Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've always heard and believed that if your snake will eat frozen, then you should take advantage of it. It's easier for you not having to worry about cleaning up after mice and keeping them fed, or making it to the store an hour before feeding time every two weeks. Instead, you buy a month or two's worth, and your set. It also seems to be less stressful for the snake; they don't have to stock and have no chance of being injured by their meal.
What I'm wondering is if there are any benifits to feeding live. I have a ball python, and have been unsuccessful in getting him to eat frozen (any tips on this topic are welcome). A friend of mine recently bought a boa, and had taken my advice to feed frozen, but now seems to think that his red tail has a "natural urge/need" to hunt down his meal. Personally, I think it's a blood lust for seeing the mouse being killed... So there has been some debate between my friend and I.

i've always fed my snakes pre-killed (frozen). one reason they might not be eating is because the mouse or rat is still too cold. their heat pits tell them something is wrong. Or the snakes could just not like pre-killed. The ball that i keep at home at frozen at first, but then stopped eating for about 4 months. i put a live rat in there and he didnt think twice about passing up the meal. he only eats live. Some snakes may just prefer one or the other. One more thing, if you feed it live, MAKE SURE YOU WATCH IT because if you dont, the mouse could bite the snake and it might get infected. Captive bred snakes arent as accustomed to killing their own food... i guess you could call it inctinctually challenged... my new boa doesnt seem to know where to strike the live mouse at. i have had to pull a mouse off of him before.

Yes, I have always kept a close eye on my ball when it's time to eat. I adopted him when he was about 8 years old, and have had him for four years now. He has a huge scare on the back of his neck where a rat got him before I adopted him. And, yes, I have also noticed that his aim can be a bit off at times. I've had to put something between the rat's mouth and the ball's body so that he wouldnt get bit while he was constricting.
The boa that my friend bought was born in July, and was raised on live food. I fed him frozen the first two weeks he was staying with me, which he took readily, but now my friend is switching back to live. I don't agree with his decision, but it is his snake. I was just looking for some arguments for my side of this delima (if the snake will take frozen, it's better in the long run).