viktors meal tried to get away. haha

[amazondoc]

i am one of the few owners that does live. only one snake will eat f/t.

This tells us more about your preferences than about what the snakes will actually accept.

 

[gelshark]

i have a blasted milk that i have been trying to convert to f/t she is being a poo head
i have tried all sorts of things so far, seems as though she's really stubborn, or maybe i just suck and can't do anything right
maybe our op is in the same type of situation with some of those corns

 

[amazondoc]

i have a blasted milk that i have been trying to convert to f/t she is being a poo head
i have tried all sorts of things so far, seems as though she's really stubborn, or maybe i just suck and can't do anything right
maybe our op is in the same type of situation with some of those corns

That's a milk, these are corns.....

 

[ZoologyGirl]

I've never heard of a corn that required live prey.

I prefer F/T myself, but one of my corns will only eat live :shrugs:

 

[gelshark]

That's a milk, these are corns.....

i guess i didnt realize that every single corn snake conforms to the corn snake rules of eating, i guess all the threads about the problem feeders are just myths like the elves, dwarfs, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

Only-- no, this sounds like someone who won't bother trying to convert their snakes to f/t. I only know of milk snakes and ball pythons absolutely refusing f/t. I've never had to convert a snake, but I can imagine it's not hard to rub used mouse bedding on a thawed or pre-killed mouse and then shaking it around with some tongs.

 

[Susan]

Only-- no, this sounds like someone who won't bother trying to convert their snakes to f/t. I only know of milk snakes and ball pythons absolutely refusing f/t. I've never had to convert a snake, but I can imagine it's not hard to rub used mouse bedding on a thawed or pre-killed mouse and then shaking it around with some tongs.

But if you have a nervous snake that prefers to run and hide whenever they are offered a dancing zombie, even that method won't work. I acquired a corn snake from a well-known and very experienced breeder who also tried to convert this snake from live to anything else. She must have live, nothing larger than a small mouse, she must be completely undisturbed from the moment you place the mouse with her until she has completely swallowed it or else she spits it out and won't go back to it, ever.

 

[diamondlil]

It took me 3 years to get one of my corns consistently feeding on pre-killed mice and on to f/t. Exactly as Susan described, the zombie mouse dance didn't work at all. Her feeding habits were so erratic I wasn't sure she'd survive, with 3 or 4 week hunger strikes being the norm for her. Finally Calamity just started taking dry-thawed mice dangled near her hide. Some corns really don't read the books that say how easy they are to keep.

 

[bitsy]

I've never had to convert a snake, but I can imagine it's not hard

Live feeding is a last resort but there really are Corns that are a nightmare to swap to F/T and the occasional one that simply will not eat anything but live. It's not common, but it does happen.

Thankfully I've never had one either but I've read enough horror stories from highly experienced people, to know that a blanket statement isn't really appropriate. As Janine says, they don't all read the rules!

 

[JenC]

Guys..honestly... why are you getting so huffy-puffy about this persons personal choice?

S/he is doing what fits their lifestyle, whether or not every single person in the world agrees with them.

Ive fed live before, ooooooooo. Doesnt make me a bad person, but at the time it needed to be done for a specific snake I had owned.

Sure, feeding f/t is safer, but there are snakes out there that wont have anything to do with it, and some people that just dont have the time to thaw dead animals and dangle it for minutes etc.

To each his own, the OP chooses to feed live, so be it.

BTW. great picture, pretty snake. haha, howd he end up grabbing the tail?! Thats definately not the warmest or most smell-good part of the mouse. haha

 

[Nanci]

Guys..honestly... why are you getting so huffy-puffy about this persons personal choice?

Because we have seen an example, just this year, of a gorgeous corn with his ENTIRE skin chewed off by a live mouse. Can you imagine how it feels to be that snake, or that person??

 

[Kali]

Because we have seen an example, just this year, of a gorgeous corn with his ENTIRE skin chewed off by a live mouse. Can you imagine how it feels to be that snake, or that person??

Those are always horrible examples, I have seen pics of those things too. But we must remember that in those cases the mouse is left overnight in the viv, giving it time to do such damage.
I'm not saying feeding live without leaving the mouse is safe, but the damage like above is not from a simple bite from a defensive mouse, and the OP did say that he refuses f/t.

 

[chad27]

Well live is the only option for one of mine but hey each to their own.

 

[starsevol]

I don't know, even IF this particular snake refused frozen thawed, there is always fresh killed. And even if this snake refuses fresh killed, posting a pic of a live mouse struggling for its life with a caption "viktor's meal tried to get away, haha" is in REALLY REALLY bad taste.

What animal faced with a painful death WOULDN'T try to get away??
And to follow it with "haha" as though it is funny....


Something like that belongs in a digusting and cruel utube vid (which I avoid at all costs), not on a forum of compassionate animal lovers....that is just my opinion.

 

[Hallie]

Those are always horrible examples, I have seen pics of those things too. But we must remember that in those cases the mouse is left overnight in the viv, giving it time to do such damage.
I'm not saying feeding live without leaving the mouse is safe, but the damage like above is not from a simple bite from a defensive mouse, and the OP did say that he refuses f/t.

I tend to agree with the statement below, given that 'only one snake' will take f/t. Now, this particular snake may be one that really won't take f/t, but I doubt the OP is really trying as hard as s/he could to convert ('we try to stick with what he knows' is a pretty good indication of that).

This tells us more about your preferences than about what the snakes will actually accept.

Agreed. I have nearly 60 snakes, and ONE won't take f/t. My guess is, if your collection is the opposite way, you're not trying hard enough. :shrugs:

Guys..honestly... why are you getting so huffy-puffy about this persons personal choice?

S/he is doing what fits their lifestyle, whether or not every single person in the world agrees with them.

Ive fed live before, ooooooooo. Doesnt make me a bad person, but at the time it needed to be done for a specific snake I had owned.

Sure, feeding f/t is safer, but there are snakes out there that wont have anything to do with it, and some people that just dont have the time to thaw dead animals and dangle it for minutes etc.

We get 'huffy puffy' because we're passionate about our animals and feel that the best/safest things should always be done for them, including feeding f/t. And if it means trying for years like J9 did to get them converted, so be it.

I agree that s/he is probably doing what fits his/her lifestyle...and not taking the time to do what is in the best interest of his/her animals at the same time.

No, it doesn't make you a bad person, most of us have had to do it at one point or another. My Caulker Cay boa refuses everything but live hopper mice, yet I try all the tricks before giving him his live meal each feeding. F/t, brained, drying with a hairdryer, the zombie dance, leaving overnight...I've even gone weeks without feeding him to see if being hungry would help, but seeing as he's just a young thing, I don't want to do that too much and possibly hurt his development in the process. I will continue to try everything until he starts taking f/t, or until he dies of old age, whichever comes first.

As for people 'not having time'...I can feed/clean my entire collection in about 2 hours. I only spend an extra 15-20 or so minutes with Duncan to try to get him to take his f/t mouse. If you don't have 15 minutes to attempt to make the life of your animal better/safer, maybe you shouldn't own the animal.

Now that I got that off my chest...to the OP, please do what you can to convert your animals to f/t. It will be better for them (and your wallet....silly Duncan costs me a little over $2 a week for his live mouse...$2 would pay for six f/t feedings, maybe more) in the long run. I know you don't think your rodents are diseased, and that's probably true, but internal parasites generally can't be seen and can be passed to your snakes...

Edit: Beth, I completely agree...the 'haha' was in bad taste and is what really indicates to me that the OP is not trying his/her hardest to convert the animals to f/t. It definitely seems like a form of entertainment in this case, not the last resort that it should be. I forgot to mention that in my post, but I was a little too ticked off by the 'Ive fed live before, ooooooooooo' comment to think straight.

 

[Nanci]

Those are always horrible examples, I have seen pics of those things too. But we must remember that in those cases the mouse is left overnight in the viv, giving it time to do such damage.
I'm not saying feeding live without leaving the mouse is safe, but the damage like above is not from a simple bite from a defensive mouse, and the OP did say that he refuses f/t.

Right, but if you can't hover over the snake until the deed is done (take Susan's live feeder for example) eventually there is the opportunity for an accident to happen. If that can happen to someone I have the utmost respect for, by _accident_, what are the chances of it happening to Joe Schmoe who doesn't even acknowledge the possibility of danger?

There's never a problem till there's a problem.

 

[JenC]

I myself am very passionate about this hobby and my animals as well. But i am not here to start bashing people for methods that work for them. Nor am i here to tell people what to do with their animals.

Unfortunately, this is the OP's personal choice, as well as the personal choice of every single reptile owner that chooses to feed either p/k or live.

 

[starsevol]

I myself am very passionate about this hobby and my animals as well. But i am not here to start bashing people for methods that work for them. Nor am i here to tell people what to do with their animals.

Unfortunately, this is the OP's personal choice, as well as the personal choice of every single reptile owner that chooses to feed either p/k or live.

Sorry, but I see this as both UNNECCESSARY risk to the welfare of the snake, and UNNECCESSARY cruelty towards the mouse.
So yes, I will most definately speak up, and judge people who do this thankyouverymuch.

I know that many people think that live feeding is the norm, or have never heard of f/t. I also know that many people who feed live have no idea how much damage a frightened mouse can cause. Well, we are here to educate them! And those who feed live for "kicks", I have no use for at all. They just give the rest of us a bad name...

 

[Kali]

Well, we are here to educate them!

Educating someone is something different from ramming it down their throat. Once they are made aware of the risks involved, there is no more you can do, how unfortunate it may be. Getting upset about it only makes the person stubborn and gets yourself even more irritated.

 

[gelshark]

People that judge others without knowing the whole story give our whole species a bad name, why do you think all the aliens in the movies want us all dead?
Now, where's that pile of stones?