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This is just a curiousity of mine. When I first me my wife she owned a ball python and a rock python and both were fed live rats. We didn't have the internet and had never even heard of feeding snakes F/T. Well, I starting having an interest in these snakes (I actually had to because my wife couldn't bear watching the rats get constricted by the snakes) and eventually got the internet and learned about the whole F/T thing. Since then we have fed nothing but F/T. It's obviously alot better for the snakes as well as the rodents. So my question for you guys/girls that have been in the game for a while, How long have you been feeding F/T? Thanks for any input you can give, Scott.
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Well, I don't know how long ago you met your wife, but my brother kept snakes 10 yrs ago and we both worked at pet stores at that time, being charged with the care of the herps and feeder rodents. F/T was well known way of feeding back then, although my brother usually prekilled his feeders instead of getting frozen ones.

It's funny you mention this because I had a problem, well, not really, but anyway, with my corn yesterday. I got him the weekend of the herp show in Columbia, SC and last Thursday was my first night to feed him. I gave him a F/T pinkie and he took it within a second...I'm not lying...he sucked it right down. Well, due to trouble with transportation last week because of the hurricane, almost all of the pet stores' feeder supply was depleted. I found a store with some live pinkies and so I got three to last me to later next week. I froze two when I got home and plopped the other one in front of my corn, little Ed. I think he was confused with this moving creature as he hid from it the entire time and touched it only to push it around (he did bite the ear once, but that's it). I couldn't be 100% sure that that was why he wouldn't eat it (all he has known is F/T pinkies) and he still had a bit of a lump from the last one (despite 3 defications thus far) so I decided to freeze that pinkie to and will try again tonight. If he takes it tonight, then I'll know for sure that he will refuse to eat live and must have F/T feeders to eat. Weird, huh?
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

"Life will find a way." Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) Jurrasic Park

Karl Kauffeld talks about the benefits of feeding dead prey to snakes in his book "The Keeper and The Kept" which was published in 1969. He had been feeding dead prey to snakes for many years prior to this I am sure.

I can't find any particular reference, but I am sure if you read Ditmar's books (written in the 1930s) you will find some reference to feeding prekilled prey.

I have been freezing my surplus rodents for over 25 years. I am sure most large collections and zoos have been doing it much longer.
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Chris Harrison

...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham

>>Karl Kauffeld talks about the benefits of feeding dead prey to snakes in his book "The Keeper and The Kept" which was published in 1969. He had been feeding dead prey to snakes for many years prior to this I am sure.
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>>I can't find any particular reference, but I am sure if you read Ditmar's books (written in the 1930s) you will find some reference to feeding prekilled prey.
>>
>>I have been freezing my surplus rodents for over 25 years. I am sure most large collections and zoos have been doing it much longer.
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>>Chris Harrison

I was just gonna get up for the date out of Ditmar! Great references Chris.
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Sonya

I'm not a physician or in the biology field, so don't take this as the final word. I've been using F/T prey items for maybe 10 years. But, I've noticed some digestive problems/smelly stools with snakes that have been fed exclusively F/T prey that has been sitting in my freezer for much more than 5 months or so (unless vacuum sealed, in which case 5 months after the seal is broken.) I say 5 months loosely, but the point is, the prey shouldn't be sitting in the freezer too long.

I bet others will respond that they feed F/T items 5 months old with no problems, but conditions inside different freezers may vary. Even one degree may make a difference. I've since implemented a 3 month rule for keeping frozen rodents, and I've seen a drastic reduction or even elimination (no pun intended) in the occurence of odd, discolored and aweful-smelling snake stools.

I order smaller qtys of frozen rodents every 3 months now instead of 2 larger orders every 6 months like I used to do.

Many vets have strong opinions on keeping any whole-food prey in the freezer too long, mainly for the nutritional aspect (reduction in vitamin content over time) but also there are bacterial concerns (bacteria does live and probably grow, albeit slowly, in the freezer in a dead whole animal.)

Bottom line: using F/T is great but be reasonable about how long they sit in the freezer.