Feeding issues

[mozi]

Hey everyone

Just wanted to see what people's feelings are (hope no one gets offended!!) I've kept snakes for quite a while and never really had an issue with any of them refusing feeding so not all that experienced with those things. This morning I seen a photo on my facebook newsfeed of a 'friend' who had brought a live guinea pig from a pet shop and fed it to his snake - apparently it doesn't feed well! When I asked if he had tried braining, other types of food such as quail etc the answer was no....just wanted to know what are peoples thoughts on feeding live food?

 

[borntobnude]

illegal in Australia, immoral , dangerous to your snake if it fights back , and generally not a nice thing to do :evil:

 

[OldestMagician]

They also spray them with lice spray, so not healthy for the snake either

 

[mozi]

That's exactly what I thought just wanted to see what people thought - I was sure it was illegal but not 100% I thought it was really bad especially to post it on FB as it would upset alot of people...not a good look for a snake keeper I feel

 

[J-A-X]

IMO anyone who consistently feeds live prey to their snake/python is either lazy (to much like hard work thawing a ratsicle) or a sadist.

Im pretty sure that live feed isn't technically illegal but its certainly unethical. its stressful on the prey and potentially life threatening for the hunter. Any animal (even a mouse) will fight for life if it can. If the hunter isn't hungry for whatever reason then the prey can go into fight or flight mode. If fight mode happens then the hunter will lose blood. If not their life (delayed infection)

 

[mozi]

Yeah I know he does it all the time - feeds live things and complained it cost him $25.00!

 

[reptileaddiction]

I believe guinea pigs aren't very good for snakes anyway. I'm led to believe their hair is too coarse for snakes to digest properly.

 

[Stuart]

Depending on the state, its only illegal to feed live to venomous reptiles (NT). No law against live feeding for non-venomous, the RSCPA just disapproves of the practice.

Can I feed live mice to a reptile? - RSPCA Australia knowledgebase

 

[saintanger]

snipercap beat me to it, its not illegal to live feed to pythons but it is not recomended and not encoraged and all other avenues should be sort out first.