Could this harm my snake?

[Knightmare113]

I recently got a Texas Bull Snake. He s my first herp and he s doing doing great. I know i m not suppose to but, I ve been feeding him live prey. Thats what the previous owner did so he won t eat pre-killed.
The problem now is that he wasn t hungry one day when i tried to feed him so i had to store the mouse i was going to give him. I didn t know what to feed the mouse so I gave the mouse a couple of Cheetos to keep him from starving. I never had to worry about this before since he s never refused food.
I was curious if a mouse fed on "junk food' could be bad for my snake and if so what should i do with the mouse? Do i have another pet now?

[nolagurl]

Whatever the mice eats your snake *eats* too. Keep that in mind.

[BWSmith]

Also, it should not be difficult to switch a Bull over to F/T rodents. They are pretty much garbage disposals. Keep at it

[Auskan]

That is certainly one of the major disadvantages of feeding live prey (aside from the fact that the mouse could do a lot of damage to the snake). But to answer your question, feeding junk food to the mouse is not a great idea. Snakes get some of their much-needed nutrition from the contents of their prey's stomach, so you would in effect also be feeding your snake junk food. And - junk food will put on fat rather than protein to the mouse, which again will not be as healthy a meal for your snake.

[Tim_Cranwill]

If you're feeding live, something like this might happen from time to time. You should go and buy the proper equipment for keeping live mice. Don't bother with the wheels and plastic tubes and the other "commercial" items. But get the preoper food, housing and a water bottle to keep the mouse healthy.

[mykee]

I agree with Tim, get what you need to house them for a temporary time, you might find out you like it and end up breeding your own. With regards to the Cheetos, maybe there is something a little more suitable in your kitchen than a completely processed food item.