I feed live until the mice are big enough to bite; then I kill the mouse (break neck quickly) so it wont bite my snake. This feeding live is easy as I have a large mousery, but for those folks who cant raise their own live mice, frozen thawed is okay. A snake in the wild would probably eat a dead mouse it found (if it was fresh). I have a lot less waste with live as if it does not get eaten I can return it to the nest. With larger mice that I have killed but the snakes didnt eat, I freeze those for the Raptor Rescue people.

As for the humane treatment of animals, my mice have big tubs with cardboard box hides and exercise wheels, and are kept on clean bedding with ample food and water. They have a good life while they are alive. I have been to several other mouseries at mainly reptile stores, and have cringed at the tiny little tubs with nothing to do but breed and raise young in very cramped quarters.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

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