Question/survey about feeding pre-killed

candyraver69 · 10-21-10, 07:25 AM

I have seen similar posts all over the web about this subject but wanted some detail that wasn't provided. If this topic has been beaten to death, I apologize.

What is your proffered way to feed your snake: A. thawed frozen or B. freshly pre-killed

If you pre-kill your own food what method do you use: A. spinal dislocation B. freezing live C. CO2 D. other (please specify)

If you purchase frozen where do you get it: A. pet store B. online retailer C. other (please specify)

If you pre-kill your own where do you get them: A. pet store B. breed your self C. other (please specify)

Overall what type/sizes do you feed monthly between all of your snakes (example 4 mouse pinkies a month or 30 mouse pinkies, 30 adult mice, 30 medium rats)?

If you had a friend that bred pet rats and was willing to give you frozen rats or mice that were fed a very high quality diet and put down humanely with co2 then frozen, would you prefer this over your current method? For people with a large amount of snakes that need a huge quantity this may apply to only cutting down on the amount you get another way rather than replace it.

The morals of such things have been beat to death, so I'd rather not start an argument about that. I want to leave it simply as a survey to see which types of people with snakes would find such a thing as a convenience (some free healthy food) and which are very comfortable with their current practices.

Thank you for your time.

infernalis · 10-21-10, 08:51 AM

apologies if I miss anything....

I prefer to feed frozen thawed, it's just convenient for me since I have around 100 snakes.

When needed I kill by blunt force trauma (a swift blow to the head/neck)

I order frozen mice from rodent pro (online vendor) 5-8 hundred mice per order.

I also raise rats and mice, but I have found 2 pet stores that pay nicely for them, so I sell the live rodents and use the money to buy frozen.

I can't even count how many I use, I have emptied out bags of 100 in a single feeding session.

Lankyrob · 10-21-10, 08:58 AM

Feed frozen thawed - bought from one of two reptile shops in our area.

Would i take frozen from a friend - yes, as long as i was happy that his feeding/killing methods were humane and good for the prey as well as the snake.

In a month i go through 2 XL mice, 14 medium mice, 8 fluffy mice. Am going to be switching most of the Medium mice feeders over to rats in the next couple of months but a few of the snakes are only just settling into a routine of feeding for me.

Will0W783 · 10-21-10, 09:14 AM

My preferred way to feed is frozen/thawed. I buy my frozen feeders in bulk. The few times that I have had to prekill I have used cervical dislocation, using a flat screwdriver to pop the head from the neck. I buy my frozen food from a local vendor at the reptile shows.

I feed anywhere from rat pinks to XL rats. 2 rat pinks, 7 weaners, 15 small rats, 5 mediums and 1 large every feeding, which is twice a month.

If I had a friend who had a humane way of killing off rats and was going to give me a better deal than my current supplier, I would definitely take it. I know a lot of people who breed their own rodents for food, and to each their own. I personally don't have the space, time, or money to maintain rodent colonies, so buying frozen is the best option for me.

candyraver69 · 10-21-10, 09:33 AM

Great feedback, thank you! I look forward to more responses.

When I had snakes I bred my own and it was really hard to manage to breed the right amounts at the right times because I was working with such a small scale (feeding an adult ball python small rats (weanlings) and a burm that started on fuzzy rats and eventually made her way up to several adult rats. It really was a hassle even though it saved me a ton of money.

I think it would be far more manageable if I had more snakes or had some friends with snakes to share with.

I would imagine it also being WAY to big of a hassle to breed your own if you had that large of a collection! 100 mice in one day of feeding, wow! good thing for that cheap online supplier!

infernalis · 10-21-10, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by candyraver69

I would imagine it also being WAY to big of a hassle to breed your own if you had that large of a collection! 100 mice in one day of feeding, wow! good thing for that cheap online supplier!

My situation is very unique compared to the other members here, my main focus is rare Garter Snakes, they are a smaller species and mostly are fed pinkies.

I have 6 rather large (by garter standards) that can eat young adult mice, but all the rest must eat pinkies because they have such small heads. Therefore one snake can consume 4 pinkies in a single meal.

Further this species is a fast metabolism snake that will eat 2-3 times a week

candyraver69 · 10-21-10, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

My situation is very unique compared to the other members here, my main focus is rare Garter Snakes, they are a smaller species and mostly are fed pinkies.

I have 6 rather large (by garter standards) that can eat young adult mice, but all the rest must eat pinkies because they have such small heads. Therefore one snake can consume 4 pinkies in a single meal.

Further this species is a fast metabolism snake that will eat 2-3 times a week

That is unique. Very neat

Never met anyone with a pet garter snake before. I imagine I will be meeting a ton of new people with all kinds of interesting snakes now joining this forum.

infernalis · 10-21-10, 09:57 AM

Have a look at this thread.....

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/thamn...to-thread.html

shaunyboy · 10-21-10, 10:38 AM

i buy frozen rats from a local private breeder

cheers shaun

lovemyskittles · 10-21-10, 09:54 PM

We buy f/t from local breeder. Occasionally have had to buy live and kill them - blunt force to head/neck area. Get our live ones from local reptile shop.

Per month we feed: 4pinkie mice, 12crawler mice, 8 lg adult mice.

If a friend had the size(s) we need we would for our snakes we would get/buy our mice from a friend.

Reptile_Reptile · 10-22-10, 02:36 PM

when you use blunt force to kill do you just go wild man on it and straight up smash the head or do you just bonk it and kill it

marvelfreak · 10-22-10, 02:58 PM

I crank up the Ozzy slam a beer or two grab the rat and bit it head right off.

LOL (just kidding)

Reptile_Reptile · 10-22-10, 03:01 PM

i was believing you up (no joke) until the lol i had several emotions in about 2 seconds XP

presspirate · 10-22-10, 03:08 PM

I feed f/t always. I have had 3 snakes, that when I got them I was told they will ONLY eat live. With a little patience they have all taken f/t and thrived.

I purchase my rats/mice at a local reptile store, though I have been looking into a large order online.

I feed 12 small mice, 6 large rats, and 3 small rats per month, but as the snakes grow, that changes. Average bill per month is about $45

I could not bring myself to kill a rat. I've had rats as pets, and if forced to kill them to feed my snakes, I'd have even more rats as pets. And, yes if I knew someone that raised rats and would kill and freeze them humanely, I would definitely buy from them.

infernalis · 10-22-10, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reptile_Reptile

when you use blunt force to kill do you just go wild man on it and straight up smash the head or do you just bonk it and kill it

One swift bonk to the head.

even if they are not totally dead, the snakes first instinct is to constrict.

Constriction is not inhumane, it's nature... I do it to keep the rats from biting the snake.