care of the prey on its own.

Pre-scent for 20-30 minutes, drop prey at opposite end of enclosure from snake (allowing snake to hunt from their hide), and remove prey within 30 minutes if the snake has no interest. Those basic guidelines have worked for me and countless other live feeders that find stunning completely un-necessary.

Sorry... That comment was mistakenly directed to you but was meant for the original poster... Piebald...I edited that. Anyway... I completly agree that your method should be safe... for a snake USED to feeding Live. I recommend stunning in the beggining simply as a safety precaution for what might happen. Better safe than sorry, and once something happens it is already too late. There will ALWAYS be a risk while feeding live aware prey... the same danger exists in the wild. I think the chances of live prey injury are much higher in a snake that has not been raised feeding on live food. Attacking quickly and accurately is something that snakes get better at with practice. I agree that feeding on live animals is natural for them and the feeding reflex is instinctual, but if you keep an animal in an environment long enough where it doesn't have the need to exercise it's instictual behavior, eventually they will lose touch with those pre-programmed behaviors.

You said wait 30 mins with the prey in... When there is a live rat in with one of my snakes I supervise every second... and have never seen one live in one of my snakes tanks for more than 2 mins... By minute 3 the snake is unhinging it's jaw every time. Half an Hour is a long time for the worst to happen. And I doubt you sit by and supervise the whole half hour. I feed live to all my reptiles cause I personally am opposed to F/T. The only real recognized down side to feeding live is the danger to your snake. Stunning is the perfect solution for anyone who thinks that it is just not worth the gamble but still want their snake to eat a live fresh meal. I think this is logical and safest way to switch over a snake who has always fed on F/T. The snake may attack the stunned rat like a champ... In which case I would let them go for a non stunned rat the next week no prob... But IMO there is to much risk involved to just have them jump right in to live feeding especially since they have never experienced another animal moving around in their space with them. My snakes know that a little animal moving around in their cage means food... But a snake fed F/T it's whole life has never had the opportunity to relate that with food and may just take the defensive or hide. They may handle it fine casue that is how nature designed them to eat... But since my snakes are in my care and not in the wild... And I have to pay the vet bills... I always play it safe.