File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Halp! /an/ my ball python won't eat the mouse i gave him. I've tried hittin' it, i've tried yellin at it and nothing seems to work. i want the snake to do it itself, though. advice?
>> Anonymous
is it alive warm or at least freshly dead?
>> Anonymous
op here, this mouse is alive and active.
>> Anonymous
Hit it some more. Then tell it that if it doesn't eat, you'll throw him outside in the cold, and if he doesn't listen to you then you should set him free in the wild where he'll be happy and won't hurt anybody.
fuckin idiot
>> Anonymous
advice from anyone who's worth the air they breathe?
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
maybe the snake is getting ready to shed it's skin?
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>185981
ball pythons are also supposed to be fairly picky eaters. how big is it? maybe you can try a rat, or even get a frozen/thawed mouse and wave it around with tongs in front of the snakes face.

if that doesn't work, you can "brain" the mouse. aka split its skull open so brains are exposed. it gives off a fairly strong scent that snakes seem to be attracted to. not sure how strong it is according to our noses, as i've never had any picky eaters.
>> Anonymous
>>185979
If you think hitting and yelling at a snake is going to accomplish anything, you're not worth the space you waste. Lemme guess, you're another douchebag who got a python because you think they're baddass, but you have absolutely no clue how to actually raise one. Congrats on your fail as a pet owner.
>> Anonymous
maybe your too much of a faggot OP
>> Anonymous
>>186012
I'm pretty sure he meant that he hit the mouse, Einstein.

It's fairly common, to disable/stun them so they aren't as big a danger to the snake.
>> Anonymous
>>186012
Don't ever post again.
>> Anonymous
>>185976
>>186012
retards
>> Anonymous
Your snake's body temperature is probably too low and it is conserving energy.
I recommend warming it by shoving it up your ass, you fucking prick.
>> Tired Anon !EHsj4EGwIQ
Sounds like your Ball is going through the same thing as mine. He won't eat, and yes, they are picky eaters. Mine prefer dwarf hamsters to mice, though he will eat the mice if he must.

I suggest that you add a heating lamp close to the cage, and a covered heating pad, so that he/she can boost his body temp. That may work.

Also, snakes go through a hibernation period, for several months even, and will not eat anything you give them. However, if he/she's not drinking water, that's call for an immediate vet visit.

If you're worried, like me I get fussy over my ball, buy some calcium/caloric supplements from the pet store, they run $11, and you have to force it down their throats, but it will give them the proteins/fats and vitamins they need.

Just keep an eye on him/her over the next month, and introduce live food each week to see if he's hungry.
>> Anonymous
Ball pythons often go through a period of almost-hibernation. I think it's called brumation. It's very normal and not dangerous to the animal. Its supposed to last from Novemeber to sometime around the spring.

Just make sure he's warm, like always. Try not to fuck with the light cycles.

I'm lucky, my ball is the best snake ever. I just throw whatever in his cage, dead or alive, and he eats it, regardless of the time of year. He's getting bigger now, so these days we feed him thawed rats, since live ones scream too much and they're bitey.

Just make sure to take the mouse out if you're not watching them, or if it doesnt look like he's gonna eat it. Mice are pretty stupid, but I don't think you want a bitten snake on your hands in the event it smartens up and starts chewing on the python.
>> Anonymous
>I've tried hittin' it, i've tried yellin at it
>> Anonymous
Wave your dick in it's face.
>> By-Tor
Do ballpythons like mice that have been in an anoles mouth like corns? Just a possiblity, it could just be premolt and can't see.

Best suggestion is just wait a week then try feeding again.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I hope this happens to your fucking snake.

Sick freak.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
     File :-(, x)
>>186656
bugger off!
>> Anonymous
>>186656

I dont get it
>> Anonymous
>>186694

That's a serious infected bite from a rat.
I think they're saying how stupid it is to give a live rodent to a snake to eat.
>> Anonymous
Well since ball python's are gay snakes for fags you should try having sex with it.
>> Anonymous
>>186704
Oh, come on, live albino mice fed on lab blocks with no means of escape is "natural" to give to a captive animal living in an artificial environment monitored by humans. This form of natural feeding is clearly superior, for no good reason. They have an excuse right there.
>> Anonymous
>>186704

yes, because the snakes go to the grocery store whenever they're hungry in the wild. Live food is so unnatural for a pet snake.
>> Anonymous
>>186774
The whole living situation of a captive snake is unnatural. How does feeding it live food change that? A wild snake in the wild can eat live food all it pleases. In captivity, if the snake is able to be trained to eating pre-killed food, the only reason not to feed it that is because of a sadistic human.
>> Anonymous
>>186777

maybe in the end it doesn't matter how the animal gets its nourishment, it's the fact that it gets the nourishment it needs.

Also, animals in captivity need stimulation, and for snakes hunting is one of the stimulations the owner can give it. Drop a mouse or rat in the tank/cage and let the snake go through its hunting routine.

I love mice and rats and other snamm cute furry beasts as much as the next person, but I'm not going to weep over each one that ends up in the belly of a snake so that snake can live. Also, it's inhumane to give a live mouse to a snake but it's fine to suffocate, freeze or smash said mouse against a tabletop to kill it before giving to the snake?
>> Anonymous
>>186778
Hunting, eh? How big is your snake's tank? I think the "hunting" routine takes all of 10 seconds for your average snake owner. Stimulation my ass. You said "one of," which implies it's not necessary to make an animal suffer for it.
Yes, it is okay to give the mouse a QUICK DEATH as opposed to throwing it in to get the life crushed out of it.
also lol ends justify means mentality
sage for fail logic
>> Anonymous
>>186787
Either way, the mouse dies. Its either frozen, has its head/back cracked harshly against a hard surface, slit open, or killed like it would be in the wild. By a snake.
The damn thing dies, the snake gets to eat. Its nice to let the snake partake in instincts, so its able to kill its own food, but its probably a better idea to give it 'prepared' mice, to lower the risk of the mouse harming the snake.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>186800
that's why i buy prekilled mice. i've seen a snake get bit before since it failed to grab the head while constricting. nothing serious resulted, just a little blood. i'd rather avoid that situation with my own snakes though. plus, if the snake doesn't want to eat, i don't have to keep a live animal that i don't really want. they're all in a little tupperware container in my freezer.
>> Anonymous
>>185976
Except for maybe the neighbor's baby or pet or somethin'.
>> Anonymous
>>186804
I had to give up my snake a while back, but I also had some pre-killed mice in my freezer. I totally forgot about them, and when I opened the freezer, oh god. THE SMELL. WAS SO. SO. BAD.
>> Anonymous
>>186787

Death is death. Why is it so horrible if it's the natural way of a predator-prey relationship? Do you cry over the hundreds of thousands of cows whose throats are slit, then butchered, ground up and made into the food that sustains dogs and cats? How about some thought for the mealworms that are eaten by lizards, or the poor defenseless crickets munched by tarantulas, scorpions and centipedes? Oh dear god, the animal isn't in it's natural environment, let's keep everything about its home and psychological well-being artificial too. Repent, sinners who would dare feed their animals living beings as they consume tons of beef and pork and chicken every day.

Also, I have a 12-foot Burmese python in a 40-foot by 30-foot by 7-foot enclosure in my back yard. When I put a rabbit in there, he gets to hunt, because that rodent has a lot of room to move and run and hide.
>> Anonymous
>>186918
You're awfully defensive for a sadist.
I have yet to see a lizard who will eat a pre-killed mealworm or cricket. If they would, then great, but I've never noticed them to be particularly trainable animals. I am not against live feeding for animals who can't be trained for pre-killed.
So, after reading your self-righteous rant, I have to ask, why should we not prevent pain if we can? The environment we're keeping for these animals is 100% in our control. Nature does not apply. Why pretend it does, when everything the animal gets out of live prey can be received from other means?
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>186918
if you are the same anon that has been posting. i must disagree. keeping things natural has a certain importance but is not the end all of all there is. a snake will adapt to food.
>> Anonymous
It's scientifically proven that torture makes meat taste better.
>> Anonymous
>>186976
>>186976
>>186976
>>186976
>>186976
>>186976
>> Anonymous
>>186927So, after reading your self-righteous rant, I have to ask, why should we not prevent pain if we can?

Lol strawman
>> Anonymous
>>186787
You're a pussy vegan, right? Just a guess stemming from all the BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW you're pumping into this thread. Here's an idea: Rather than wasting your time crying like a bitch over how pet owners feed their pets, why don't you go invent a soy alternative for eating rats? In the event that you lack said capacity, how about you just fuck off in general?
>> Anonymous
>>186787
That's how nature works, my dear. Tiny creatures are killed by bigger ones. Get over it.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>187116
there is a point there though. that is nature..when you have a snake in an enclosed cage, that's not nature. you control everything in that environment.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>186787
Shut the fucking hell up, you obviously have no idea what the fuck you are talking about. Why must assholes like you interrupt our beautiful reptile pages? "ZOMG HOW TEH HELLZ CAN U FEEDS TEH POOR LIL MOUSIE TO TEH MEAN OL' LIZARD! I HOPES U GOES TO HELLZ SINNER!11!!1111!11ONELEVEN!"
I bet you own no reptiles, so you don't even know that most reptiles that are carnivorous prefer their meat to be alive, so stop your fucking pussy-ass bitching.
I hate people like you, you are the shit of the damn world, the cancer of humanity. Do everybody in this thread a favor and become an hero, you wussy faggot prick.
>> Anonymous
>>187122

Guess what, you fucking retard. I'm tired of your self-righteous bullshit. "LOLOLOL US SNAKE OWNERS ARE SO BADASS".

Here's the thing:
People only own snakes because they look cool. There's no other reason besides that, so really, YOU'RE the scum. You'd be the first one to dump that snake in a sewer as soon as it bit you. The reason we're invading this thread is because you assholes always post a rat being eaten by a snake in every fucking rat thread. Give us respect, we give you snake owners respect.

But what we're saying is that it's just STUPID to feed your snake a live creature. It's cruel and it's not natural despite how people say it is, but if you're heartless enough to not give a shit, then think about the fact that your snake's skull could be pierced by a rat bite, or even a mouse bite depending on the size of your snake.

So pussy, stop being an internet tuff guy act and go kill yourself.

Oh yeah, and I've owned reptiles, actually. Snakes don't 'prefer' anything unless they're raised on living food. If you move a dead mouse around, it's going to look just as alive to said snake, since snakes are about as intelligent as a pile of bricks.
>> Anonymous
>>187131
my snake bites me all the time. I thought it was normal.
>> Anonymous
>>187131
>feeding a snake a live mouse is unatural and cruel.

wut?
>> Anonymous
>>187134
I meant it's unnatural as in it can't run or go anywhere. In the wild a number of factors play a role if an animal survives or dies. When people go "IT'S THE WAY OF THE WILD LOL" it pisses me off. If you drop a mouse into a tank where it has no room to run, it's anything but natural.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>187131
first of all..as a snake owner and lover, fuck you. :D

you are wrong saying "people only own snakes because they look cool and no other reason" i think you know that statement is wrong as well. unless you are really daft.

i used to feed live mice when i first got going. after seeing a friends adult corn snake get bit a few times thanks to it not securing the head, i decided i'd make the switch over to frozen/thawed.

i haven't had any trouble with mine being picky eaters, but there are species of snake that are known to be picky eaters. in an attempt to get a snake like that to eat, i would readily use live prey if that's what it took.
>> Anonymous
>>187137

As soon as I saw your name, anything you posted was disregarded. I have no respect for you, because you're the fucking namefag pussy that posted snakes eating rats on a rat thread I made.

But that said...perhaps it was wrong to generalize, but many snake owners only own snakes because they look cool. Same with scorpions and spiders, because from what I seen, they only own those creatures to watch them kill others.

I'm relieved that you use frozen, but snake owners in general piss me off, because they're usually cruel and horrible human beings. What kind of human could bash an animal's head against a wall until its teeth break? Just use frozen for christs sakes.

And even the pickiest snakes WILL eat a moving mouse if you move it around and if they get hungry enough.
>> Anonymous
>>187139
>>And even the pickiest snakes WILL eat a moving mouse if you move it around and if they get hungry enough.

God, just shut up. I was gonna come in here and try to make some nice statement but you're just as bad as the people who purposely post snakes eating rats in rat threads. It's 4chan, if you're not desensitized to it, get out. I'm even a rat person. You're just stupid.
>> Anonymous
>>187142

I'll never be desensitized to it, you dumbass. Death is never something that will desensitize me. But have your fun in hell.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
     File :-(, x)
>>187139
you didn't disregard it though. :P in fact..you read the whole thing and replied. quite the opposite.

yea, there are definitely people out there that only own certain animals for the shock factor and to show off.

personally, i find it fascinating to observe animals feeding habits..just like their other habits. after a while, feeding looses it's "thrill" and you just do it because the animals need to eat. i don't even watch most of my critters eat, i just throw in the food, keep moving with the rest of the feedings and then check back later to make sure the food was consumed. then i clean whatever remains. i've owned dogs before, and have lived in several houses with cats (only two of them i was partially the owner of) and would love to get another cat or dog. which is likely the case with many snake/spider/scorpion/etc. owners. so they aren't only out there to get pets that kill other animals. let us not forget ourselves...we eat basically every animal under the sun.

i think everyone that owns and animal thinks their particular animal "looks cool" and there's nothing wrong with that.

last but not least,>>187142is right. this is 4chan. no need to get all sandy vaginaish over what is said or posted here.

but..i'm just a namefag pussy..what do i know. :?
>> Anonymous
>>187144

Haha, I noticed that I didn't disregard it after I posted. I assumed if I did, someone would have thought that I couldn't come up with a good answer.

I just don't understand the whole snake and lizard and spider and scorpion thing. Maybe because I'm a female, but I don't think they can love you like a cat or dog or rat. I could be wrong, but I just see snake attacks all the fucking time if a snake thinks your arm is yummy food. Or a snake attacking an owner's face. Mostly boas though.
>> Anonymous
>>187143
Never? This website has got to be wreaking havoc on your health. I'm convinced that Hell is going to be filled with 4channers, so I'll fit right in.
>> Anonymous
>>187145
Fuck, even worse, you had to bring in the female bit. Tell you what, I got tits too but that doesn't mean I have to cry to the internet every time I see a dead animal.
>> Anonymous
>>187143

/b/ is the only image board that wreaks havoc on my health. I never dare venture there.

(More then ten times a minute.)
>> Anonymous
>>187150

The fuck? I never said I cried because I was female or anything like that. I said that the reason I don't have a thing for snakes and spiders is because I might be female, and desires something that loves me like a rat or ferret or dog.
Now, I'm not saying that women can't love snakes and spiders, but generally they're not like "COOL DUDE MY CENTIPEDE JUST KILLED A MOUSE! LET'S FILM IT AND PUT IT ON YOUTUBE!"

Read more carefully next time, ditz.
>> Anonymous
>>187150

The fuck? I never said I cried because I was female or anything like that. I said that the reason I don't have a thing for snakes and spiders is because I might be female, and desire something that loves me like a rat or ferret or dog.
Now, I'm not saying that women can't love snakes and spiders, but generally they're not like "COOL DUDE MY CENTIPEDE JUST KILLED A MOUSE! LET'S FILM IT AND PUT IT ON YOUTUBE!"

Read more carefully next time, ditz.
>> Anonymous
>>187153

You didn't say it, but I'm pretty sure that's the reason. It's okay, you clearly want to use your gender as an excuse for your feelings. Just go with it.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
     File :-(, x)
>>187145
there are a lot of girls into herps and arachnids. you're right though, they don't become attached to you like other more social creatures. the love is a one way street with them. they're just like people though..different dispositions for each one. i've had a snake that would bite me just about every time i'd pick it up, i've some that never tried to bite me once. they do get used to you after a while though..even then, if you handle food before handling the snake, you're asking to get bit. they just rely to much on their sense of smell..so they detect that food, and get into feeding mode.

for me, it's more of an interest than a desire for a companion. i've loved snakes and spiders since i was a little kid and really, the more you learn about them (same with anything i guess), the more you are fascinated with them.

it sure loves it's water bowl. :P
>> Anonymous
>>187156

I suppose that makes sense...I desire to recieve something back from an animal I'm caring for, so a snake isn't for me.
I DO love all types of little snakes, though. They're pretty awesome.
It's just...there's this bad stigma that snake owners have with me, because I see so many stupid asses who have them just to see them kill a mouse or rat, or they end up killing the rat themselves in some brutal way, OR they just want to show it off.
>> Anonymous
>>187155

What? I'm not using my gender for anything. Men have feelings just like women do, and it's acceptable for either gender to show their feelings. You should try it sometimes.
ALSO: Don't assume. It's not healthy, and makes you look like an idiot when you're wrong. The only reason I brought up my gender is because I was saying that might be the reason why I'm so picky with having pets that love me.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>187154
>because I might be female

? :P
>> Anonymous
>>187162

That was sarcasm, but I forgot to put the 'just' in the 'just might be female' part.
>> Anonymous
I love how this went from being a thread about help feeding the anon's snake, to a rat/snake war.

With a little "sexism against your own sex" thrown in there.

Only on 4chan.
>> Anonymous
>>187157

So you just go off on snake owners like that because you're a completely irrational cunt? You're pretty emotionally unstable there, Miss Female on the Internet.
>> Anonymous
wut?
>> Anonymous
>>187178

But she has a vagina, so that makes it okay. Right?
>> Anonymous
>>187188

As long as she never breeds.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>187167
Even though it's from /v/, it's really related to every damn board on 4chan.
>> Anonymous
>>187208
i lol'd
>> Anonymous
>>187122
Whoa. The hate. I do own reptiles. I just prevent unnecessary pain and don't understand why anyone who could prevent it wouldn't. Unless they're sick.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
Live feeding in a captive enviroment isn't the greatest idea.

The prey, in an inclosed space with nowhere to run can turn and attack the snake and may end up killing it. (This is not the case with all captive-held animals, so, there are exceptions.)

It's a small chance, but as a snake owner I feel that we should do whatever we can to minimise the risk of injury to our pets.

And especially when prekilled is just as good.
>> Anonymous
I don't see the point of arguing whether live or prekilled should be fed to a fucking snake.

The rats probably go through worse from humans.

They're all fucking overpopulated anyways. They starve to death constantly in the wild.
>> By-Tor
>>187131
>>187139
>>187145
wow, you really are a dumb ass, I'm that asshole who was posting mice getting eaten the other day because well, rats and mice are just about the most fucked over lab animal. but that's beside the point

I don't own snakes and spiders because they look cool(I do think that is true though) I do it because they are different than us, different than dogs or cats, and for the most part really easy to take care of not to mention a good way to learn things. Believe it or not snake owners and spider owners learn scientific things if they are actually interested in their pets, can I ask you what species of rat you keep?

I don't feed live verts, I was bitten by a hamster once and it was worse than any of my snake or T bites(which reminds me of all zero of them I've gotten rid of after being bitten)But which is worse, being slowly frozen alive? Being squeezed to death and swallowed whole at the same time? Or having your skull instantly crushed and if you are still alive going into shock and not feeling anything?

Surprisingly enough, not every snake will eat just because it is hungry enough, some are born not knowing how to swallow or having screwed up digestive systems, some don't recognize mice as food and need to be fed something else, just because a human will eat any refuse it can find when it is starving doesn't make it so for other animals.

Okay, a dog or cat could love you, but not a rat. It has about the same nervous complexity as a snake, it can recognize you and remember you(which is more than a spider can do) but it won't love you. I've got a nice big scar under my eye from a dog that "loved" me...snakes aren't the only thing that bite their owners so don't kid yourself