Constrictors grab their prey and each time the prey breathes out they tighten their coils until the prey can no longer breathe in and have no oxygen to breathe out. That is death by suffocation, not being "instantly" dispatched. Constrictors kill their prey in the way that a badly built or badly operated CO2 chamber kills. When a person knows what they are doing and has built the chamber right, it is VERY humane. The prey passes out very quickly and then the CO2 level is upped and they die. If you do it right and watch, the animals don't freak out or act like they are in pain or scared. They simply "go to sleep".



Heating items reduces their nutritional content. So if you were to blanche your rats before freezing them, then your statement about nutritional value being deminished by freezing would be semi-correct. During room-temperature thawing, the small amount of moisture that is released from the frozen rat may have minute amounts of protein and minerals. So thawing technically reduces the nutritional value of a frozen rat, but not enough to make any difference at all. Of course, if you kill the rat and leave it sitting out for a while before freezing it, then you have lost some nutrition. Unless you were referring to these things, which I doubt, then you seem to be quoting a myth that has no basis in fact. I have heard it before, so when I was deciding what to feed my own reptiles, I did a lot of research on it. Those are my findings.



I breed most of my own feeders too, and I can tell you that I've had parasites. My feeders have gotten mites and lice from bedding, even bedding that claims to be "heat treated". Just because you breed your own doesn't mean your animals are 100% pest free. Unless you make all your own bedding, heat it all to 350 degrees in the oven for 15 minutes before using it, etc. etc., then I would bet most anything that you've had mites or lice on your feeders.



I guess my reason for "looking down" on live feeders is that I like both rats and snakes. If the rats don't have to die filled with panic because they are locked in a cage with a predator and can't escape, and filled with pain from being suffocated (and sometimes crushed, as well as being bitten, and sometimes torn apart) then I would never want to make them die that way. If you have options, why choose the least humane? I also "look down" on live feeders because I've seen SO many snakes (and monitor lizards) that have scars and infected bites because when rats are panicked and cornered they can be VERY aggressive. I'm nursing a burmese back to health right now in fact that has infected bites on its face and neck.



Now, I'm sure you've heard these arguments a hundred times before, so I doubt I'm going to change your mind. I'm just trying to counter some of the things you wrote for those who may be reading. They need more than just one opinion to base their decision of whether to feed live or frozen.





-----
~Sara~

"If you look down on me, I am evil, If you look up to me, I am God, if you look straight at me, I Am you"

-Charles Manson

[ Show Entire Thread ]