Feeding live prey vs pre-killed

I myself have heard that prefrozen mice are actually easier for a snake to digest due to the breakdown process has already begun. As for feeding live, I try never to do it but have on two occasions felt I was out of options,OTHER THAN FORCE FEEDING! and really needed to encourage a stronger feeding response. Luckily for the snake and myself those two times were all it took and he is eating f/t ever since

 

I've heard freezing kills any parasites the rodent may be carrying.

 

I'm sorry Janice, but you are incorrect. Regardless of if freezing kills the parasite ova or not, there is the whole "species-specific" thing... Rat/mouse parasites cannot be transmitted to a snake. For one, they aren't even in the right stage of development to infect anything, and second, even if they were in the right stage, they couldn't survive in a snake's system. Body temperature plays a good role in parasitic survival, and while snake parasites can survive in the 84-85 degree body of a snake, they couldn't survive in the 102-105 degree temperature of a rat or mouse. This goes for rodent parasites as well.

Snakes contract parasites from their environment(feces), dirty water sources, and can be born with them(transferred from mom). It is recommended to get at least two fecals on a new snake(as well as a yearly for any older snakes). If no ova are detected on the first fecal, the parasites may not have matured enough, or may not be in the correct stage of development to even produce eggs, so that is why it is recommended to get a second fecal somewhere down the line, usually about a month later.

 

well, thank you for clearing that up, SatanicIntention, . So what is the advantage of frozen vs. prekilled????

 

I'm sorry Satanic but Janice is correct. What about aberrant parasites which cannot actually survive in the host but do cause problems in the host anyway? Can't the rodent be a transport host? You mention species specific but humans get parasites from other species of animals and it's called zoonoses. Although rare, the same type of thing can happen when feeding f/k or live rodents to snakes.

 

I'm sorry again, but I am a veterinary technician and I specifically asked my teacher, who is an exotics veterinarian, about this issue. He said no, it isn't possible. Rodents can be a transport host, yes, but the parasites are in their feces. When their feces are exposed to outside temperatures and conditions other than that of the rodent, the parasites then become infective. When another animal picks them up, let's say horses(since mice get into horse feed alot), they can get very sick, but don't usually get parasites from the mice.

Usually, snakes in pet stores are kept together. When one has parasites and poops in the enclosure, the others are exposed to it, and will thus get infected as well.

Humans get parasites because we are gross beings... Children put everything in their mouths(including that sand from the sandbox that the cat has just pooped in), and that is where roundworms, tapeworms and pinworms come from. We get parasites from pig tapeworms call cystercirci(sp?) where the tapeworm larva are actually encysted into the flesh of the pig. Yum.. But see, the thing is, mammals can get mammal parasites, and the parasites can live(maybe not thrive) in most mammals without much trouble. We all have pretty much the same body temp, but with reptiles, their body temp is much lower than ours, and mammal parasites cannot survive, they just go through and get digested(ie: a piece of rodent feces stuck to the rodent when eaten). Now, if it were reptile feces stuck to the bottom of the rodents feet or body and the snake was ingesting it, now then, it would become infected with parasites.

I mean, seriously, anyone can go to Petco or other crappy chain pet store and get a fecal done on those snakes. I bet you every single one of them would have parasites just because they are housed together, plus the fact they are captive hatched straight from Africa.

BUT, if you go to any good breeder such as NERD or 8Ball Pythons, and fecal test their babies or any of their animals(even previously WC), I bet none would have them. They are housed singly and kept very clean. Most good, reputable breeders feed live or prekilled rodents to all of their snakes. It just wouldn't make sense to spend hours thawing and warming rodents, and then having to sit there for 5-10 minutes per snake dangling it with the hemostats. When you have over 800 snakes, it's just not practical. And yes, those $200,000 ball pythons get fed live/pre-killed. Do you think their owners/breeders would allow them to get parasites? I know for a fact that Adam Wysocki personally tests all of his snakes every year for parasites, and even though he feeds live prey, none of his snakes are parasitized. Maybe that will help you decide who is correct and who isn't...

 

Lol I don't spend 5-10min dangling a mouse in front of my snake. I just place it down in the tank and he goes and eats it.

 

With all due respect to you and your teacher I've also heard exotic vets who have done things to kill their patients and they should have known better so unfortunately, and it's nothing personal, your explanation does not convince me. I've just heard differently from too many other experts including biologists that although rare, it can happen. I do see where you're coming from with the whole thing though and I do appreciate the explanation. Looks like we'll be having this debate every once in a while.

 

Most people wear safety glasses when they use power tools. If you dont wear them does it mean that you are going to get something in your eye? No, but there is a risk that you will.
When you get in your car to head to the store... do you wear a seat belt? Sure, but if you dont does it mean you will die in a car accident? Maybe, maybe not.
Do you go out during a thunderstorm and stand in the middle of a field holding a long metal pole? Most people wouldnt because there is a risk that you could get struck by lightning.

We all take measures in our lives to protect ourselves from injury and illness, so why not do the same for our animals?

Now for my .02..... I like to reduce the risks to my animals as much as possible and taking the chance of getting injured when getting fed is one risk that is very easyily reduced. As with feeding on loose substrate feeding live prey is a risk to your animal.

I feed f/t to all my snakes, thankfully all of them take it with no problem. I have had snakes in the past that would only take live but over time were able to be converted to f/t. I like f/t and chose to make the effort to convert them for a number of reasons.....
F/T for me is more convenient. I can order a six month supply, toss them in the freezer, and pull what I need when I need it.
There is no way that the F/T prey item can gouge, bite, or claw my snakes. Responsible or not, it only takes the blink of an eye for a live rodent to maim a snake. I also dont have to worry about trip to the local pet shop to pick up live items and chance carrying mites and other stuff back in to my home.
With 12 snakes, several of which are arboreals that are fed in the cage, it is a LOT safer for me to feed f/t from a pair of tongs. Rather than chance the snakes ingesting susbtrate along with prey that is hunted from the floor of the cage or not getting a good "hold" on a live prey item offered from tongs.