Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay. Frozen-thawed is safer. But live triggers a more aggressive feeding response. Perhaps a groggy semi-unconscious prey is the best of both worlds.

My wife mentioned that when she was in nursing school and was forced to disect frogs and such, they'd drop an alcohol-soaked ball into a jar with a frog. Tighten the top and in a few minutes the frog was out cold.

So...would this work for rats and mice? Would the alcohol linger dangerously or evaporate making the prey safe to feed to a snake?

Curious,
Chris
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"I don't know about you...but I find comfort in that." -- Cowboy

a
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December 9, 2004
Always Remembered
WE REMEMBER YOU GARY!

You don't think it would:

a) Knock out the prey?
b) Leave dangerous chemicals?
c) Be completely harmless?

Chris
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"I don't know about you...but I find comfort in that." -- Cowboy

didnt read all that right....

I dont think it would knock out the prey

other than that...i have no clue...
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December 9, 2004
Always Remembered
WE REMEMBER YOU GARY!

Hey Chris, the stuff they were most likely useing in the lab, was Chloriform. It is colorless, but as for getting it, for personal use...it would be very unlikely. If you could get it, it would work. Hope this helps, Andy

Isopropyl alcohol has a very high evaporation rate the higher the percentage im sure the more effective it
would be(fume wise), after handling my animals i always use 91% alcohol to dissinfect my hands and arms and within seconds its evaporated,so 1 i would not try this on a feeding of a high dollar animal and 2 you are more interested in the fumes, than the alcohol itself so find away to keep the alcohol seperate from the rodent.Now another thought i dont know how you would feel about this. someone told me that rodents teeth are kinda like fingernails and it doesnt take much to cut the teeth out of a rodent with regular nail clippers which in turn makes it 100% safer for your snake and it allows you to feed without having to keep watch constantly, keeping there aggresive feeding response to the max without damage to the bp, because as every1 knows some bp's wont eat during light hours and with someone in the room. also giving you piece of mind that those super finicky eaters can be left with a live food item with no damage except hopefully to the rodent of course.It has been my experience that gerbils are str8 up ultra violent and have noooo problem biting a snake, cut its teeth out and you can feed those super finicky eaters/imports what they need to get on the right track.and remember dont feel bad about the teeth cause if one bp doesnt eat it im sure you have 1 that will.

Cutting the teeth out of a living animal is pretty cruel, isn't it? They (the snakes) know how to kill a prey item..

You people are nuts!!!!LOL
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Chad Bachman

Sure just file those teeth down a little bit! haha Always great advice around here.
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Mark Kennedy Reptiles
web site

Yeah, we can all be rude & abnoxious, but no need to be cruel...LOL.
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Chad Bachman

Yeah...dont forget to pluck their eyes out while your at it.lol
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Charles Glaspie

Rats' teeth do continuosly grow, and do not contain the same kinds of nerves that we humans have in our teeth. They are meant to wear down their teeth. Therefore, it wouldn't be the kind of painful experience you envision when you think of a dentist. For them, it's more like getting their nails clipped.

it would smell like alcohol and trigger a fear and flight responce.....

use live....fear nothing........

I been using live gerbils,hamsters of 4 species,peromyscus mice,and rats and regular mice for lotsssss of years....never had a problem yet...and yes I have left the wrong size prey items in the cage overnight *(or 3) by mistake......makes a mess..never had a problem with rodent eating snake....

***did see a guys 11 foot retic with it's brains being eaten out by a medium'larger rat once....wow....LOL....

snakes......snakes spring fear into the minds of a whole lot of humans....so if a 7 inch garter snake can scare a 300 pound fatboy.....then I figure they should be bad enough to take on a live mouse.......

if not..they deserve what happens.......right?....

yes.......I throw live gerbils in with $3500 snakes....yes the snake has been bitten and yes it left a mark and bled.....so..it heals......

ever stick your finger with a knife?.......*(I have stuck a knife right through a finger......yeehaa)..not cool...

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>>if not..they deserve what happens.......right?....

RIGHT!!
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Chad Bachman

Why take the chance, thump the mouse on the counter top and knock him out, quick clean and no chance of chemicals hurting your snake. But I like the idea of clipping the teeth off. Do they really hold still for that?
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Tosha

1.1.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy)
0.1.0 Siberian Husky (Kita)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
5.4.2 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

I like live, they are perfectly able to Git-r-done. Nobody in the wilds of Africa thumps they prey on the head for them. Just don't feed an overly large prey item & everything should be fine.

"If they can't kill their own prey, they deserve to die", cuz there is probably something wrong with them anyway....That is the dumbest statement in the history of the Ball forum....LOL. You know what I'm talking about Jeff Favelle.
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Chad Bachman