Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Would it be better to feed a snake a frozen mouse or a freshly killed one? Thanks to any and all who reply.

I have found that my snake won't eat frozen or freshly killed mice i has to kill it and then it will eat it. Which is fine sense my kids have mice as pets we just never separate them till the pregnant ones are almost ready to have the babies.

I tell u what ive fed everyway possible thawed prekilled and live, i feed live rodents cause i can feed more the snakes i feed live to eat more and more often than the ones i have on thawed,the ones on live are also healthier looking than the thawed.
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spider m
pastel f
graziani pastel m
high c albino m
het for albino m
het for albino f
cini f
orange ghost f
mojave m
het for piebald ringer m
rodent breeding setup
and still growing

At least for most keepers. I would highly recomend going frozen thawed over all other options! Live and fresh killed transfers more parasites than frozen. Live can bite, chew or nibble on your snake! And frozen is easier to keep as well as normally cheaper.
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Brian Hettinger
480 Pythons
Contact us

I gave up feeding ball pythons anything other than live like 15 years ago. Then just last night I unexpectedly had 22 fresh killed but only 7 of them got eaten (with live I often have none that don't eat). Sure some people work with their ball pythons enough and get an ok feeding response from some with other than live but for this species I've found live to be the standard. Of course I’d want a rodent source that doesn’t have parasites to start with.

This is the classic misconception. Frozen absolutly does not kill any of the parasites. They go dormint and usually cacoon themselves into tissue. The only way you will kill these is by high heat or prolonged exposure to heat. Live you better be able to watch your collection or could come back to a shorter then before animal. FT is quick and cheap, if the snakes take it.

sorry not cacoon but cyst.

I started my rodent collection off with breeders that I treated thoroughly with Ivermectin, which is extremely effective at eliminating internal and external parasites in rodents. I haven't had any sick or itchy ones and am as confident as possible that my feeders are parasite-free. I will admit, however, that I have never specifically tested any of my feeders for parasites either.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

We started out as having the mice as pets. they go to the vet and get checked out once a year, (I am always paranoid when one dies for no reason) But have never had one that has had any parasites and My snake will eat two when we feed her all though we feed her one at a time and watch the mice to make sure she doesn't get bit or anything. We also handle all of our mice everyday as first they are pets for the children and this helps them learn about the circle of life at a very young age.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, it helped A LOT. I'm much closer to reaching my decision. This forum is so helpful...

It depends on what you mean by better. Generally a fresh killed and a frozen will have the same nutrient quality if the frozen hasn't been in the freezer for too long (say, less than three months?). But you have encountered a classic problem: Snake won't eat frozen anyways. There are ways to convert them over, but none of them are "easy". The most successful method, I have heard, is the Barker's method of just waiting them out. Don't ever offer ANYTHING but frozen. Eventually they will convert over. My problem is I like to see my snakes eat and grow, which will definitely be held off until they are converted.

For me, even after the snakes are converted, I will still feed live about once a month. Just in case there are some nutrients or fats they utilize better from live. I only let them eat live if the snake will strike and kill the mouse while I watch though, so the nibbling/biting is not an issue for me.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

Feed what your snake will eat - if it will take dead or f/t then you don't have to worry about injuries and you have the convenience of being able to store a bunch in the freezer. If it won't take them then live is fine just do it responsibly to avoid problems.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
The Blog
nihil facimus sed id bene facimus

This is just my opinion.

I have had no bites to my snakes, no parasites and no other problems with feeding live mice (I only use mice to feed my balls and all my snakes).

I raise the mice on an excellent diet (Purina and Harlan block with Volkmann rat & mouse diet sprinkled on top of the block) and under great conditions so I know my snakes are getting the best and most nutritious meals I can give them. Or find a reputable breeder of rodents.

I tried FT but it was such a hassle/mess to thaw them, thaw the right amount, feed each snake by hand or tongs, you can't refreeze thawed rodents (too risky for bacteria/necrosis), etc.

With live I just toss them in and check back every few minutes. If it is still in the cage 30 minutes later then I puul the mouse out and try next time.

I only have animals go off feed during breeding and sometimes in the colder months.

Live is the best choice for me.

Good luck!

Kevin

My first snake was bought in '98 and I've used live from day 1 as well.

I ended up going with live, and he's taking the mice without any problems. Thanks to everyone for their advice!