I have a snake that I have been trying to get off live mice, as a lot of you know. And I think Im going to just let him have the live prey that he wants. In two years I have had one accident with a mouse getting away from him. It could have been worse but it was a weird accident. Ive heard several reasons for switching to f/t or p/k prey and I really dont agree with any of them. Reason one - its more humane for the mouse. I just cant see that as true. Youre saying putting a mouse in a bag and hitting it agaisnt a wall or snaping its neck is more humane than letting a snake constrict around the mouse? I could be wrong, but arent f/t mice and rats suffocated to death? Reason two - I can agree to this one a little. I understand a dead mouse is less harmful than a live one... but I beleive youre taking something away from the snake as well. Constrictors can feel their preys heart beat and thats how they know when they are dead. Its their instinct. Its like if you had a cat, and the cat killed a mouse, would you punish that cat? And my last reason for choosing live is it is less wasteful, in my opinon. When I start breeding my ball pythons I am also going to breed mice and rats. Say if a few of my snakes arent hungry, no biggie, just put the lil mouse back in its cage. I know Ive wasted a lot of f/t and p/k rats and mice because mine simply will not eat them. I know a lot of you disagree with me and a lot of you agree with me. I am not trying to make anyone mad. I would just like to know yalls opinion on the subject.
Thanks,
James
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F/T vs P/K vs Live
Replies (6)
Very cool. I think it all revolves around convenience for the keeper. IMO It's easier to throw a p/k-f/t in the cage and go to bed. Than it is to have to stand there and baby sit. I understand, I have a female that will only eat live.
IMO its better to feed f/t or p/k if possible. I dont think its any more humane to whack the mouse against a wall than it is to let the snake choke it to death, although Id rather go quickly. For me its just easier and cheaper to feed a bunch of snakes f/t. When you begin breeding, if one snake doesnt want to eat, just give the mouse to another snake. There are a few breeders out there that feed live so its completely a personal preference and obviously works well for some. I just dont like having to stick around to make sure everything went ok. Its also cheaper to buy f/t. You probably pay about 4 times the amount for live. But, in the end, its your decision. I wont think any less of you. LOL
EP
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i feed all of mine live. there is not too much ' babysitting ' involved. if the snake does not eat in 30 minutes take out and put back in rat racks. to me it is also a lot cheaper. the only thing i pay for is food for rats and buying in bulk is not very expensive. i also feel that giving snakes live prey keeps them " on their toes " so to speak. it keeps them aggressive, on the hunt. i feel this helps when it comes to breeding season. they seem ready to go. it is also the most natural for the snake. imo
James ~
I don't think it's a matter of who's right and who's wrong, but a matter of preference and patience.
I have never heard an argument for the humanity of the prey on this issue. Doesn't make sense. It dies within a few minutes either way. They are bred to be food. And f/t by the way die of hypothermia ... they are frozen to death. In other words, they get cold, go to sleep, and die.
The biggest and most convincing arguments that I have heard regarding f/t involve safety issues. If people don't want to sit and watch their animals for a half hour to an hour, it is possible that the prey can do harm to the snake. This is more so true as the snakes grows and receives larger prey such as rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc. Even when you are vigilantly watching you cannot always prevent a struggle. I have see rabbits gouge out the eye of a python. It wasn't pretty and there was no time to stop it. It just happened.
I know some people like to have their snakes retain an "aggressiveness," but I for one do not. Feeding live does in fact preserve a strong hunter’s instinct. I cannot have an aggressive snake when I dance and interact with audiences. This aggressive tendency is very undesirable in public situations. I also have two small children that handle my snakes and docility is important to me when they are interacting.
What works for one person may not work for another. It took me 3 months to get my BP to eat f/t. He was a real pill about it. Now we are transitioning from mice to rats and are having issues as well. But I am wiling to be patient to get the results I desire.
Best of luck in your decision making.
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Most F/T mice/rats do not die of hypothermia, usually they are put with dry ice and suffocate well before they freeze. Some other people use CO2 more humanely to first intoxicate the mice and then soffocate them.
Either way, there is no real "humane" way to kill a mouse...but there are a lot of inhumane ways to go about it...like smacking it against a brick a bunch of times and then putting it back into the mouse rack if it isn't eaten (any readers remember that one...some people are a little heartless).
The biggest difference for me is price. I feed all of my snakes mice if possible. I pay about 50 cents for a frozen mouse or about $1.30 for a live mouse. So its a no brainer, I guess I should also mention that I don't want to raise any live mice myself, they smell like sh it.
Also when I get home from a long day of work, it is easier for me to reach in the freezer and grap a mouse than to drive off to the pet store and buy one.
Finally, when I feed my snakes I usually move the prey item around with a pair of tongs to force the snake to "work for its meal". So it is more like a live meal and not eaten off a cage floor.
I do not think constrictors really care if the food is alive or not, they still constrict until they feel that the prey item is sufficiently dead, and snakes have been known to eat dead rodents in the wild if they happen upon them, so this is not unnatural.
Still, one of mine has never eaten F/T, and only rarely eats live rats (at $3-4 a rat this is a lot more expensive than a couple of F/T mice). All of my snakes that are worth $1000 or more will only rarely get a live meal, the last thing I want to happen is to have one of them injured by a mouse or rat trying to escape.
just my opinion.
>>Either way, there is no real "humane" way to kill a mouse...but there are a lot of inhumane ways to go about it...
I completely agree with you there. As I stated before, they are bred as food for another animal. They are meant to die. I personally couldn't kill them. The thought of bashing its head in is too much. I prefer the frozed. Call me a wuss if you want.
>>Also when I get home from a long day of work, it is easier for me to reach in the freezer and grap a mouse than to drive off to the pet store and buy one.
Very good point. I totally concur.
I want all of my snakes to be happy and healthy. Regardless of how much I paid, There is no excuse for them to be hurt by their food.
