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Anonymous
Pet Snakes. Does anyone on /an/ own one? I'm thinking about getting a corn snake and was wondering about feeding them live mice. I'm really torn considering everyone I've meet with snakes feeds them living mice, but everything I read says not to...
>> Anonymous
Also, let's say I have a cat...any issues there?
>> Anonymous
Well, I'd say it depends on what the store or breeder you get the snake from uses. Ask around, and try to find a snake that's been brought up with frozen/prekilled food, since there's a lot more advantages to it-- the mice can't hurt your snake, you won't have to run out to the store more often to get live food, and it's a lot easier to get dead mice at typical pet stores than live ones.

You CAN train a snake to eat prekilled, but it's much easier if it's been fed that way all its life.

And about the cat thing... it shouldn't matter as long as you get an escape-proof cage (definitely look in the reptile section, not the aquariums- oftentimes tanks that aren't designed for slippery reptiles will have cracks and other methods of escape. I don't know if you should let them 'meet' or anything though.
>> Anonymous
Only retards and meth addicts feed their (inexpensive) snakes live mice...even if your snake tags the mouse immediatly there is still the chance that it will lose an eye or a chunk of flesh...it happens, the infections are XBOX HEUG $$$ to treat too. And if you snake isn't hungry then it could possibly just sit there and let the mouse kill it. Go to kingsnake.com, the largest collection of online reptile keepers and ask them what they think, or not if you dont like being flamed.
It's also retarded cuase you have to go to petco once a week for your $1.99 mouse, instead of keeping 10 frozen ones in your freezer, and you can buy frozen ones off the net for next to nothing and have them shipped.

Also, corns can be "flighty," a ball python is a more laid back snake, but no snake is a pet to be cuddled and messed with all the time like a kitten.
>> Anonymous
>>142464
Yeah, the people I refer to always owned a large snake. One had two pythons and the other a Red Tailed Boa.
>> Anonymous
I had a Kenyan Sand Boa, and I fed him live pinkies. He had been raised to eat live food, but I wasn't about to give him a full grown mouse. Anyway I'd say if your snake is bad ass enough to eat a live mouse, it deserves fresh food. They do it in the wild *shrug* they should be able to do it a cage.
>> Anonymous
I've been feeding my Rose Color corn live mice and small rats since I got it, and the infections they get from the bite are avoidable if you just treat them. My suggestion is suck it up and flick the mouse on the head to stun it, that way it's partially concious and can't fight back, and (probably) doesn't feel as much pain. I've checked with mouse breeders and I worked in a pet store and around here that is the acceptable method.
>> Anonymous
Feeding them live Mice is more expensive makes the snakes harder to tame and is also dangerous as a mouse can and will attack a snake
If you want the oooh factor do it once or twice for fun but imo stick to frozen ones just make sure they are properly thawed before feeding
>> Anonymous
>>142474
Why bother putting a snake at an unnecessary risk when it can be completely avoidable?

>>142475
Treating them could be hard and costly. What if the wound is so bad that you need a vet? Reptiles DO NOT do well at all when it comes to surgery. Even if the snake survives, its going to cost you a lot when you could have avoided the situation completely.
And bullshit. Because you worked at a petstore that makes you an expert on humane methods to kill things? If it can't fight back, it might as well be dead. People who work at petstores get like, what? A week training course on what they are suppose to do? A psh. Mouse breeders. There's two kinds of those. One just throws some male and female mice today and let them produce like crazy, never giving females a break and letting them inbred as much as they want. And the other actually breed mice for colors, patterns, etc. The one you probably talked to stays in his basement jacking off to snakes devouring live prey and mouse sex.

OP, just get pre-killed mice.
You can even go to rodentpro.com and get a shit ton of frozen mice for cheap instead of paying a buck a mouse at the pet store.
I also suggest getting a ball python. Corn snakes are jumpy, never stay still and are generally skiddish. Ball pythons on the other hand are laid back and don't get that big. Also I suggest you look for actual breeders instead of going to the pet store. Usually ones at the pet store are wild caught(and wild caught pythons are very fussy eaters and my not eat for you for weeks, even a month) and could be carrying diseases.
>> Kitty-chan !AZWxKX9WlM
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Here's an old picture of my opal corn snake, Momo.
>> Anonymous
I own a corn snake and I buy the frozen mice. You thaw them out and then feed them to the snake. It is easy and convenient.

Corn snakes are pretty easy to take care of. And if you play with it a lot when it is little it will be a very relaxed critter.
>> Anonymous
Go with thawed, pre-killed mice. It's easier and safer. There's no point taking a needless risk.

Don't know much about corns. I had a ball python, he was easy to handle and a good eater.
>> Anonymous
>>142545
tits or gtfo?
>> Anonymous
>>142512

Holy crap, did your mother not love you?
>> Anonymous
>>142620
What the fuck are you talking about?
>> Anonymous
>>142512
I did know someone who owned a Red Tailed Boa for a long time, so large snakes aren't really out of the question. I'm just not too sure on the kind of room they take up, I'm currently living in a small room and it won't exactly move up in size too much moving into a studio...
>> Anonymous
>>142616
Please don't scare off a girl who owns a snake, that's not exactly common. Besides...what is this /b/?
>> Anonymous
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>>142545
Is that happysnake?
>> Anonymous
GET!
>> Anonymous
I have several snakes, for many years. The only advantage to frozen foods is the convience. You buy a live mouse, hold it by the tail, slam it against the glass ahrd enough ot knock it out, snake eats it and he's happy. Even still, in all my years I've never seen a rodent fight back much after being insanely hit by a creature that crushes it's bones, they all say a mouse could fuck up your snake, but I've never witnessed it at all. I will say though, never feed a gerbil to your snake, awhile back my friend was snake sitting and bought a gerbil instead of a mouse, how he didn't notice the price difference is beyond me, but i came home to a snake with no eyes and half a face and a chilled fat gerbil sitting in the corner.
>> Anonymous
>>142658

Go to redtailboa.net and find a sticky thread called live pile, you will find tons of disgusting images of snakes gnawed up by rats.
>> Anonymous
>>142687
go to any herp website and you will tons of those pics.Anon, why don't other anons understand?

I stick to my belief that anon must have cheap snakes that he doensn't really give a shit about, and/or hasn't been keeping as many snakes as he says for as long as he says.
Among real herpers this is a nonissue, it's like arguing about evolution with a baptist, you know they are retarded but you're not gonna win...if I actually cared anymore I would sage this shit, but i dont
>> Guodzilla
>>142658
I had two fox snakes (Elaphe Vulpina) for several years, and all I ever fed them were live mice. I fed Emmie a dead one once, and she only took it because I wiggled it to make it look live. Anyway, Rachel never had that problem. It's all in the delivery. I'd also make sure to warm the mice up a little to approximate the live body temperature. In all, it was easier to just feed them live mice. Fox snakes, corn snakes, milk snakes, etc. are all culebrids, and they usually are born with a constricting instinct.
>> Guodzilla
>>142497
>>142658
I NEVER got my snakes rats or things larger than mice, for this very reason. Yeah, the mice would try to fight back, and once in a great while it would score a hit, but usually on the flank. It did about as much damage as a human trying to bite a chunk out of a football.