Possums as a food source

[AUSGECKO]

maybe talking about food souks should be banned format this website, unless your asking about rats or mice or rabbbits, other animals that would be consumed by wild animals should not be fed to captive snakes, does anybody agree with this rule?

Not at all, there is no cruelty involved and there is no point in letting a good food item go to waste, if you use that logic then we shouldn't be able to talk about rats, mice, rabbits, crickets etc. They are all live animals at some stage the same as possums, dogs and cats.

 

[geckodan]

i can understand this but can they guarantee that these animals are safe for our reptiles to eat??

They will be 100% unsafe as they will be filled with the lethal barbituate that was used to kill them

I was actually wondering the other day, does the residual euthanasia drugs in the food item have any effect on the snake?

Yes, it is equally lethal for the consumer. It would only be possible if the animals were euthansed by a gaseous anaesthesia.

 

[slim6y]

So many people - so off topic....

I'll repeat it...

There is NO way you'll import an Australian (and protected) animal back into Australia as a food source:

Reason 1: Because they're a protected species in this country (just because they're a pest in another doesn't mean they want them back....)

Reason 2: Risk of disease

Reason 3: Risk of people taking native wild animals for a similar purpose

Reason 4: Because they said so...

So the topic was - can we use NZ possums as food for snakes... The answer is quite simply... NO!

There are probably a bunch of 'howevers' however...

Like:
If you're allowed snakes in NZ (which you're NOT - not even in the zoos) then yes - you could use New Zealand wild possums.

But would you???

I wouldn't use wild rats, wild mice or road kill...

So why would using wild possums be any different?

 

[Banjo]

That was a great read, thanks Darlyn for starting this thread.

 

[moosenoose]

If the snakes don't want them, I would! I reckon they'd be superb rotated over hot coals and served with a smokey paprika infused marinade

 

[Torah]

moosenoose , your joking right ?

 

[Darlyn]

moosenoose , your joking right ?

I eat Kangaroo all the time what is the difference?
Have also chowed down on goanna but you probably don't want to know that.

 

[waruikazi]

If the snakes don't want them, I would! I reckon they'd be superb rotated over hot coals and served with a smokey paprika infused marinade

Maybe the girls and the really young ones, the males stink to high heaven of marsupial p!ss! Nothing smells worse than that. You can tell when people have been eating them, the smell hangs on you for atleast a day. Apparently the only really good native meat is echidna, it tastes like pork.

 

[Waterrat]

The mind boggles. Here, the so called reptile lovers are suggesting to use parasite infested feral animals, shot with lead bullets or pellets as food for their precious snakes. Unbelievable!

 

[Darlyn]

The mind boggles. Here, the so called reptile lovers are suggesting to use parasite infested feral animals, shot with lead bullets or pellets as food for their precious snakes. Unbelievable!

Well that is the answer to the question isn't it. That no you couldn't use them because they are infested with parasites.

 

[pythons73]

I wouldnt feed a FREE snake a wild rodent,let alone any from my collection,they are fed on fresh rodents-quail-chicken.Theres absolutely no way i would feed a wild animal to my snakes.Yes in the wild Olives-Scrubs and Coastals eat possums etc but captive reptiles DONT need wild food,theres PLENTY of captive bred animals for reptile consumption.

 

[Fuscus]

Ha ha [SIZE=3
So I'm econimcally screwed, ethically screwed ..[/QUOTE]
econimcally screwed - Yes, unless you were able to import them skinned. Plus freight and refrigeration costs.
legally screwed - Proberly. It would, at the very least be difficult and expensive to obtain permits, and you would proberly be subject to inspections, which would then blow out the costs which brings you back to economically screwed.
ethically screwed - not really, what's the difference between one common, non-endangered mammalian food source and another.
Socially screwed - Yep. Quite a while back a former member posted pics of her pet feeding on kittens. The food was legally obtained and humanly euthanized but there was still a huge hullabaloo including visits from police and RSPCA. No charges were laid.

I eat Kangaroo all the time what is the difference?
Have also chowed down on goanna but you probably don't want to know that.

On a survival course in the 1970s I killed, cooked and ate a RBBS. It was delicious but I had not eaten for so long I think that even KFC would have tasted good.

 

[smegalreptileboy]

They will be 100% unsafe as they will be filled with the lethal barbituate that was used to kill them



Yes, it is equally lethal for the consumer. It would only be possible if the animals were euthansed by a gaseous anaesthesia.

they could use something else to kill them like the stuff they use for rats "ect"

 

[Red-Ink]

If the federales do go for this ridiculous idea.... Hypothetically as said before whats wrong with rats? Are they really that expensive? Heck you need something bigger there are there no rabbits? Do you really think it would be cheaper and the authorities aren't going to charge you for the carcass? Just in case you guys don't know here's a news flash the RSPCA don't like reptile keepers in general neither does your state goverbment.... and wait till your bleeding heart animal activists get's word with what your doing to fluffies body... people get real...

 

[Darlyn]

If the federales do go for this ridiculous idea.... Hypothetically as said before whats wrong with rats? Are they really that expensive? Heck you need something bigger there are there no rabbits? Do you really think it would be cheaper and the authorities aren't going to charge you for the carcass? Just in case you guys don't know here's a news flash the RSPCA don't like reptile keepers in general neither does your state goverbment.... and wait till your bleeding heart animal activists get's word with what your doing to fluffies body... people get real...

I was saying that they are being killed anyway, why not make use of them.
Same as young domesticated animals being euthanased.
Hell hasn't anyone seen soylent green? : )

 

[smegalreptileboy]

If the federales do go for this ridiculous idea.... Hypothetically as said before whats wrong with rats? Are they really that expensive? Heck you need something bigger there are there no rabbits? Do you really think it would be cheaper and the authorities aren't going to charge you for the carcass? Just in case you guys don't know here's a news flash the RSPCA don't like reptile keepers in general neither does your state goverbment.... and wait till your bleeding heart animal activists get's word with what your doing to fluffies body... people get real...

rabbits are $30.00 for two small ones and my snake looks better after eating 3 or more rats but this aint the point her their nether going to go for it but its still a good topic to talk about and the only way new and people like that they will find out is if some one tells them and this is a reptile sight where going to talk about these thing and these people need to get a life and do their job properly and talk about real news and not cause trouble for other people talking about something its like people that follow famous people around

 

[Red-Ink]

I was saying that they are being killed anyway, why not make use of them.
Same as young domesticated animals being euthanased.
Hell hasn't anyone seen soylent green? : )

Yes, they are being killed anyway.... So let's get to the point, why do you want them as alternative food source? So called recycling... again I pose the question, do you seriously think if they do go for the idea it's going to be cheaper than what we have available now? A humanely and chemically clean euthanised cat, dog or possum so as not to harm our collections would come at higher cost for the authorities, new practices, new procedures equals more cost.

So again do you think they will change their procedures to make them safe for reptiles and simply give you the carcass for free?

Are they any better as a food source compared to what we have now?

Do you just want too watch your snake eat a cat or a dog or a possum?

which one is it?

rabbits are $30.00 for two small ones and my snake looks better after eating 3 or more rats but this aint the point her their nether going to go for it but its still a good topic to talk about and the only way new and people like that they will find out is if some one tells them and this is a reptile sight where going to talk about these thing and these people need to get a life and do their job properly and talk about real news and not cause trouble for other people talking about something its like people that follow famous people around

Fair enough it is a reptile site and reptile related topics should be discussed but when the same person speaks about feeding kittens as a food source how is that benificial to reptile keeping..... Cut the crap and stop entertaining ridiculous notions. We can all get back to talking about things that are actually in the realm of possiblities.

Fay can we please put a stop to this already....

 

[GeckoJosh]

Well said Red

 

[smegalreptileboy]

Yes, they are being killed anyway.... So let's get to the point, why do you want them as alternative food source? So called recycling... again I pose the question, do you seriously think if they do go for the idea it's going to be cheaper than what we have available now? A humanely and chemically clean euthanised cat, dog or possum so as not to harm our collections would come at higher cost for the authorities, new practices, new procedures equals more cost.

So again do you think they will change their procedures to make them safe for reptiles and simply give you the carcass for free?

Are they any better as a food source compared to what we have now?

Do you just want too watch your snake eat a cat or a dog or a possum?

which one is it?




Fair enough it is a reptile site and reptile related topics should be discussed but when the same person speaks about feeding kittens as a food source how is that benificial to reptile keeping..... Cut the crap and stop entertaining ridiculous notions. We can all get back to talking about things that are actually in the realm of possiblities.

Fay can we please put a stop to this already....

yer i think the topics gone on to long and im over righting **** that we all now aint going to ever happen and like i said snake look better after eating rats i feed my male spoted python @ 70 to 100 g rats from critter snacks every 1 and half to two weeks and hes the smallest out off my adult snakes i feed i feed my big boy black headed python 3 to 5 rats and his my biggest and i give my female carpets more then my black headed i do think im feeding my black headed python to much because of the diet out in the wild their diet is 94 % reptile then its like 4 % mammals and 2 % birds i would start a new thread but i havent been on her for a very long time till the other day and i have forgot how to lol

 

[moosenoose]

moosenoose , your joking right ?

You might never know :lol:

Maybe the girls and the really young ones, the males stink to high heaven of marsupial p!ss! Nothing smells worse than that. You can tell when people have been eating them, the smell hangs on you for atleast a day. Apparently the only really good native meat is echidna, it tastes like pork.

Oh most certainly! Nothing would be worse than the pungent smell of possum coming out in your sweat after an evening jog :lol:

Ps: I saw a Brissy carpet snatch a large possum off a rooftop gutter once, struck it hard and did a free-fall drop to a path below to consume it. I guess I should have given the snake a stern talking to.... you know, to suggest this sort of behavior was just NOT ON! :lol: :lol: