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18-Oct-07, 12:41 PM
|  | Subscriber | Join Date: Oct-07 Location: New Zealand Gender:  | | | OK to feed our python live food?
I am very new to this site - so bear with me if this has been discussed before 
We have a beautiful and healthy coastal carpet python who is happy to eat her thawed rats - BUT - we are wondering about the option of feeding her the odd "livey"  ?? Feeding her 'lump of rat" seems so artificial sometimes - when their natural behaviour is so different - the skill and patience required to find live prey in the wild etc. Could you consider this an "enrichment" option - or could the live food do damage to her? The breeder we bought her from had only fed her live food, but we were new at this and didn't want to do that - mainly for the benefit of our young kids. But now we've had her for about 2 years..... |
18-Oct-07, 12:45 PM
|  | Willia6 fan Subscriber | Join Date: Jun-06 Location: Victoria Gender:  | | | | Don't feed live, it puts the python at risk of damage plus is cruel to the prey item. On top of that it is actually illegal in most cases.
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18-Oct-07, 12:48 PM
| | Subscriber | Join Date: Oct-07 Location: New Zealand Gender: | | | | That's what we had thought too - but you hear of people doing it - and think - are we doing the right thing? Where is it illegal? |
18-Oct-07, 01:04 PM
| | Subscriber | Join Date: Apr-07 Location: Brisbane Age: 22 | | | | if their feeding on thawed then no dont feed live.
their are many problems it can cause through the feed attacking the snake (especially for a 2yr carpet), possibility's of parasite transfer with out freezing, as well as others |
18-Oct-07, 01:05 PM
| | Subscriber | Join Date: Oct-07 Location: New Zealand Gender: | | | | Another thought - just been home to feed the beardies - silkworms and woodies - they need live food so how is it not cruel to the insects like these and crix? |
18-Oct-07, 01:07 PM
|  | QUEEN B Subscriber | Join Date: May-07 Location: Brisbane Age/Gender: 23 | | | | Animal cruelty laws apply to vertebrates - that is, animals with a spine.
That's why live insects are excluded.
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18-Oct-07, 01:09 PM
|  | Yes, that Hix Moderator | Join Date: Mar-04 Location: Sydney | | | Most of the Cruelty to Animals legislation define animals as terrestrial vertebrates, not including humans. Some include fish, and some consider crustaceans to be animals when in a restaurant only. Insects are not included, so that specific law does not apply to them.
This subject tends to be a bit of a Pandora's Box, evry one has an opinion. So I will remind everyone now of APS Rule 17 which prohibits people from encouraging illegal activities (like feeding live). Members have been infracted for breaching this rule in the past. Asking the question is OK, but responses like "The law is an ***, go and feed live anyway and ignore what everyone else says" will get you a holiday from APS. 
HIx
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18-Oct-07, 01:12 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Oct-06 Location: Brisbane Age: 18 | | | | It's been prozen that mice and rats have a different pain level than crickets and woodies, therefore it is crueler to feed mice/rats live. Just what I've heard. |
18-Oct-07, 01:15 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Jan-07 Location: Darling Downs | | | | Hey i was like you wanting to feed my snake a live mouse. I though it would be cool to watch.
So I went ahead and did so, but the mouse put up a fight and attacked the snake, which in turn, scared my snake so much he stopped feeding and subsequently. HE DIED!!
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JaY
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18-Oct-07, 01:16 PM
| | Subscriber | Join Date: Oct-07 Location: New Zealand Gender: | | | | Thanks Miss B - it's all linked in with the "warm and fury" thing too isn't it - just isn't the same with insects. Well, not for me anyway! |
18-Oct-07, 01:16 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss B  Animal cruelty laws apply to vertebrates - that is, animals with a spine.
That's why live insects are excluded. | I don't think animal cruelty laws could reasonably be expected to apply to food.
Technically, they probably do. But I very much doubt the police would prosecute you, and I can hardly imagine a judge finding a person guilty of animal cruelty for feeding their Oscar a mouse, or feeding their herps live prey. |
18-Oct-07, 01:22 PM
|  | Wonder Woman Subscriber | Join Date: Oct-06 Location: Sydney Gender: | | | | Of course animal cruelty laws apply to food! The thought that they wouldn't is absurd. Just because the animal is going to die doesn't mean it should suffer. |
18-Oct-07, 01:43 PM
| | Regular Member | Join Date: Jul-07 Location: Adelaide Age: 24 | | | | Just as I'm pretty sure that slaughterhouses have to adhere to some level of cruelty to animals laws. |
18-Oct-07, 01:51 PM
|  | Regular Member | | | | | Wouldnt risk it ive seen some pics of rat bites on snakes and their not pretty at all. |
18-Oct-07, 01:52 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: May-07 Location: Queensland Gender: | | | | I agree with your reasoning behind wanting to feed live, certainly more humane than "how cool would that look!" and watching my snakes try in vain to kill a mouse that's been in my freezer for months is kinda depressing.
I've just heard some horror stories about people who've decided to feed live rats and mice to snakes happily eating thawed.
Saw photos of snakes that had gashes in their sides because the mouse decided it was hungrier than the snake was, some that have died from these wounds, others that have stopped eating thawed because they only wanted live. Besides that, have a look at some of the videos of people feeding live food to their pythons (usually USA) it makes you want to chuck up.
It's not that animals eating live prey is sad - it's that these mice haven't got a chance... they simply can't escape, nor do they understand they should be scared of the snake in the first place.
The poor little rabbit or mouse will start sniffing the snake inquistively and end up being crushed to death... you honestly want to watch that?
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