Posted by:
boredfoot
at Sun Apr 15 11:45:23 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by boredfoot ]
I was one of the participants in the extended posting that happened a couple days ago, and respectfully, I think you missed the point then and now. Snakes kill their prey because they have to, and they do it by whatever means they can. Constriction or invenomation may be nature's adaptation, but it's not instant, as you know. The prey suffers, at least for a short time. And, occasionally the prey fights back. Sometimes the snake get hurt in the process. It's not a perfect situation, but what option does a wild snake have?
On the other hand, we give captive snakes an option by feeding them dead prey.
Humane, in my opinion--and in the opinion of lots of others here too--is to kill the rat or mouse as quickly as possible. It's humane in two ways: 1. The rat or mouse dies instantly or nearly so and 2. the snake is at no risk of getting bitten and injured. Yes, it's still killing. No one denies that. But, we try to keep suffering to a minimum for both predator and prey.
Why do you think satisfying either of these two goals is inhumane? Buying frozen isn't more humane unless your method for killing a rat or mouse is prolonged. Other people are still doing the killing when you buy a bag of frozen feeders. It just saves you the trouble and emotional baggage that goes along with doing it yourself. Same deal as buying burger at the grocery store or wearing a leather belt.
I think the decision to feed carnivorous reptiles has certain responsibilities that go along with it, which one way or the other involves death. That's the hard truth of it. So, I suppose one might say that what you exchange for that is a bit of cruelty. Something has to die because you have the pet you have. A herbivorous reptile or amphibian wouldn't require the same responsibility of us.
Maybe the semantics are what's hanging you up. We all want minimal suffering for both predator and prey and no injury to our snakes. Seems pretty humane to me. But, there's still death involved. No way around that.
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RE: rat traps for pre-killing?? - boredfoot, Sun Apr 15 11:45:23 2007