Live Feeding Debate V1.0

[louise]

This is version 1 of the debate " feeding live.". What this thread is not is a place to come and insult, mock, degrade or put down members for their views. Engage the debate in the spirit in which it is meant to be debated.

In this thread we will talk about the following:

1 why people feel it is okay to feed live
2. why people feel it isn't okay

Special rules for this thread:
1) As always, please stay on topic. Off topic replies, will be removed.
2) Limit small replies like "that was awesome", or "Your wrong". Instead of replying like this, use rep or the "thank you" button.
3) Try your best to back your statement up with scientific fact, studies you have read or done.
4) DO NOT plagiarize. If you quote someones findings, please give credit by providing the name, or a direct link.
5) Before posting, please read the rules of this forum.
6) 10 day bans for personal attacks on persons or companies.



Enjoy, and have fun!

[louise]

first off i wanna say i am not debating this about hots, i have no experience with them. my experience is with ball pythons and redtails. someone with hot experience can help with hots and F/T. i feel there is no reason to feed a snake live prey. i havre many reasons why i feel they should never see live prey.
1. your snake is trapped in a small place with a very angry rodent, the snake may not be hungry but the rodent could be. snakes do not seem to kill just to kill. the snake isn't hungry and the rodent is. the rodent can and will start eating the snake.



2.freezing the prey will kill parasites, parasites can kill your snake.

parasite (pār'ə-sīt') Pronunciation Key
An organism that lives on or in a different kind of organism (the host) from which it gets some or all of its nourishment. Parasites are generally harmful to their hosts, although the damage they do ranges widely from minor inconvenience to debilitating or fatal disease.

3. do not think 'how much damage can a small mouse do?' a perfectly aimed bite to the snakes head can kill it.

4. do not think 'if my snake gets bit i can just take it to the vet.' snakes infection is not like ours. thiers is hard and like cottage cheese. the vet cannot just pierce and drain the pus out. my snake had her lump drained and lanced many times, the lump just kept returning. she had 3 surgerys over a rat bite. the final surgery they had to put her under and remove all tissue and all forms of infection. she will always be missing the top part of her eye now. it took years to finally get her 100% and a clean bill of health. it also took 1,500.00 dollars to save her.

5.you can get your snake to switch over to F/T. i always hear 'my snake just wont eat already dead prey' that is not true. it is because you haven't found the right trick to get your snake to switch. maybe you didn't wait long enough for the snake to get good and hungry, maybe you didn't dangle the prey, did you dangle the prey in front of the hide box while the snake was hiding? there are many things you can try and one of them will work. i have helped so many people on the site to get thier snakes that just wouldnt switch, switched.
like the smartest snake person i know says '"How do I switch" Not "how does my snake switch" (thanks brett). it is the owner who needs to learn how to get the snake to take F/T.


if you still want more proof of what rat/mouse bites can do...click on this link.

http://redtailboa.net/forums/feeding...ight=live+pile

[VoodooChile]

I 100% agree with NOT feeding live, and its thanks to stories like Chance's that I recommend only feeding f/t.

I thinkn there are exceptions, but overrall I do agree. If it comes down to my snake starving (example: neglected by another owner and not fed for a LONG time, and has repeatedly refused F/t)( AND YES that HAS happened) or a neonate that has continually refused f/t, and is regressing in health, I will offer live untill it improves, and continue to attempt the switch to F/T.

[Bluzmn59]

I agree that only F/T is acceptable. I have had nowhere near the experience that others on this site have had, but I have switched a Ball Python over to F/T without much trouble. Also, when I got my BRB, the seller told me that he was eating live mice and I may have trouble. I let him settle in for a few days and then offered him a rat pup dangled my forceps and he took it like that was all he had ever seen.

This may sound silly to some, but I also think the prey animal should be considered. It is a living, sentient being, and I do not believe that rats and mice should suffer needlessly because most of us feel the reptiles are more important. JMHO.

[TongueFlick]

I agree with everyone so far; f/t is the way to go. I have seen SO many pics of deformed snakes, I don't know why feeding f/t is allowed. IMO, the UK did the right thing by passing the "no live feeding" laws. I would hope that everyone would feed their snakes, (not sure about hots though) f/t, or at least p/k. (But, as many people have pointed out, there is still the parasite factor.)
This rule passes with my savannah monitor too; NO live. I have seen pics of a monitor lizard that had it's skull cracked in two by a hungry adult mouse. I dodn't really want to see that pic again, but I could try to find the link if you request it of me.

I hope I've made my message clear; please don't feed live mammals to your reptiles.
All the best, TongueFlick

[Bluzmn59]

I should add that I know nothing about keeping "hots" so, if that is different I would not know.

[louise]

i have been told many times that Dumerils need live thier first few feedings, then after that they will take F/T.