FR, you seem to be a selective reader.... Since you seem to be literate I will reply. I have mentioned more than once that I have no intentions of turning young snakes loose on the property; I also stated that it would be counter productive. Any fool knows that something is more than nothing; Also, as I mentioned earlier, mortality rate in the wild is very low; a stable population number is the result of one animal reaching maturity, for every one that dies off. That is simple math. in captivity, successful breeders far outstrip that ratio, as evidenced by their expanding livestock numbers. So, when one species that eats another, increases in numbers, it is likely that the other species will decline, even if it is not the "prime" prey. Finally, the snake is still in the same place that I found him, but now it is protected from predators and is being fed the exact same animals that it was eating before, lizards, gophers, mice, rats and rattlesnakes, which I catch in the same habitat. the only thing it could be lacking that it may have had before is access to a mate, which is what I came here to resolve.
You have the right to be skeptical; nearly everyone is, whenever something new or different is attempted, but you have no basis for declaring me wrong, especially when I never asked for your opinion. You are just being rude and serving no helpful purpose here. I expect that your ego will not allow you to back off, but at this point I see no advantage in my continuing to post in this thread, so fire away.