Reptile & Amphibian Forums

From proexotics.com

that might be more the fault of the owner rather than feeding live. If you feed live you should never leave the rodents in the cage over night. I feed only live and I have never had a problem even close to that.

thats terrible it looks like something a gerbil would do

How long was the rodent left in that animals cage?

Bryan Kollwitz

np
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

what does the numbers infront of the creatures you have mean

1-0-0
0-1-0
???

a lot of people do that and i dont quite understand what it means.

that is sooo horrid. i hope the snake didnt go through a lot of pain.

1.2.1 (1)male.(2)female.(1)unsexed

np

np
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

No way a mouse did that unless it was a 200 g gerbil looking mouse that was left in the same small container with the snake for 2 days without food. I feed most of my snakes live, and I have even left live mice in with some shy eaters over night. Nothing like this has ever happend to me in ten years of keeping BPs. Something is obviously not right. Hopefully the BP was put down along with the owner

I have heard of a boa being taken down by a rat in one hit (in the head)... I can see a mouse taking out a ball without much problem especially if the ball takes their normal defensive measure and balls up.

I would personally never give mine live food. But that is just a personal opinon.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Maybe if the boa was 100 grams and the rat was 300 grams. Rats and mice are not agressive. Even if left hungry for several days with a BP, they will not attack like that. Looks more like someone put a small BP in with a large rat in a paper bag and forgot about them for a couple of days. Constrictors are designed to eat live animals, that is why they aim for the head when they strike and don't take prey that is too big for them to handle. Seems like something went horribly wrong, like the person was feeding a BP to their adult pet rat, not the other way around.

There was 2 discussions (that I remember) about that picture in the General Snake Forum a while back. Most were saying "F/T all the way!" etc etc, but some others were making very good points. Like, if it was a F/T rat, that wouldn't have happened.

The guy who posted it said that the snake was in there for 30 minutes.

Hm...

Ryan

This is strait from the proexotics faq

"There is a very dramatic picture that perfectly illustrates the live feeding problem, an instance of a mouse left overnight in the cage of a "feeding" Ball python."

I find it difficult to believe that a mouse could do THAT much damage, even overnight. And not a chance in hell, in 30 minutes time. A rat maybe. But a mouse? THAT'S SHEER NEGLECT, and the owner of that snake should be drawn and quartered. If the powers that be wish to censor this message, so be it. It's this kind of neglect that helps to give all herpers a bad name.

Quig

np

I may have missed something with your last post.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Leaving a mouse in with an adult python is not really dangerous for the python. Maybe for a hatchling it would be dangerous, but not an adult. Especially if you give the mouse food.
I don't make it a common practice, but I have done it before. Mice will not mess with an adult ball python. I have never witnessed a mouse attack a BP without unless the BP is wrapped around it in the ten years that I have been feeding them...I suppose maybe someone has been selectively breeding their mice for increased agression...

I just don't believe a mouse would ever do that kind of damage unless it had no food and about 3 days to attack a hatchling.

Of course, I am sure people have stories of how a single mouse killed their adult anaconda...

ok, I got ya. I am still learning all this. Actually I think the story went that the mouse killed the anaconda with its paws tied behind its back!
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
1-1-0 Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-1-0 Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Some one left a live rodent run free in that snakes cage overnight if not even longer. They also may have fed that snake too large of a rodent.

This was primarily the result of a owner making a large mistake.

Very sad pic.
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Jim Perron
Python Passion Reptiles
pythonpassion@hotmail.com
www.pythonpassionreptiles.com

I have left mice with my Balls for hours and NEVER have I ever seen that! Rats on the other hand can be very violent!!!!The owner of that snake had to be flat out Lazy!!!

In my opinion that person shouldn't be aloud to own animals!!! It looks like He/She let a opossom loose on that poor Ball..

Isaac

clip the upper and lower incisors first. It's an old trick I learned from one of the Jen masters. Feeding live is the best way to go for the animals sake. It gets them stimulated. I have always felt, and this is just a personal theory, that if the snake is allowed to hunt, attack and subdue pray, this is a good thing for snakes to experience - it gets them "excited" so to speak. I think it translates into better breeding responces, especially in harder to breed snakes. Just a little of what some big name ball and retic breeder calls "snake sense".
The Snake Whisperer

some may argue this point and choose to feed fk or ft.....BUT what you showed us is not a mouse or rat nibbling on a snake......that rodent was left FAR too long and its neglet not bad choice that caused that............i could find pics somewhere of the tombstones of people who have choked to death and argue THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER EAT THIS OR THAT.........yes it was terrable what that rodent did to that snake but it DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN.........take it for what its worth and everyone make up their own minds.......i just honestly think that THAT is not a good argument.....id be quicker to listen or try to switch if i saw an entire collection with LITTE scars from time after time of getting "nibbled" not EATEN by a rodent.........ALL MY BEST >>>>>>SJS