This seems to be a very controversial issue to some. I was hoping we could have a nice discussion on the issues involving feeding live vs feeding dead.
As well as education towards the act of feeding live and the issues that can arise from doing so. Also whether you are against feeding live, if so, why? Same question if you are against feeding dead.
Personally, I feed both unless I have an issue with a snake only eating live or being afraid of live.
My reasonings for feeding live: It is good exercise for the snake
It makes them have to constrict, and use all their muscles. As well, a fellow breeder once suggested to me, that feeding live to females that have just laid eggs can help get their bodies/system back in gear. The constricting movements can also help if there's the odd egg stuck. Whether this is true or not, I do not know as of yet, but it is a practice I have continued to do, and recommend it to others.
My reasonings for feeding dead: Convenient. Reasonably priced. ( discounts when buying bulk frozen prey vs buying live prey which offers no discounts as you generally don't buy in bulk). No dangers to the snake.
The majority of my feeds are frozen, but every now and then I will buy a bunch of live adult mice to feed for exercise. With an overweight snake, I try to feed live more than dead, again, for the exercise. In this case, I actually place mouse and snake in a very large container so that the snake chases the prey.
The main issues I see with feeding live, is that the prey can hurt the snake. A rodent bite on a snake is not a good thing. Many snakes have had serious injuries inflicted by live rodents
But this can be easily avoided by making sure you watch your snake eat live, and be prepared to seperate if nessecary.
What are your views on this topic?
