Some of the comments towards Robert have been entirely unsubstantiated without any scientific evidence to show that wild caught or road killed prey is detrimental to the health of a captive burmese python (remember, a captive burm is a WILD animal that hasn't been exposed to the "wild" environment). I know a number of folks who have kept burms LONG TERM (30 years) on diets primarily of wild caught prey and road kill....tough to argue. Now, personally, I probably wouldn't feed this sort of diet to my captive snakes (due to the potential, even if its remote, of parasite infestation), BUT, this post is something that people should be willing to discuss in a slightly more intellectual manner. I know of many wildlife rescue facilities that keep large predatory mammals who rely on road killed animals to feed their captives (and they are beautiful and healthy animals). So, as far as I am concerned, we just don't have a lot of data to prove that a "wild" diet is harmful to a captive python. It may predispose the animal to a better chance of ingesting a parasitically ridden prey item but rather that just say it's bad, lets see the evidence. If anyone has any documented cases, I would personally be very interested in seeing it.

Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center - City of Lake Forest Parks & Rec

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