Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I dont know if many of you are aware but there is a growing trend on Youtube.com of people filming their pet snakes (and other herps) live prey items. Some of these clips are very graphic and some even contain people laughing and cheering the snake along. Personaly, i feel this is very damaging to herpetology. Anyone care to discuss?

Yeah, I'm sure of the warm fuzzy people got hold of those clips they'd use them to show how cruel we herpers are. Problem is no matter what group you're in there is always fringe elements.

I used to feed live and it could be very interesting to watch the snake "stalk" it's prey. More often than not it was over so quick, you never saw much. Food in cage - BAM hit and coiled.

There's a guy at work that know's I have large snakes. He wants me to let him bring over a kitten to feed to one. Says him and a friend fed one to a ball python college. DUH I said no way. First off kittens are NOT food for snakes, I happen to like cats. Second off I don't feed live any more.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB, selectively bred from good stock)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
12.24 BRB
11.13 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I think that the majority of people accept that a snake has got to eat and i'm not criticizing anyone for feeding live. There are some clips on there that could be considered educational and interesting. However there are a minority that are just plain nasty, not nice to watch at all...there are some clips i would even class as animal cruelty.

I think this is a very interesting question. As a filmmaker and a herper, I film my snakes because I think they're beautiful and want to share my vision of them with the world. That being said, I did film my corn snake killing and feeding on a rat, but it is done in the context of a film about snakes, not a sensationalist 15-second clip to titillate viewers. In fact, what do you think of my video? Is this type of video also damaging to herpers? I certainly don't want to encourage animal abuse. My mice and rats are all very well cared for up to the moment they meet their Maker.

Here's a link to my video, let me know what you think:
http://revver.com/watch/112125
"Domestic Serpents" video

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"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it." --www.climatecrisis.net

I agree with you, to an extent.

The popularity of such videos shows an aspect of husbandry that some people enjoy. I've heard numerous people say that they feed live because they enjoy watching the hunt. Usually these same people have not owned snakes for very long. But, let's face it, some people do like having snakes BECAUSE of the attack/constrict behavior. I suppose that's the same reason rooster-fights (to word it nicely) have a following.

I don't enjoy watching rodents suffocate (though when I initially got my first snake, a ball python, I did like watching the hunt behavior) and this can indeed send a message to some people that owning a reptile creates cruel situations for live feeder rodents - especially if those watching decide to assume that ALL snake owners are the same.

Some people at my work have asked if I could feed one of my snakes a live rodent so they could watch. My answer was simply no - first, my snakes are all currently eating frozen/thawed, which is safer for the snake and less traumatic for the rodent. Second, transporting a snake that has just eaten isn't desirable due to risk of regurgitation. Most people just say "oh", but a few actually seem to be interested that mice and rats can injure snakes and say "that makes sense".

Exhibitionism... some people also put the hobby at risk by taking large pythons out in public areas where the general population isn't expecting them.

But do we berate everyone who may have these interests? Would getting rid of people who like watching rodents get constricted remove a sizable portion of people from the hobby? Because people who are initially less-than-responsible sometimes do learn and become responsible reptile keepers after a little while.

The bad thing about YouTube is that the videos are just THERE, with no explanation or educational offering most of the time. So there's nothing to say "feeding live rodents to snakes can cause injury to the snake" or "humanely euthanized frozen feeder rodents are available to the reptile hobbyist"... so these macabre videos are what people see, without introduction.

Guess the only way to counter it would be to post a similar video, and show snakes that have bite-wounds, or show frozen-thawed feedings to try to counteract what is currently posted.

Sorry for my meandering writing!
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com
1.0 Ball Python, 1.1 Hog Island Boas, 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python

Most people that ask me about my snakes are AMAZED when I tell them I have to thaw out the frozen rat before I feed. They usually walk away at that point with a look on their face like I just told them I have a real live unicorn in my back yard.

in my opinion alot of the people that post those videos on youtube are a threat to herpers like us. I saw a video on there of a guy feeding his water monitors rats, they started with a small one and then moved up to a big one that the monitor was having alot of trouble killing, i felt bad for both animals, the monitol deffinitly took some scratches and nips on the nose, and no mouse should have to go through what that one went through.

Its immature if you ask me. Yeah we all fed are first snake live prey, maybe even our first couple, but doing it when its not necissary is pointless in my mind, and i do critasize the ppl who feed live, not because of the poor mouse, but the poor snake, or in many cases the poor "expensive" snake. Anyone who has owned many snakes like me and fed live for an extended amount of time has most likely had their snake become the victum at some point or another. Yeah the mouse is gonna die rather its by constriction or in the freezer, but their's still no reason to endanger the snake.
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2.3 Bearded Dragons
1.0 Pastel Ball Pythons (NERD Line)
0.0.1 Water Monitors
1.1 Pastel Red Tailed boa Het. for Albino
1.1 Yellow Ackie Monitors
And Counting...

I suspect that the people that go bonkers, in a negative way, while watching a snake kill prey are the exact same kind of people that get big snakes to show off to other people and to scare people. I suspect they also enjoy watching the videos that show people dying or getting seriously injured. I for one change the channel if I know they are going to show an accident where someone dies. Though we are all going to die some day, I am not a fan of watching death at all, when it comes to people. But I think that the folks that get some sort of weird thrill watching snakes kill their prey like all sorts of gruesome stuff. The more gruesome the better for some people. This sort of viewing I think is usually accompanied by a great deal of drinking beer too.

That being said. It is a fact that snakes live and survive in the wild killing and eating other animals. In fact a huge number of animals do exactly that and it isn't always pretty. I have been and remain amazed at any natural stalking, attacking and ultimately killing of animals by other animals. Not that I would say "cool" about a Retic grabbing, wrapping, killing and devouring a pig. But I would love to see that. I think it would be really interesting. Interesting, but not "cool". Years ago I saw a documentary filmed by Frank Buck back in the 1930's. This showed numerous set up "fights" between Tigers, Retics, Crocs and a Black Panther. I submit it was really interesting to watch. Not for any gory pleasure but just too see what could happen or what has no doubt happened for real in the wild many times in the past. Great stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFCcvZFP6D8&mode=related&search= I found a clip of it on YouTube in fact and it's above for anyone that wants to get a real idea of what you may be in for someday and the "hands" of your "dog tame" Retic.

I think that most people are just curious to see a Boa, or whatever snake, kill and eat something. I think this curiosity is for most people satisfied pretty quickly. To me it is interesting and it is unfortunate that there are those among us who would take all our Boas away from us if they could just because they do live off other animals. Such are the so called "animal rights" folks. I'm sure they would prefer we try to teach our Boas to eat vegetables vs. other animals as they were created to do.
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dont accept "TRUE HUMAN NATURE" are worse off then the accused !!Sorry your so offended by the species that walks upright amoung you.
Theres not a truckload of Politically Correct Feces to cover up the fact of true human nature. Argue it or Debate it all you want there will be no skirting the fact of "MAN"

M/

>>I suspect that the people that go bonkers, in a negative way, while watching a snake kill prey are the exact same kind of people that get big snakes to show off to other people and to scare people. I suspect they also enjoy watching the videos that show people dying or getting seriously injured. I for one change the channel if I know they are going to show an accident where someone dies. Though we are all going to die some day, I am not a fan of watching death at all, when it comes to people. But I think that the folks that get some sort of weird thrill watching snakes kill their prey like all sorts of gruesome stuff. The more gruesome the better for some people. This sort of viewing I think is usually accompanied by a great deal of drinking beer too.
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>>That being said. It is a fact that snakes live and survive in the wild killing and eating other animals. In fact a huge number of animals do exactly that and it isn't always pretty. I have been and remain amazed at any natural stalking, attacking and ultimately killing of animals by other animals. Not that I would say "cool" about a Retic grabbing, wrapping, killing and devouring a pig. But I would love to see that. I think it would be really interesting. Interesting, but not "cool". Years ago I saw a documentary filmed by Frank Buck back in the 1930's. This showed numerous set up "fights" between Tigers, Retics, Crocs and a Black Panther. I submit it was really interesting to watch. Not for any gory pleasure but just too see what could happen or what has no doubt happened for real in the wild many times in the past. Great stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFCcvZFP6D8&mode=related&search= I found a clip of it on YouTube in fact and it's above for anyone that wants to get a real idea of what you may be in for someday and the "hands" of your "dog tame" Retic.
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>>I think that most people are just curious to see a Boa, or whatever snake, kill and eat something. I think this curiosity is for most people satisfied pretty quickly. To me it is interesting and it is unfortunate that there are those among us who would take all our Boas away from us if they could just because they do live off other animals. Such are the so called "animal rights" folks. I'm sure they would prefer we try to teach our Boas to eat vegetables vs. other animals as they were created to do.
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>>Boaphile Home
>>All Original/Boaphile Plastics
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i like watching my snakes eat period i find it all quite interesting i dont need the mouse to be alive to get enjoyment out of it i mean i feed a corn snake out my hands the other day an even though the mouse was frozen it was still awesome so i can see where these people who have not had snakes for a while would be interested in watching it eat a live animal as for the comment about the stero typical snake keepers who have them for shock value i do believe they bring on a negative conitation to our hobby but every hobby has its upsides and its down