Larry,

Hm...well, I have never scent-fed anything to my snakes and never will. I have a strong philosophy behind this which many debate with, and to keep it simple and in a nutshell, many species of snakes--and animals in general for that matter--have specialized diets for a reason, and these requirements should be respected in captivity, period. The animals will be healthier, happier, and live longer.

Let Us take Heterodon platyrhinos feeding on mice as an example of the detriment it brings upon the species. They will suffer gut impactions from the fur due to their digestive tract not being able to cope with it, fatty liver disease, and/or another disease or two I have read vague details on which in turn ALL shorten the species' lifespan.

My motto (self-wording): feed an animal only what it will naturally take on its own! Can't obtain the food or not cheaply enough? Don't keep it! In my message to Steven minutes earlier, I happen to mention my specializing in species with odd or unusual eating habits, and I was able to obtain food for them all (and within my budget). If I can, others can!

I also find it ridiculous when people argue against feeding toads because "their numbers are dwindling"...everything is dwindling until humanity wakes up and stops building! It's a code-phrase to cover their weakness of attachment to toads' cuteness which my girlfriend and I LOVE in toads, too (!!), but I like Nature as well...id est, if I am going to keep a gem of Nature in captivity, I want to enjoy it for what it is (meant to be)!

Gods, why don't people see mice as cute, too, and force an 18' Burmese to eat 10K crickets! ...or shove pinkies down an egg-eater's throat (in reference to excuses, such as price, of not obtaining proper food).

Sorry, this was nothing personal against You, Larry; I just get heated on this topic and need to share my logic and rationality which happens to be truth. Does it not make sense that, if You're going to keep, observe, and enjoy an animal for what it is, to feed it not just what it wants but what it needs?!?? This completes the entirety of actually KEEPING a species and studying it.

I just despise how people resort to scent-feeding mice to make it easier and cheaper on themselves, seemingly having NO concern for their animals' well-being and longevity whatsoever. It infuriates me, especially when they think they know everything or have "accomplished much" because they were able to get a picky eater onto easy 'n' cheap food...ugh, the ignorance! Or, perhaps breeders who have made it easy 'n' cheap to make more sales on ignorant customers, capitalizing on the animals' misfortune...!

In conclusion, if I ever have Micrurus someday, I, too, will make sure to have a colony of snakes and/or skinks to feed it!

On a different, but still related, note, if a species of snake has a varied diet, it should be respected and fulfilled like it is for many species of lizards (exempli gratia, Bearded Dragons), and like it is for humans, for different nutrients/vitamins/minerals are extracted from different foods. Exempli gratia, I feed my 1.1 Heterodon nasicus mostly mice (which they have naturally always taken on their own!) but intersperse their diet with a handful of toads throughout the year, and they still go back to mice voraciously the following week...sometimes, my 0.1 will eat a toad then fuzzies in the same feeding session! My 0.1 Leioheterodon madagascariensis I had for 7 years 4 months and 12 days before passing March 4th of this year - I fed her mice exclusively until 2-3 years ago when I introduced chicks which she loved more--but which I fed evenly or even less--and also Bull and Green Frogs last year which she went even more crazy for (!!)...I feel if I provided a more varied diet earlier in her life, she would have lived longer. :/ And so on with the examples...

The snakes will be healthier, happier, and live longer.

Timothy

>>Oh, and a few have gotten them to eat scented pinks, but again it hasn't worked for me.
>>-----
>>What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.


-----
T.J. Gould

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]