Feed my snake from frozen to live

[Rarist]

I want to start feeding my snake live food because, I feel it is more like what they do in the wild. How should I change my snake from pree killed to live?

[J.Vandegrift]

Place a live rat in the cage.

[Darkice]

Frozen is better in my opinion because the freezing process will kill any unwanted creatures living in or on the mice/rats. Plus you can buy in bulk so you always have them on hand. I have snakes that only eat live and i have snakes that eat F/T. And i wish they all ate frozen.

[JLC]

If feeding frozen/thawed is working out for you, there's really no reason to switch. If its eating, then the snake is content with the food source. Trust me, it's not sitting around in its enclosure wishing a live rodent would wander in.

If you really feel like you need to switch to live....then please do so carefully. Be sure the rodent is the right size for your snake and not too big. (The bigger the rodent, the more risk it presents) Treat the rodent carefully...you don't want it too freaked out and already on the defensive when it goes into the snake's enclosure. If you can provide it some food and water before you feed it off, all the better. You don't want a hungry rat doing taste-tests on your snake.

Finally...when you place the rodent in there, you have to stay and watch and make sure the snake actually eats the rodent. If more than a few minutes (20-30 at the very most) go by and the snake doesn't eat it, then you MUST get the live rodent out of the cage.

If you leave a live rodent in there (with the exception of pinks that are helpless) it WILL pose a very serious risk to your snake's well being.

One of the downsides of feeding live is what to do with the rodent if the snake doesn't eat it. Be sure you have a plan for that before you try it. Your snake(s) may very well freak out at their first encounter with a live rodent in their face.

Good luck with it.

[mrewildstyle]

Stick with frozen

Reason 1: Cheaper
Reason 2: Healthier (frozen rats don't have disease, frozen rats don't fight back)
Reason 3: Much easier to grab a rat out of the freezer than having to go to the store
Reason 4: Easier to get a hold of (some pet stores constantly run out of the size needed)

[Rarist]

The reason I do not like feeding it frozen is because, I don't like when he stirkes because I feel like he is going to bite me.... It freaks me out. I find it easier just to put it a mouse in there...

[mainbutter]

first of all, when owning snakes you can't be scared of them biting you. It should happen sooner or later at least once.

Second, get a pair of hemostats, long tweezers, feeding tongs, chop sticks, something to hold the food with other than your hand. Boom, problem fixed.

Don't make a decision that could affect the health of your snake because you're afraid of something that is easily avoidable

[boboso]

Bites are no fun, and if your scared of the snake, that cannot be much fun either... Please don't take this post the wrong way (I am having a beer with you right now), but feed properly live or frozen, protect your snake. This means if he eats live, then as suggested treat the food item fairly, make sure your snake is protected and safe. A scared rat or mouse can do damage, freak your snake out, and cause other feeding and husbandry issues.

We feed frozen for many reasons... we feel it is healthier, and safer for the snake. It is easier to store food items and cheaper. It allows my six year old to maintain his interest in nature (not scare him, but help him understand - which I do not believe may kids get to do enough these days) and his pets.

We feed with a pair of $5 long tweezers, snake thankfully eats very readily with no delay, and my boy feed him/her for the first time last evening.

Sorry for the long post but this Stone IPA is tasty.

[Rarist]

I have tweezer, but I do like the when they strike..So I like move it around on the groundt.takes me over an hour just to feed him. Is it like hard strike when they try to get the dangly mouse? I have never done it...

[Melicious]

I'm with some of the people who would love all of their kids to do frozen thawed. All of my kids eat live, and it's a very stressful thing...for both the snakes and I. Yes, they eat live in the wild, but they've also been in captivity for quite a long time. I'm assuming your snake was captive born? I flip out every time I feed my snakes. I watch them like a hawk, make sure they don't get bit, etc. It's scary for me. If my kids would eat frozen/thawed(I've tried on NUMEROUS occasions by the way), I would do it that way.

I cried the day that Ophi was bitten once. It was a tiny nick that bled for a millisecond, but it was heart-breaking to me. I doctored it up and made sure she was comfortable.

Believe me, if your snakes are eating frozen/thawed, count your blessings. Please.