first time for everything

[iguanaman001]

Today was feeding day at the zoo. Of course everyday is feeding day for my three iguanas but today was snake day as well. Up to today I have been faithful, feeding my ball python and my okettee corn, frozen hoppers but for some reason, I just wanted to see it happen. How the snakes actually hunt and I got quite the amazing show as my cornsnake struck so hard and fast, he literally knocked the hopper over before he coiled around the mouse and chocked it out.
My ball python was sleeping in his hide box when the mouse stuck its nose in. I watched as the mouse ran out and got himself stuck in a corner. Before I could count to three, the python struck fast and coiled around the body.
Now that I know they both can handle live feed, I think I am sold on it. It is natural for them to hunt as since they can handle the size of the hoppers, I think I am going to go natural.
What an amazing experience. I don't think I will forget this for awhile.

[Pixie]

It may be more entertaining for you to watch but it's definitely not better for your snake!!! Bites from prey are very common when feeding live which alone could do some serious damage, then you have the bacteria factor that is mostly eliminated in f/t food.

Your choice but in my place, my snake's health comes way before my entertainment.

Just my opinion,
Pixie

[unknownclown]

You know right now I am feeding live as well to one of my snakes and even though it started off as sorta cool to watch its loosing its luster and I'm starting to think about the future. Mice arent as bright as rats and rats can do some serious damage to a snake. Even if you stay and supervise the feeding one bite can seriously injure a snake especially if it bites the snake in the head. If your snake is takeing F/T consider yourself lucky and dont mess with a good thing.
Now it may be natural for a snake in the wild to eat live but it is not natural for a snake to be put in an enclosure with a mouse. Snakes will go thru periods of not eating, what if the snake isnt hungry, now the snake is trapped in an enclosure with a mouse that senses danger. Plus if you've ever seen a wild snake you would notice it has scarring which is also natural. Even if you dont care if your snake has a few nicks and scratches on it, it still hurts the snake.
Ok Ill get off of my high horse and quit harping now.

[dutch]

just put of curiosity, how old are your snakes?

[iguanaman001]

My okette corn is almost two years old. She will be two in June. My ball python is 6 months old, maybe add a week or two to that.
As for the luster of the watch, It was just a curiousity thing with me. Something I have always wanted to witness. I do know all the hazards of feeding live bait and I do agree with the idea that a mouse in a closed-in environment with a snake who might not be eating at the time is a potentially dangerous situation.
But I did check it out with the pet store owner and asked if I would be able to go back to frozen feed and whether the snakes would accept it.

[Andy_G]

Feed frozen. Only offer frozen, and they will eventually eat it again because they were on it before hand. If you continue to feed live, you, moreso the snake you are feeding, WILL feel the consequences eventually. Even if you are watching you can't reach into a cage and grab a mouse quicker than a mouse can turn it's head and bite something close to it! The choice is yours, but for me, risk outweighs curiousity, i'm not taking any chances!

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Seeing your snake being bitten by a mouse is one of the WORST sights. (For me anyway) Be safe, have ur fingers ready to hold the suckers mouth closed if needed. Ive had to do it numerous times. Use tweezers. Good luck!

[fr0glet]

And don't believe everything the pet store tells you.

I think that's rather sick that you enjoy seeing a snake attack and kill a small animal. As everyone has pointed out the risks of injury aren't worth it. Not to mention the possibility of zoonosis, your live rodents passing illness, parasites, or mites to your snake. That risk doesn't exist feeding frozen/thawed. Also your snake can come to associate your hand entering his cage with feeding time/time to strike. More agressive feeders are simply more likely to bite. Don't forget it's also way cheaper to feed f/t. There are a landslide of reasons to do it, and the only reason not to is for your own amusement? Sorry I don't agree with you.

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

I dont think any of us here are tying to make u feel bad or anything like that at all. We are just pointing out that its NOT a good thing to do. It's ur decision and not ours. If you wanna feed live, be my guest! Just be ready.

[Lisa]

I find feeding live rather upsetting. I have 2 snakes that i feed live for and I cry everytime. I feel like I'm responsible for a little tiny life being snuffed out. It's not something I enjoy watching.

[Burmies]

It is amazing to see snakes attacking their live prey. I like to watch every time I feed my snakes.

Burmies

[iguanaman001]

Thank you. I am amazed with how much negativity that came from this original post. Feeding a snake a live mouse is what they would do in their natural environment. Keeping an animal in a cage behind glass doors and feeding him FROZEN food is unnatural and that is exactly what the majority of us are doing.
So even in a natural environment, a snake would be attacked. So why is everyone saying I am wrong?
Oh well! I am not going to argue this. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I have two healthy snakes and I fed them two live mice. Good night everyone.

[marisa]

I don't believe its right to say ANYONE is right or wrong in this case.

A. Yep. Live prey is natural. And Yep. Dead prey in cage, unnatural. Live prey in cage? NOT NATURAL. Doesn't matter how I feel, right wrong, or how anyone feels. No situation when a reptile is in captivity is NATURAL.

You cannot use this as ANY basis for comparision during ANY discussion as NOTHING is natural about what the reptile is going through. And as such, you have to modify their lifesytle to include this.

Again, regardless of MY opinion, what people are saying is that for them, with THERE experience and others experiences, feeding live can be VERY dangerous.

Another factor is parasites which are in the mice and on the mice. Without freezing this are mostly being tranferred directly to your snake. Again not saying right or wrong, but facts. If you get the best looking mice out there, they can STILL have rodent mites, snake mites from pet store, and internal parasites.

Fact: A mouse can eat a ball pythons head clean off. This is documented in photos. Will this happen to you? Doubtfully becaue you are watching, but its irresponsible for no one to mention anything because a newbie might read this thread and throw live mice in with his snakes. Plain and simple.

Its not really negativity but a need for someone to let people know the dangers of feeding live. Since you do it with no problems, fine. But does that mean the dangers don't exsist? Everyone should be educated about ALL aspects of any method they choose.

If its right for you, great! If not, great too! But at least someone gives you straight answers, and some facts! :)

Marisa
P.S. and personally I wanted to add....if I bring up an idea or an action I have taken with one of my reptiles, and most every single answer is negative, and telling me facts pointing the other way, wouldn't that generally mean that the years of experience between the posters has shown that my idea or action may not be the best for my reptile? Just some thoughts.

[marisa]

Oh I also wanted to add...

When I first got my Mexican Black he was only eating live, so I cotinued to fed him live for quite awhile. At first it was amazing watching him and it was really amazing how he hunted it down. But then one mouse I noticed was biting him repeatedly while in his coils. Which really bothered me. Then the next time a mouse was in his coils it bite him hard again. But even though he had eaten probably 20-30 live mice in my care already, this was the first times this had happened.

I never ever fed him live again. I personally don't want to risk infection from the bite, or injury or scars. So I stopped. But anyways just MHO. :)

Marisa

[Bryce Masuk]

I have a ball python that only eats live he is too shy to hunt really i have had him for a year and he has eaten frozen once he is a picky eater so as long as he eats i am happy Frozen is a much better choice but if your set on live then what i just said wont do anything maybe if you saw some of the pics of snakes that have been brutally attacked by mice/rats rats are the worst if you want to feed live get a garter snake and feed it crix

[iguanaman001]

I honestly don't get this. If you look at the last thread, there are a number of people who support natural feeding and even admit that they do it regularly. But when someone else posts and says they tried it for the first time, well, I don't know what to think. The previous post we see people who knock the mouse out with a hard blow to the head, a mallet, a hammer, or placing it in a sock and hitting it against the wall and feed it to the snake like that.
Well, there would still be parasites on the mouse even it it were dead. You cannot get rid of every parasite that might be under the fur of the mouse. So regardless of how you feed the snake, there is an element of risk.
In the pet store, you have no idea what the store is feeding the mouse. If you breed mice at home, then you can control what the mouse is eating and you would know the quality of feed you were giving the snake.

[Pixie]

Try and not to take this personally, it's just that many of us believe that feeding dead prey is safer than live for many reasons. I, who have 3 out 7 snakes that don't take f/t yet, would do anything to be able to switch them over, but they are fussier and 2 of them are now taking prekilled.

Should your snakes develop a taste for live only, it will be more of a hassle for you to feed. It's a lot easier to have some mice in the freezer and take one out as you need it than to have to run to the pet shop everytime your snake needs a meal. Will you be willing to do that or try to convince your snake to eat dead prey again for a long time after?

These are just some thoughts, personally, you can choose to feed how you like. To me, it's just easier and safer to feed prekilled and f/t.

Pixie