Youtube.com and retards

[Stock350]

So, Ive been dinking around on Youtube.com as of late, and as many of you know who frequent that site, there are a lot of videos on there of snakes feeding on live animals.

Ive seen it all on there, really. I've seen adult pythons feeding on live rabbits, Ive seen Boa's feeding on live chicks and of course hatchling corns feeding on pinkies. I understand that feeding a snake a live prey can run risks of injuring the snake when the mouse or rabbit gets that chance to bite or scratch an eye or the body of the snake leaving a good sized injury. I also understand that live prey can be more healthy for the snakes. So really, there are pros and cons to all of this madness.

What my rant is, people watching these videos and claiming its inhumane or illegal to feed snakes live food. Or, its not natural to feed a snake live prey. Or they feel sorry for the live prey. What did these people think they were getting into when they clicked on a video that says " Boa eating LIVE BIRD" or " Large 11ft snake eating a live rabbit." Did they think it was going to be a cartoon or some sort, or a censored video? Curiousity always wins though, but the comments of cussing someone out for recording their snake feeding is uncalled for.

Im sure people who own snakes know the risks of feeding their animal live prey. I feed my snake live pinkies each week and there is never any problems. Although, pinkies pose no threat whatsoever because they can't even see, let alone defend themselves against a hungry snake.

Anyway, its late, Im ranting. I just think people need to lay off. If someone wants to feed their snake a live meal, so be it. It's sad that they understand that their snake can be injured, but being that they are educated in the subject and they still do it, then whatever. :sidestep:

:flames:

 

[Plissken]

I feel that if someone CAN feed f/t or dead food, they should. If my snakes ever needed live food, they'd get it, but I certainly wouldn't film it and want to show it off.

And here, it is illegal to feed live food without good reason. It seems to me that people who film these things do it for shock value.

Just my opinion.

 

[Pet Corn Snake]

Youtube is slowly going downhill, its working slow, you get a subscriber and it takes about two days for them to show and it used to show right away, same with videos takes like a day, and also the customer support has become really bad, i do think one or two of there workers should work on looking around the site for animal cruielty because its 1) against the law in some cases,2) gives people wrong ideas about the animal! what i mean by that is somone may have got a snake and be looking on youtube for some knowlage on the reptile and see this..

anyways, ive told them many times in messages and ive flagged many many videos but they just ignor it...!

 

[Shade]

I see no problem feeding live prey as long as the threat to the snake has been removed.

 

[Plissken]

I see no problem feeding live prey as long as the threat to the snake has been removed.

How do you do that? A mouse can attack in the blink of an eye - far faster than you can react to grab it away. Short of removing the mouse's teeth and claws, past the pinky/fuzzy stage I don't see how it can ever be completely safe.

 

[BeckyG]

If you think that is bad, wait until you run across those who insist that we need to teach our snakes to be vegetarians. Yes, they are really out there. And yes, they have no clue...

 

[Phaedra]

What disgusted me was one user who had dozens of youtube videos of animal vs. animal. The one I saw was jaguar vs. anaconda. Both were on a bank beside a river and the jaguar attacked for no apparent reason, grabbing the anaconda and trying to bite it. The snake got into the water and the cat followed and I thought it was over for the jaguar, but once again the jag attacked. The anaconda tried to get away for the next five minutes, not fighting back at all, as the cat dragged it onto the bank and bit it and clawed it repeatedly. Then another big cat, a lion or something, joined in. Then when the anaconda died the cats lost interest and started fighting each other.

It made me sad because the anaconda was clearly just frightened and wanted to get away... but this youtube user seemed to have a fascination with animals fighting each other to the death. I think that's more disturbing than feeding a pet, but there are people who'd disagree. It bugs me when people get annoyed with me for having a pet that eats mice... I had somebody tell me it wasn't "natural". Yeah, cos in the wild snakes eat pop tarts and cabbages, don't they?

 

[tanner123]

I see no problem with feeding live prey, It's there choice if they want to take the risk then let them, in my opinion a snake could react faster than a mouse to defend itself i still don't feed live because of the risk but i think some people overexagurate the risk and if they want to tape it i don't see what the difference taping a live mouse getting eaten or a dead one because alot of you i know tape your snakes eating even i do sometimes. just my opinion.

 

[SnakeNbake]

I can't stand those kind of videos. If people feel the need to feed live prey to their snakes, that's their business, but to tape it and post it on the internet as amusement for strangers is nothing short of disgusting in my opinion.

 

[tanner123]

but some people do find it amusing its not like its forcing you to watch it or to see it there unless your actually looking for it

 

[Nanci]

Seen one snake eat mouse
You may as well have seen all
Nothing new here, folks.

Nanci

 

[SnakeNbake]

but some people do find it amusing its not like its forcing you to watch it or to see it there unless your actually looking for it

I don't watch that stuff and just because some people find it amusing, it doesn't make it okay.

 

[Abcat1993]

It's called CURIOSITY. And "controvertial topic warning" should be posted at the top of this or something.

 

[Abcat1993]

I meant controversial

 

[Nanci]

I _did_ really like the Rabbit Chases Snake video- educational, and nothing was hurt except Mr. Snake's dignity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VbstOnYtwI

Nanci

 

[SnakeNbake]

It's called CURIOSITY. And "controvertial topic warning" should be posted at the top of this or something.

I get the feeling we're all talking about different things here. It's one thing to see a video of an animal doing what comes naturally and eating live prey, but it's a whole other ballgame when the animal is being subject to cruelty at the hands of humans. That's what I don't like.

 

[Hypancistrus]

I get the feeling we're all talking about different things here. It's one thing to see a video of an animal doing what comes naturally and eating live prey, but it's a whole other ballgame when the animal is being subject to cruelty at the hands of humans. That's what I don't like.

Which part is subjecting it to cruelty?? Just wondering....

Because for the record, I agree with your original post. Seems to me there's something seriously wrong with people who get their jollies off of posting pics of their snake feasting on live prey for the world to enjoy. It's one thing to share it with your pals on your internet forum (like when one of our members posted her snake DEVOURING like 2 frozen pinkies in 30 seconds- that was wicked cool) but to just post it OUT there?? I don't see the point, myself. :shrugs:

Just today I was rather enjoying watching my two ambush predators tackle earthworms... but I'm not gonna film it and post it on YouTube...

 

[SnakeNbake]

I'm talking about those nature shows you'd see on tv. That's about the circle of life, etc, so it doesn't bother me. It's the videos like the one of the kid teasing a bearded dragon with an anole and recording it so other people could watch the bearded dragon kill the poor thing in a brutal manner. That's the stuff I find disgusting and inhumane.

 

[Hypancistrus]

It's the videos like the one of the kid teasing a bearded dragon with an anole and recording it so other people could watch the bearded dragon kill the poor thing in a brutal manner. That's the stuff I find disgusting and inhumane.

I agree.

 

[tyflier]

I'm confused. Maybe it's just me, but...I don't see the difference in watching a snake constrict and eat an f/t mouse and watching a snake constrict and eat a live mouse. The simple fact is, the mouse must die for the snake to eat it. Whether that mouse dies prior to the introduction with the snake or because of that introduction, seems inconsequential to me. The mouse still dies merely because your snake needs food. Period.

I understand that f/t mice can be killed in more humane and painless ways...but you can't guarantee that is the case unless you perform the euthanasia yourself. Who is to say that the pet store from whence you just purchased your f/t mice doesn't have a psychotic kid in the back whacking mice on the head and suffocating them? After all...CO2 costs money and humane euthanasia takes time, which, in the world of business, is money. So in reality, in a business sense, it is more cost efficient to whack a mouse on the head and throw it in the freezer unconscious than it is to perform a humane euthanasia.

And in all honesty, you have no idea if such is the case or not. Which means that the idea of feeding f/t mice from a pet store because of the idea that the mice are killed in a humane manner is pretty much based ONLY on assumption.

But back to the point...I see ALOT of pictures posted on this website of mice being consumed by snakes. There is no way to tell from a picture of a half-eaten mouse whether the prey was fed live or f/t, unless the mouse is absolutely dripping with water. In which case, f/t is still only an assumption, not a guarantee.

So my question is...what's the difference? What's the difference in posting the pictures or video links here or there? How many videos have you seen posted of f/t prey being consumed? I've seen plenty. Is there really that big of a difference, save for the first 30 seconds of the mouse running around scared out of it's wits? The consumption is still the same...


And, FWIW...knocking a mouse unconscious before feeding it to your snake pretty well eliminates any chance of the mouse hurting your snake if you feed live. It also prevents the aforementioned 30 seconds of "terrified mouse".

Personally...I see nothing wrong with feeding live, if you so choose. I don't. Frozen/thawed is merely more cost-effective, for me. But if you want to feed live, I don't care. It's your moeny, and your snake...