Advice on feeding snakes?

[Sevaede]

My husband wants a snake. He has had several snakes before. I have had friends with snakes and have fed them before and only has this fear recently occured. He wants to breed his own feeders (as he had done in the past).

Anyways, we were debating about the best way to feed snakes. I confessed my fears and told him, "I absolutely do NOT want to hear or see little mice and rats screaming, choking, or any of the other colourful things." Don't get me wrong. I love snakes. I realize that everything has to eat and, in nature and other homes, this is how it happens. But I feel that we, ourselves, would somehow be disgracing and minimizing the importance of their lives and their sacrifices (their lives so others could go on and that sort). I, also, told him that this had to potential had to develop into irresponsibility as the snakes could get severely injured by mice and rats (A former friend of mine had a little mouse after it killed his snake.). He contested that it's *NEVER* been that way with any of his former babies. As well as, "Oh yeah. It's TOTALLY humane to put them in a bag and let them slowly freeze to death." We eventually came to reason and I said, "No, there are people who do it different ways..." and blah blah blah.

So, he eventually saw what I was talking about. We want to know how HE could go about doing all of this in the best and most humane way possible? Is there another way?

Thank you all.

[IRescue452]

I'm sorry I've never really had a snake so I am not that knowledgable, but I always thought live was the best way to go. Don't snakes find their food by heat for the most part?

[Sevaede]

Maybe. I am not entirely sure on that.

He has a lot more hands on knowledge with snakes than I do so maybe I should just take his word for it? I've never personally had a snake just a few friends. One had an eleven foot ball python, another had this pretty orange snake, and I don't know what the other had. Most things I know about snakes are knowledge through books and what I've gathered from helping feed and when I used to catch snakes, lizards, and salamanders as a kid.

It's really only my recent fear and colourful imagination that would prevent him from feeding live.

[DrKym]

I have a couple of Burmese and 5 ball pythons, because I raise my own feeders I too cannot freeze them but the valid point here is that live fed snakes can and do get very hurt by their prey in captivity. Snakes are naturally shy and hunt for their food we take that option away by throwing food in at them when we feel they are hungry, they may not be so they delay in a strike a terrified rat or mouse knowing it is now in the predators cage will fight for its life, and inflict damage with sharp teeth (ironic in a way) however the only other method if he wont buy freviously frozen and feed thawed food. (sold by petco ) is the stun method. that is to knock the feeder animal unconscious and then to (please use forceps to hold the animal for your own protection during a food strike that may miss, not every strike is true or accurate ) dangle the "prey" to garner the snakes attention. Hope this helps. However safest way to feed period is f/t (frozen thawed) please please research this with him before choosing.

[king2005]

So, he eventually saw what I was talking about. We want to know how HE could go about doing all of this in the best and most humane way possible? Is there another way?

Thank you all.

PM me if you want the most humaine way that I do it. As I will not post this kind of info

[Suki Wingy]

If you want to avoid feeding rodents you can by getting one of the many species of snakes that will eat minnows

[ILoveReptiles]

Personally I do not feed any of my 4 snakes live food. Too much risk of them catching something nasty from the rats/mice.

I go to www.rodentpro.com and buy humanely euthanized rats that are specifically raised to feed reptiles. My last purchase was for 65 lbs of frozen rats, and I had to buy a freezer to put them in.



I'm still not through them all.