live feeding....could you do it?

fantapants · 31-05-2009, 12:49 PM

i have just been to collect some hatchling baby royal pythons that i have been given. they are 6 weeks old and were captive farmed. that means that their mother was very likely caught when gravid and once she laid, she was released and her eggs kept and hatched. the day they were hatched they would have been packed into a crate and shipped to a wholesalers in the uk. Then they would have been sent to dealers and petshops. THEN they would be offered water, would shed their skin for the first time and would be offered food ( freshly defrosted rodent). if they dont take the food they are force fed or assist fed.

royal pythons are seriously finnicky feeders at the bet of times. Now i have two royals that have no idea about feeding. if i am to keep them alive i need to either force feed them ( VERY stressful to them) or offer them live food ( very stressful to the rodent) and then gradually wean them onto fresh killed and then defrost rodents. I already know that i am going to offer them live rodents......i offer live to all my picky feeders.

So the question i wanted to ask.......... could you do it? what is more important? the snake or the rodent?

anna m · 31-05-2009, 02:11 PM

Well I don't keep snakes but my brothers used too

I (and they) wouldn't feed a live rodent to them because the rodent could and would bite them and might cause damage. And stressful for the rodents as well as you say

What my brothers did do was to buy Goldfish and fed them alive
Not in front of me ever I must say but I know they did that (Maybe better to stun it first)

swad1000 · 31-05-2009, 04:52 PM

I thought feeding live vertebrates was illegal?

fantapants · 31-05-2009, 04:59 PM

nope, its not ilegal if the snakes life depends on it. but it IS ilegal if you record it or do it in public.

Pussygalore · 31-05-2009, 05:05 PM

I think its something that should be done behind closed doors and without anyone knowing, I'd love a snake or similar but would never have one because I couldn't even feed them a dead baby mouse let alone a live one. I think its a horrible trade breeding then killing the babies before they've even had a chance to live and more so the poor parent mouse/rat who constantly has her babies taken from her to me all living animals that care for thier young must have maternal feelings and just because its a small insignificant mouse she still must feel loss and pain. I know they catch them in the wild but at least it has a chance, its the doing it knowingly that to me seems wrong and callous at the very least.

**Alan1** · 31-05-2009, 05:06 PM

I wouldn't fancy that but I did feed live foods to my fish

Lyn · 31-05-2009, 05:17 PM

No I couldn't do it either.

dolittle · 31-05-2009, 05:18 PM

i feed live insects but i dont think i could feed rodents which is why i dont keep things which will need to be fed them. i think if you keep snakes ect that need to eat certain things then you should be prepared to feed them it.

fantapants · 31-05-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolittle

i feed live insects but i dont think i could feed rodents which is why i dont keep things which will need to be fed them. i think if you keep snakes ect that need to eat certain things then you should be prepared to feed them it.

thats the thing, it has to be done responsibly. this is not the first batch of CF royals that i have been given free of charge. they just dont eat after the trauma they go through to get here in the first place. and people dont feel right force feeding them or mushing up a mouse and tube feeding them. so people likeme take them on and establish a feeding pattern with them. these are now mine to keep but i also rehabilitate baby royals and thn give them back to their owners when they eat defrost.

as to the comment about baby animals......i feed my adult royals one chick and one rat, alternating on a weekly basis. the chicks come from chicken farms. they are all boy chicks and they are euthanised as soon as they are sexed as male. they still have bits of egg shell stuck the them. but they are ueless to the chicken farmer. so i am just using a by product of our omestic meat farming techniques. The rats i either breed myself or buy frozen. i prefer to breed my own as i know then that the rats DO have a good level of life, top quality food and lots of interaction. i only feed live as a last resort with hatchling snakes and wean them onto defrost asap. i also kill them humanely by breaking their neck. its instantaneous and alot kinder than the rodent breeders gas chambers.

Pussygalore · 31-05-2009, 09:41 PM

well whatever and however its still a provacative subject and while I know if you keep snakes thats what you have to do for those of us who consider ourselves animal lovers and I mean all animals then I for one really don't want to know how you do it, like I said its something which I personally wouldn't go boasting about, and something I can't do anything about anymore than the killing of male calves from milk cows or the masceration of day old chicks, all as bad as each other.

31-05-2009, 12:49 PM	#1
fantapants Member Hatchling Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 542	live feeding....could you do it? i have just been to collect some hatchling baby royal pythons that i have been given. they are 6 weeks old and were captive farmed. that means that their mother was very likely caught when gravid and once she laid, she was released and her eggs kept and hatched. the day they were hatched they would have been packed into a crate and shipped to a wholesalers in the uk. Then they would have been sent to dealers and petshops. THEN they would be offered water, would shed their skin for the first time and would be offered food ( freshly defrosted rodent). if they dont take the food they are force fed or assist fed. royal pythons are seriously finnicky feeders at the bet of times. Now i have two royals that have no idea about feeding. if i am to keep them alive i need to either force feed them ( VERY stressful to them) or offer them live food ( very stressful to the rodent) and then gradually wean them onto fresh killed and then defrost rodents. I already know that i am going to offer them live rodents......i offer live to all my picky feeders. So the question i wanted to ask.......... could you do it? what is more important? the snake or the rodent? __________________ .

31-05-2009, 02:11 PM	#2
anna m Senior Member Adult Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 4,091	Well I don't keep snakes but my brothers used too I (and they) wouldn't feed a live rodent to them because the rodent could and would bite them and might cause damage. And stressful for the rodents as well as you say What my brothers did do was to buy Goldfish and fed them alive Not in front of me ever I must say but I know they did that (Maybe better to stun it first) Last edited by anna m; 31-05-2009 at 06:01 PM.

31-05-2009, 04:59 PM	#4
fantapants Member Hatchling Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 542	nope, its not ilegal if the snakes life depends on it. but it IS ilegal if you record it or do it in public. __________________ .

31-05-2009, 05:18 PM	#8
dolittle Member Hatched Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: portsmouth Posts: 290	i feed live insects but i dont think i could feed rodents which is why i dont keep things which will need to be fed them. i think if you keep snakes ect that need to eat certain things then you should be prepared to feed them it. __________________ 1 springer spanial snoop 1 boxer tae 4 hermann tortoises fish 2 male leopard geckos 1 panther chameleon ca painted wood turtle nicola osborne on facebook RIP my wonderful boxer sasha, will miss you lotsxxxxxxxx 13 04 10

31-05-2009, 04:52 PM	#3
swad1000 Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,702	I thought feeding live vertebrates was illegal?

31-05-2009, 05:05 PM	#5
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	I think its something that should be done behind closed doors and without anyone knowing, I'd love a snake or similar but would never have one because I couldn't even feed them a dead baby mouse let alone a live one. I think its a horrible trade breeding then killing the babies before they've even had a chance to live and more so the poor parent mouse/rat who constantly has her babies taken from her to me all living animals that care for thier young must have maternal feelings and just because its a small insignificant mouse she still must feel loss and pain. I know they catch them in the wild but at least it has a chance, its the doing it knowingly that to me seems wrong and callous at the very least.

31-05-2009, 05:06 PM	#6
Alan1 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Sunny Scotland Posts: 21,512	I wouldn't fancy that but I did feed live foods to my fish

31-05-2009, 05:17 PM	#7
Lyn Senior Member Adult Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 3,533	No I couldn't do it either.

31-05-2009, 09:41 PM	#10
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	well whatever and however its still a provacative subject and while I know if you keep snakes thats what you have to do for those of us who consider ourselves animal lovers and I mean all animals then I for one really don't want to know how you do it, like I said its something which I personally wouldn't go boasting about, and something I can't do anything about anymore than the killing of male calves from milk cows or the masceration of day old chicks, all as bad as each other.

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