Feeder rabbits...

[ekanS]

Originally Posted by Hairless

Well, my neck might be a little more tan than some.
But, I wasn't kidding....my favorite meal is rabbit and squirrel. As a boy, we raised rabbit for our food and we were given a birthday choice meal....yep, you know what I picked.

Oh, I figured you were serious. I have never tried rabbit. I've tried venison (hope I spelled that right) and wild boar. I have friends that enjoy hunting, especially with a cross bow. I don't have the guts.

[louise]

i have wild rabbits that come in my yard too. i feed them and i love sitting outside watching them. never have i thought of killing them.
it started out with me seeing 2 rabbits and now babies come with the one big rabbit.

[ekanS]

Originally Posted by BRBMOMMA

i mean snakes were designed to eat food, i often wonder if a wild caught rabbit could honestly be anyworse then these mass produced feeder rabbits that sometimes look like crap.

Some things that occur in a snakes natural environment could be harmful given the stress of living in a captive environment...for instance their immune system and resistance to parasites loads and such might not function the same. And in the wild it may have options to instinctively avoid or fight certain conditions.

Hope that makes a little since.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by ekanS

Some things that occur in a snakes natural environment could be harmful given the stress of living in a captive environment...for instance their immune system and resistance to parasites loads and such might not function the same. And in the wild it may have options to instinctively avoid or fight certain conditions.
Hope that makes a little since.

The immune system is built mostly on exposure. Feeding wild prey early on to a healthy captive snake will only boost it's immune system. If the snake is stressed in captivity, I recommend changing the captive environment. I fed my salvator food that would kill a salvator not brought up on this type of food. The reason being she was designed to eat it, and her immune system benefited from eating it.
The clean sterile environments people keep their snakes in is usually the culprit for the weaker immune system, not the piece of drift wood not baked in the oven.

[toddhowudoing]

i shot a few with my bow a couple of days ago, less messy,knock a few off before they know what hit them

[morti]

Originally Posted by razeraze

The immune system is built mostly on exposure. Feeding wild prey early on to a healthy captive snake will only boost it's immune system. If the snake is stressed in captivity, I recommend changing the captive environment. I fed my salvator food that would kill a salvator not brought up on this type of food. The reason being she was designed to eat it, and her immune system benefited from eating it.
The clean sterile environments people keep their snakes in is usually the culprit for the weaker immune system, not the piece of drift wood not baked in the oven.

I strongly disagree.

Our responsibilities as reptile keepers should be to provide the best possible care for our captives. Providing prey that is loaded with parasites and god-only-knows what toxins such as a wild rodent is NOT providing the best possible care in my opinion.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by morti

I strongly disagree.
Our responsibilities as reptile keepers should be to provide the best possible care for our captives. Providing prey that is loaded with parasites and god-only-knows what toxins such as a wild rodent is NOT providing the best possible care in my opinion.

Morti you do realize you may very well have parasites in your brain right now. Many humans contracted a parasite in their brains from the domestication of cats. The parasite does not harm us unless they interfere with fluid in the brain.
So to believe not exposing animals to parasites or bacteria is the safest way to keep things alive is completely wrong. This is why we live in an allergenic nation. Our immune system has been so pampered it has become intolerant of dust.
Are germs good for your kids? - Baby Health - C-Health

Giving the animal the best conditions allow it to develop a strong immune system. Eating carrion has little affect on their wild ancestors and should have little affect on them.

[ekanS]

Originally Posted by razeraze

This is why we live in an allergenic nation. Our immune system has been so pampered it has become intolerant of dust.

That would be my point. All living organisms host parasites. But when the immune system is diminished for whatever reason the parasite load goes unchecked and parasites wreak havoc. Serving a captive animal prey with a parasite load more than twice what they are accustomed to can have this affect.