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I read/printed a great article from the feeder forum on euthanizing feeders. I was curious to know whether (on the general snake forum) a lot, or some, of you raise/euthanize/freeze your own as a more economical way of feeding?

Thanks.

>>I read/printed a great article from the feeder forum on euthanizing feeders. I was curious to know whether (on the general snake forum) a lot, or some, of you raise/euthanize/freeze your own as a more economical way of feeding?
>>
>>Thanks.

I do and have for years. The decider was having the right sizes at the right times of live for starting babys or feeding pre killed for hard to feed animals.
That and my feeder rats and mice are the only animals that earn their keep and help pay for this sick addiction.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

The cost effectiveness of raising your own feeder rodents will depend primarily upon the number of specimens maintained within your collection and the time you have to care for such. If you are feeding only a couple of snakes, then buying frozen rodents should not take a great deal of time or financial resources, but raising your own rodents will assure you have a readily available supply of healthy feeders . On the other end of the spectrum, if you maintain an extremely large collection, the time utilized to care for a rodent colony large enough to sustain such can have a negative impact on the amount of time you have to care for your snakes.
Whether to breed or buy feeders is a personal choice, dependent upon your financial resources and time, as there are benefits and drawbacks to both.
I once produced rats for my blossoming Drymarchon spp. collection. However, now that I have close to 100 of these incredible animals, I have absolutely no time to produce rodents, so I purchase them pre-frozen. I will start up a small colony when my female Drys begin oviposition, simply to have a variety of sizes, as Sonya indicated, for neonates.

Best regards,

Jeff

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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Thanks for the advice... considering I only have a Ball Python, Jungle Carpet Python, and two recent Prairie Kingsnakes, I will stick with frozen feeders, for now.

Now, on feeder size... I have read the feeder should be no larger around than your snake at it's largest circumference. However, this really doesn't coincide with a snake's instinctive feeding habits... food size is of little matter, it's more opportunistic. I guess, in my opinion, a snake in a stable environment (heat controlled for proper digestion, ready supply of water, etc) and the removal of certain vital variables (food cannot escape or fight back [pre-killed]), a snake can accept feeders larger than what appears to be the "rule of thumb." And, so far, my first snake, a Ball Python, has thrived in captivity for over 7 years now. Maybe it's more of a personal preference?? Just my thoughts...

i would say that it is worth it to just get a pair of rats to breed for your snakes because even if you do get too many babies from them, you just freeze them and use them later, or sell/give them to other people. i have found that my 1.2 of rats hasnt really been costing me any more to keep, the food is cheap,pine is cheap and water is free. i already had the tank and water bottles plus a wheel so it was really a no brainer for me. i just recently(2 days ago) tried the method that was just on the feeder forum about using the baking soda and vinegar. i used it and put out 7, 4 day old rat pups and it worked pretty well. the only problem was that even after about 10 minutes of letting them in the chamber after i opened it, the one looked like it was going to start breathing again(so i just put them all in the freezer really quick in case they would wake up.)next time i think ill let them in there longer, other than that it worked really well. good luck.
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"it takes a small person to beat a defenseless animal, and an even smaller person to eat it."

"it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
1.0.0 bearded dragon (spaz)
1.1.0 green iguana (zephyr,F and Liz,M)
0.0.1 columbian tegu (diablo)
1.1.0 knight anole
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python (guinness)
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake (fluffy)
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake (ms. king,kingy)
0.1.0 siberian husky (blue)
1.1.0 ratties (bonnie and clyde)
0.1.0 hedgie (karma)

For euthanizing only a few feeders, I prefer to place them into a small tub and use a CO2 cartridge for airguns to dispatch them. To dispense the gas, I used one of the quick inflation devices for inflating road and mountain bike tires, just make certain you get the kind that does not require threaded cartridges, available at online cycling suppliers or local bike shops. The cartridges can be purchased in the sporting goods section of any Wal Mart and are quite cheap. For euthanizing larger quantities, I use a large blanket tub for which I have installed a valve in the bottom that accepts a male/female connector. I then attach a length of hose to a large paint ball gun CO2 cannister, which is then connected to the tub. A regulator allows me to slowly introduce the CO2, which prevents the rodents from panicking, and the rodents are dispatched within a matter of minutes.
While I now acquire all of my rodents pre-euthanized and frozen, the methods I have described worked quite well when I produced and euthanized my own...

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947