Thinking about feeding LIVE? Welcome to the Live Pile

[Hairless]

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

my readtail only eats live rats. i always watch the whole time and if the rats in there for more than 45 seconds or so and he hasnt moved toward it or acted interested i grab the rat and dangle it for him. he has never been bit nor have any of the other snakes ive had. im not trying to say live feeding isnt dangerous or the only way to go. im just saying it can be safely done with the right percausions and care.

If your boa will take a rat that you dangle....it will take a fresh kill from the dangle. Leaving a rat in the cage and walking away is a huge risk. Observing a snake while feeding a live rat is only slightly less risk.

Think it through.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[morti]

You know how to win friends and influence people, huh?

I feel like a broken record these days when I say "Just because you have gotten away with something in the past doesn't mean you are going to get away with it in the future."

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Hairless]

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

my readtail only eats live rats. i always watch the whole time and if the rats in there for more than 45 seconds or so and he hasnt moved toward it or acted interested i grab the rat and dangle it for him. he has never been bit nor have any of the other snakes ive had. im not trying to say live feeding isnt dangerous or the only way to go. im just saying it can be safely done with the right percausions and care.

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

Im not saying he wont eat frozen thawed. He has ate one before. I just prefer to feed live. In the year and a half I have had this paticular red tail he has not missed one rats head. So there real is no way for him to get bit. Like i stated early i am not arguing that live feeding isnt risky if not done right.

Well at least the truth is coming out....

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

I'm not trying to "influence" anyone and i'm mearly stating the experience i have had. If it makes people not like me I really don't care. And if something has worked for 12 yrs now i'm sure it will continue to work. Just have to be consistent with your tactics.

Please tell me of your "consistant tactics and 'percausions'..."

If it remotely sounds like a good idea, I will start a new thread everyday and tell the world how Guyana Lovers' consistant tatics and precations have made live feeding safe for all....

[Icicle]

A few question for you, What are you going to think when a rat does decide to bite your snake in the eye, and your snake loses that eye, will it be worth it?
Just because you are blind to the dangers, or too lazy to take a few minutes to kill a rat and feed them safely.
I wish people would put themselves in the snakes position for once.
What will you do if that rat decides to bite though the spin of your snake and paralizes it, It can't move, can't defecate or urnate by itself. What are you going to do them?
Are you going to cut it's head off or are you going to tube feed it and work the rat down by hand?

This just Ugg, Not even going to say it.
God, Please have mercy on this poor soul and show him the way!

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Hairless]

You said it can be safely done with..."...with the right percausions and care."
You also said "You just have to be consistant with your tatics" and it "...isn't risky if done right"
I want to hear about the precautions and care needed to do this correctly.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[morti]

It's OK. Some people can look at 12 pages of absolute horror and still feel that it can never happen to them because they are better than everybody else.

All we can do is keep educating in the hope that the people who care about the wellbeing of their animals read it.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Icicle]

Take me for example Morti, I got Scared when my bci got a small bite to the head, I to felt it was Ok to feed live, but I had a lession in the schood of hard knocks teach me the proper way
I only feed f/t now

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[Hairless]

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

my readtail only eats live rats. i always watch the whole time and if the rats in there for more than 45 seconds or so and he hasnt moved toward it or acted interested i grab the rat and dangle it for him. he has never been bit nor have any of the other snakes ive had. im not trying to say live feeding isnt dangerous or the only way to go. im just saying it can be safely done with the right percausions and care.

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

Im not saying he wont eat frozen thawed. He has ate one before. I just prefer to feed live. In the year and a half I have had this paticular red tail he has not missed one rats head. So there real is no way for him to get bit. Like i stated early i am not arguing that live feeding isnt risky if not done right.

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

I'm not trying to "influence" anyone and i'm mearly stating the experience i have had. If it makes people not like me I really don't care. And if something has worked for 12 yrs now i'm sure it will continue to work. Just have to be consistent with your tactics.

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

never once did i say it was "safe for all". all depends on the snake. they have to be a pretty verocious eater.

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

im not going to explain myself anymore. you obviously dont listen or know how to read. one or the other. nowhere did i ever say that live feeding is ok for every snake. i didnt get on here to argue with you. especially when i probably have alot more yrs of experience dealing with all types of reptiles. so this is my final post in this thread.

If you can read all your posts and think it is me......that is very sad.

By the way, I have been keeping reptiles since before you were born.
Good luck.

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[morti]

Is that the case?

It seems we are in agreement because I have no desire to argue with you either... only to educate the people who are still educable.

I only hope that when your snake gets bitten, it is not too bad and you can help the poor thing to recover.

I will waste no further typing calories trying to convince you that many of us here really do know what we are talking about. If you choose to stay at redtailboa.net you will find that out on your own.

In the meantime, welcome to RTB. We are very passionate about reptiles here. We don't try to gloss over things we feel strongly about.

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[Aaron_NSBM]

Alright guys drop it now... he will do it how he wants! No matter what pixs are showed or what is said... He is set in his own ways and will learn the hard way...At that point he may come back and say wow you guys are right...But untill then he will do it his way so no need to go any further right now.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[louise]

after seeing the pictures and reading the horror stories of live feeding....no amount of preaching is gonna change someones mind if these stories didn't. all we can do is pray for these peoples snakes who still insist on feeding live. sad to say but 'you can't save them all'
but i am thankful these stories have saved a lot.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[louise]

yah know what really makes me mad about it? it is people like us who end up with the live feeders snakes. we pay the big vet bills and we give them the care to get them back in health. some of these snakes are even to scared to eat. it is such a pity. why take a chance when you dont have to? you are not even taking a chance with your own life...you are taking a chance with another living creatures life. pitiful.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Stargazer]

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

Im not saying he wont eat frozen thawed. He has ate one before. I just prefer to feed live. In the year and a half I have had this paticular red tail he has not missed one rats head. So there real is no way for him to get bit. Like i stated early i am not arguing that live feeding isnt risky if not done right.

If he will eat f/t, here are 4 good reasons to switch him:
1. There is always a first time.
2. One time is all it takes.
3. Freezing kills most parasites.
4. Feeding live is cruel and inhumane to the rat. How you you like to die like that? At least in the wild they have a 50/50 chance of escaping. It's one thing to raise animals as feeders. It's another thing to subject them all to a slow, painful death. Have you no compassion?

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.

[spix14]

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

honestly on #4. no i HATE rats and mice. that one of the reasons i like to feed live too. may be morbid or inhuman but i hate em.

You can hate rats and mice all you want, but do you hate your snake too?

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[spix14]

Originally Posted by Guyana Lover

nope i love snakes especially mine.

Then why? You have such a vendetta out for rats that you have to feed live? You stated yourself that you PREFER to feed live, but that your snake will eat frozen. Is the thrill of watching your snake constrict a live rat really that awesome for you?

Just because nothing's happened yet, doesn't mean nothing ever will. I haven't been in a car accident yet, does that mean I'm invincible and should drive like a maniac since I haven't yet managed to get myself killed?

I'm probably wasting my breath here...it's your snake and your choice. but if you really love them that much, you'd think that you would want to eliminate as much risk of injury as possible. I can't help but think that you're still stuck in the "I'm cool and manly because I have SNAKES!" mentality...it seems to be pretty prevalent among live feeders.

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[spix14]

Could you perhaps list specifically why you prefer live? I'm trying my best not to bicker or bash you, I'd just like to know what it is that makes you like live better if you snake will eat frozen. Also, what methods did you use to try and get your BP to eat frozen?

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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[Aaron_NSBM]

Originally Posted by Aaron_NSBM

Alright guys drop it now... he will do it how he wants! No matter what pixs are showed or what is said... He is set in his own ways and will learn the hard way...At that point he may come back and say wow you guys are right...But untill then he will do it his way so no need to go any further right now.

As said above Spix...Just drop it... nothing we say or do will change the way he does things. He has taken enough of a lashing today!

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[spix14]

Sorry Aaron...guess my buttons are just being pushed tonight. I'll shut up now.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[Aaron_NSBM]

Originally Posted by spix14

Sorry Aaron...guess my buttons are just being pushed tonight. I'll shut up now.

Mine also but just gotta control yourself! And thanks Spix!

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[morti]

Not that you care because I know you won't try, but we have discovered that some balls will eat a f/t rat if you simply leave it in with them... preferably in the door of their hide box. They are very secretive eaters. We have had success getting some wild caught balls to eat when nothing else works.

With balls I always suggest leaving them in the environment were they are comfortable and don't stress them out overly much if you want them to eat.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.