(10 points) Snakes eating crickets

Question

Sorry, I just have to know.

Been looking at Yahoo answers, and I've found hundreds of people saying that snake hatchlings (Like Cornsnakes, Cali Kings and, oh dear, Ball Pythons.) should be fed crickets.

Why would you feed a snake that eats vertebrates in their natural habitat, insects?

Is it ignorance? The belief that the snake is too small (although snakes can open their mouths far beyond its normal size)? Or just bad advise passed along from ignorant to ignorant?

10 Points to whoever can give me a logical answer for this.

Answer 1

i don't know i've never heard that,

i don't think that would be true, but maybe for some snakes it is

what do you mean "oh dear, ball pythons"? they're harmless

Answer 2

its not ignorance as such its just very outdated thinking. way back in the 80's-90's when snakes started to become popular it was common practice now-a-days we know better but there's still those outdated harmful chains of thought lingering around

Answer 3

I've never fed mine crickets, I know ball pythons can't eat crickets. They need to wrap around their food, or else they won't bother. To tell you the truth i don't know of any snakes that'll bother with bugs. It's false. Baby snakes such as baby corns should eat newborn mice and ball python hatchlings should be fed pinky mice. So yeah, its false.

Answer 4

It is definitely one ignorant person giving information to another ignorant person, especially pet store employees that have no real training. I walked into a pet store not that long ago, and some idiot was trying to feed a corn snake baby a cricket. I told them that that is the improper diet and they brushed me off, until I asked them what breeder did they get their info from. They said none and that it was just "common sense" and that it was too small to eat a pinkie. I nearly choked laughing, and said that common sense would dictate you ask a breeder or experienced handler, instead of making assumptions. I told them that baby corn snakes eat baby mice. We went back and forth, telling them  I had one, and when I got him he was smaller then that and I fed him pinkies and he was fine. He had the nerve to say that I was lying because my snake would have died because it was so small. I finally went to their book section and grabbed a book on corn snakes, opened the book and shoved in their face. I then proceeded to go on a tirade that improper feeding is a form of animal cruelty and instead of using their supposed "common sense" to read a book or go online for a care sheet.