Feeding live prey

[mangoman]

perhaps if your sqeemish about whacking, you can always use an old shirt or something if it bothers you, just cover the prey in the shirt find the head and give it a quick whack, done!

 

[Rosemary]

Guys I really think you have to think about what you are all doing in killing rats/mice. When we first got snakes i never thought I would be able to feed rodents, dead or alive, and told my daughter if she wanted the snake she could do it.
I have changed heaps tho, have asked lots of questions and talked to many people. Freezing, mice or any animal or reptile live is the cruelest way for the animal to die.
I usually bump my rodents on the head and then feed them (freshly killed) or use defrosted ones that have been killed with co2. I have teenage daughters too who do not like seeing me kill the rodents, they know what is happening and accept it. Most times they leave the room or look the other way....very simple solution.
Whoever it was who mentioned using car exhaust....I would think very carefully about the health of your snake, as if you do that too often the toxins that the rodent has inhaled will be passed on to your snake.

 

[slim6y]

Hey Tatelina can i please hijack your thread for a quick question...? Please.. pwetty pwease

You know how if we defrost chicken and then re-freeze it we increase our risk of contracting salmanellosis or food poisoning of sorts.... Is it the same if I defrost a mouse and then re-freeze it?

 

[junglepython2]

Yes

 

[slim6y]

Whoever it was who mentioned using car exhaust....I would think very carefully about the health of your snake, as if you do that too often the toxins that the rodent has inhaled will be passed on to your snake.

Sorry to bring science into this... but the half life for most of the toxins is in the 'hours' or less time frame. New petrol burns quite cleanly... it's the inefficiency of a cars engine that produces the lethal coctail of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The benzene is burnt in similar ways.

You will find the main constituents of car exhaust is carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water... A few other unburnt hydrocarbons will not last long in the lungs of the mouse/rat... Hey.. I don't recommend it AT ALL... I suggested it as an option OPPOSING freezing.

Personally, the helathy whack to the head is the ONLY way that i wouold ever use!

 

[Vat69]

To the 'disgusted' types who dont like doing the live prey thing (which I agree should only ever be done as a last resort, never as entertainment and only by experienced keepers etc.): how would you deal with a snake that only accepts live/freshly killed prey? Destroy it so that no rodents suffer? Or perhaps you'd rather sell it to someone else to take care of and then write them off on an internet forum because they are willing to feed live prey to keep the animal alive?

And how is it that it's ok to torture a rat to death in the freezer but not kill it humanely by just whacking it's head?

Out of curiosity how long have the aforementioned types been keeping? I hope you've been in the hobby long enough and experienced all different kinds of feeding behaviour so that your arguments aren't totally fuelled by ignorence

 

[nuggets]

not good to freeze and re freeze .....its not worth the few dollars you save.....if your snakes not eating . wait a week or two and then try again ,it can be very frustrating i know , if waiting fales look at the temps in the cage , cover the cage for a few days so the snake cant see you then try it again, works for me ...good luck ...

 

[slim6y]

not good to freeze and re freeze .....its not worth the few dollars you save.....if your snakes not eating . wait a week or two and then try again ,it can be very frustrating i know , if waiting fales look at the temps in the cage , cover the cage for a few days so the snake cant see you then try it again, works for me ...good luck ...

Oh haha... No... My snake eats religiously like she's starving.. she gets her 5 day feed... What I was thinking was I have to ge tthe food home in the Cairns tropical heat and I was 'worried' about the health of my snake if the feed defrosts before I got it home and then re-freeze it.

I was wondering what the dangers were? Can she get 'food poisoning'?

 

[mangoman]

To the 'disgusted' types who dont like doing the live prey thing (which I agree should only ever be done as a last resort, never as entertainment and only by experienced keepers etc.): how would you deal with a snake that only accepts live/freshly killed prey? Destroy it so that no rodents suffer? Or perhaps you'd rather sell it to someone else to take care of and then write them off on an internet forum because they are willing to feed live prey to keep the animal alive?

should only ever be done as a last resort, never as entertainment "your words"

And how is it that it's ok to torture a rat to death in the freezer but not kill it humanely by just whacking it's head?

its not ok, wacking wins

Out of curiosity how long have the aforementioned types been keeping? I hope you've been in the hobby long enough and experienced all different kinds of feeding behaviour so that your arguments aren't totally fuelled by ignorence

i dont own a snake but i have some knowlege about the subject!

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Sorry to bring science into this... but the half life for most of the toxins is in the 'hours' or less time frame.

most but not all,if lead is in the fuel then that could potentially build up in your snake if they ate it regularly..but you are so right about the wacking.vat69 is right ,there is a time and place for live feeding,but recording it to post on utube for public viewing is only going to bad for herpers in general.

 

[Vat69]

Uhh.. wha?

Good to see you're not anti-whacking

 

[elapid68]

there was a thread a while back of someones home made carbon dioxide gas chamber. cant remember who posted it. it involved bi-carb soda and vinegar in a large plastic box.

OK people, for those who are against freezing ( and that should be everyone) and for those that can't stomach whacking or breaking necks, here's a quick cheap and effective way of euthanasing rodents ( or any small animal for that matter )

Home euthanasia

 

[Jungletrans]

I remember watching one of those pet shows on tv where someone from the RSPCA said that the most humane way to kill small animals [ at the time it was about wild mice caught live in a trap ] was to put them in a bag into the freezer . They go to sleep very quickly then die . The same thing happens to humans in the snow , you get sleepy then die .

 

[turtle]

I've had to feed snakes in the past live prey on a number of occasions because it was the only way i could get them to eat. At the end of the day everyone has their own methods of killing their snake food and each to their own on how they do it.
Peace

 

[caustichumor]

Everyone has their ways, And I am sure people who whack, freeze, gas or whatever will continue to do so. At the end of the day it is personal choice as to how your animals get fed.
I don't judge people who kill to sustain their animals, Getting enjoyment and entertainment from watching an animal suffer through it's death throes is a different thing altogether. We all know it happens but why do the links continually get posted? And for those who complain about the practice the most are the ones who watch the clips!

 

[slim6y]

most but not all,if lead is in the fuel then that could potentially build up in your snake if they ate it regularly..but you are so right about the wacking.vat69 is right ,there is a time and place for live feeding,but recording it to post on utube for public viewing is only going to bad for herpers in general.

Lead was removed from the fuel in ALL south pacific and Australasian countries in the 80s!!!

 

[Tatelina]

thats about as cruel as feeding live bunny to your snake,,
its funny how you condem one becauce its got nice floppy ears.
but for the poor rat its fine......THIS SITES FULL OF WANTABeeS... AND kids
if you cant handle one of the most important part of looking after your snake them you sould get a cat instead you only have to open a can to feed it........but them you will have to look into how the kangaroos(YOUR NATIOnal simbal) was killed to make sure it wasnt cruel...........

Hey... I asked to hear how people killied their food.. Thankyou Megalea and everyone else for responding. Thankyou nuggets for your opinion in response but we are all herpers of varying degrees here and do things differently.
If I was up to the stage of needing to kill my own food I would be freezing them aswell because as I have not looked that much into it I just assume that the animals will go into hyperthermic shock as humans do and pass out before their heart does.
There are many more horrible ways that you could do the deed... We are just sharing experiences and stories here.

 

[Tatelina]

thats about as cruel as feeding live bunny to your snake,,
its funny how you condem one becauce its got nice floppy ears.
but for the poor rat its fine......THIS SITES FULL OF WANTABeeS... AND kids
if you cant handle one of the most important part of looking after your snake them you sould get a cat instead you only have to open a can to feed it........but them you will have to look into how the kangaroos(YOUR NATIOnal simbal) was killed to make sure it wasnt cruel...........

Im not sure how many people said feeding a rat is fine while a rabbit isn't...?
I do have a cat.. and I adore it. And I am aware of the products that I feed it daily... After being a vegetarian for 5and a half years you seem to learn all sorts of unpleasant things..

 

[Retic]

I can't believe anyone would freeze an animal to death to avoid having to actually kill it properly and painlessly. It is by far the cruelest method of killing rodents.

 

[moosenoose]

I can't believe anyone would freeze an animal to death to avoid having to actually kill it properly and painlessly. It is by far the cruelest method of killing rodents.

I totally agree! If ppl can't do it more humanely than this, then they need to buy their stocks pre-killed off a supplier somewhere.