Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Lately I've been trapping 1-2 mice a day in my traps. They are perfect size for my 3 yo Cali. Is it OK to feed them or stick to the commercial mice? Thank you.

You are in more danger than your snake when dealing with wild rodents, I think. Hantavirus comes to mind.
That said, I have used rodents and squirrels to feed my snakes at various times. Fresh killed then frozen/thawed....
I know others will have more insight.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

Squirrel.................lol!
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Gerard

"Be patient, I must keep reminding myself of this."

www.livebaitclip.com

GONE FISHING!!!

>>Squirrel.................lol!
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it's what's for dinner!!!

just add some taters carrots and gravy

oh wait, i was getting hungry. the snakes will proabably just stick to the squirrel.
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odelay odelay odelay hee hoooo...
heeeeya huhhhh!
~Back in the saddle (Aerosmith)

My concerns for doing so would be these factors:

A) Since wild mice are just that, wild, we have, or actually, there was no knowledge or control over what they have eaten or been eating. We would have no idea if the mouse recently was eating something that had been touching lawn fertilizer or any various chemicals found in our lovely garages. I say this with the concern mainly with mice found in suburbs vs. mice found out in the middle of nowhere. But then again, wild snakes all over are feeding on mice whenever they can find them, but, they are also wild snakes vs. our captive born/bred buddies. Their conditions are much harsher than our captives, who enjoy their safe and plush surroundings..haha!!

B) Lord knows what the mice have, when it comes to anything in the way of sickness.

So, it may be a little obsessive on my part to consider these factors, but hey, it is all for concern for my captive gems.

The captive bred mice are fed an overseen and healthy diet, free of any of the normal dangers and various " ingredients " found all over our cities. I would personally just stick buying captive bred mice from our beloved sources. This is not to say those who have fed wild caught mice have not had good results, but just my opinions and concerns.

Good subject!!!
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Genesis 1:1

The only situation in which I would feed wild rodents to my snakes is with stubborn feeders. Often snakes that refuse captive mice will take the wild species no problem. I guess they smell right.
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www.brooksi.com

Every time I see a wild mouse carrying her babies on her back I try to grab a few for stubborn feeders. They take them more times then not. I will freeze them first though.

Joe

I had a wild caught Cali that would always eat the deer mice I'd catch but didn't care much for the domestic mice. He did fine, although I never bothered to freeze the deer mice first or anything. I would not feed wild mice to my captive bred snakes, though. I always worry about trichinosis which is really hard to kill by freezing unless you can freeze at extremely low temps. Also wild rodents can come into contact with everything from arsenic to antifreeze in their foraging around human habitats.

When I went to Amazon today to buy a spare chain for my chainsaw, I found that I still had Understanding Reptile Parasites (Advanced Vivarium Systems) by Roger Klingenberg in my cart, so I finally ordered it.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

anyways...there are all kinds of things in wild mice....worms...

freeze them...yea...does that actually kill everything?....like every pinworm egg left on anything wild freezes each winter?....right...LOL...

...wild mice...all kinds of people here talk about how good they are....I bred domestic Peromyscus leucopus for at least 16 years...and noone really cared....didn't sell squat in those years....I did have a few people , one guy with mandarins loved them after breeding them, Kathy Love liked them...I got mine from Ball Boutique way back in the early 90's , after an article on them in a mag,...he sent to Cali for his stock....but now...I have no animals...and all my stock is probably gone...I gave them to people...but I bet they are gone....sad....

all I can say for you guys...wild mice troubles..save 50 cents...yea...why?...

and..wild mice replacement smells....>>>African soft furred rats (mice) 17 babies every 23 days......Russian hamsters ...Chinese hamsters...roborovski hamsters....Djungarian hamsters...syrian hamsters...and gerbils...which pretty much suck to breed...there are other smells....(yes I bred them all at one point or another..some for 21 years)...

good luck...have fun....check for pinworms....(tape and a microscope....think about it...)...
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........JY

It wasn't for saving money or having a picky eater, I have just been trapping about a mice a day and thought it would be a good use. Everyone has brought up some good concerns and risks, probably not worth it. Thank you.

Rob, many of these concerns are valid and often quoted. Dr. Klingenberg's book on undertanding reptile parasites is well worth a read and will give you perspective. However, I have fed a lot of snakes various wild foods, and I have never had a problem from them. This includes a Boa constrictor from neonate to 10'8". I have fed "road kills" and trapped mice, ground squirrels, gray squirrels, mice, voles, bull frogs etc. All were frozen for a minimum of 30 days, often longer. I ran 5 fecals last year and all were negative. The one time I had a serious problem was from domestic quail, but that was probably bacterial rather than protozoan or "worms" etc. You should be cautious when handling them, it just takes one flea with plague to ruin your day, is it worth it? Wild caught rodents are sometimes the key to get reluctant feeders going...a two edged sword. It takes an understanding partner to tolerate frozen rodents... Vic

It takes an understanding partner to tolerate frozen rodents... Vic
When I do a mouse harvest and have several bags of mice I put the lot in a non-see-through tub so my partner can't see the contents, even though he knows what it contains. One time he opened a little Tupperware container and found an assortment of frozen lizards, not the beef stew he had expected. I have told him that if times get any tougher I may fry up a batch of frozen pinkies in cornmeal...
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

You should try it with crushed up Captain Crunch. It taste good fried with fish.
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Gerard

"I am the one the hides the universal secret of all time"

www.livebaitclip.com

GONE FISHING!!!

You should try it with crushed up Captain Crunch. It taste good fried with fish.
We should have a thread devoted to recipes featuring mice and such! In Africa there is a type of mouse that is considered a delicacy. I think I'd eat a mouse before I'd ever eat a dog or cat. Although when in rural Mexico I have eaten from Taqueria stands and wondered what it might be.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Best not to wonder least you find you're enjoying imported guinea pig... funny how the old adage "what you don't know can't hurt you" is all too true when it comes to food... Bon apetite...

Gerry

I have eaten at some places in Miami that I didn't want to know what it was but it was some of the best food I have had. I have a bottle of wine from Vietnam that has a King Cobra in it. I haven't tried it.......yet.
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Gerard

"I am the one the hides the universal secret of all time"

www.livebaitclip.com

GONE FISHING!!!

I have a bottle of wine from Vietnam that has a King Cobra in it. I haven't tried it.......yet.

Must be one huge bottle, lol!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Nope, just a small King and some kind of grass. It looks like it could be ok....
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Gerard

"I am the one the hides the universal secret of all time"

www.livebaitclip.com

GONE FISHING!!!