Beth,

Please don't take any offense to this, I'd just like to share some of my concerns about your feeding methods. I'm in no way looking for a debate, argument, or anything like that, I don't have the time. Besides, I'd much rather be friends & get along with as many people as I can. If I tick you off you're just gonna tune me out, and I'll just be wasting my time expressing my concerns for the snakes' well-being.



So here I go, in my smoothest, friendliest, most sincere tone of voice, and with a warm & friendly smile on my face:



Is there any way that you can alternate the snakes per event so they can be fed & sit out an appearance and catch the next one, giving them time to defecate?



Beth, the feeding regimen you use is hard on snakes, it puts their bodies thru more stress and dangerous points than meets the eye. I could be wrong but I think that not all fat stores that a snake builds up is eventually consumed, utilized. I think some fat stores remain & continue to grow, even though we may not see visible signs, and these can eventually lead to premature death in the form of organ failure.



Going from fat to skinny (or near fat to skinny) on a yearly basis, as by the way you're feeding them, is a real health risk. It would be for any animal or human.



Your snakes are experiencing hunger during the summer months, and the SPCA would have a field day with that. (Ha! No, I'm not affiliated with 'em, nor do I want to be.) Considering the heat (= metabolism) and the exercise they get, they need to be fed.



Putting myself in your place, as much as I can imagine, I can see where you're coming from about concerns of defecating snakes. I'm wondering if there's a happy medium somewhere, you know, give a little - take a little, as far as their feeding goes.



Not to be sarcastic but I can't help but feel that the snakes' needs are being set aside for human satisfaction. But maybe there's more to the picture than I can see or think of at the moment.



You rescued those creatures from people who were not, or could not, meet their needs. I'm just asking you to please meet their needs a little beter than you are. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes or sometimes place our desires above our animals' needs. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't encourage each other to strive harder. I know sometimes I could use some encouraging and constructive criticism.



At least think about it. That's all that I'm asking.



Have a good day!

Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,

this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:

Appalachian American

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