Which is best to feed my 3 ft ball python...dead mice or alive?

Question

I just want to prove to my husband that live prey is best

what do you think?

Answer 1

live.  except on a hot day when a mousecicle would be quite tasty.  LOL .

Answer 2

live prey.

Answer 3

Yes, it can build hunting skill plus snakes only target moving objects and dead mice could easily get bacteria that can harm your snake.  so tell your husband LIVE IS BEST.

Answer 4

the people saying live probably dont own snakes. frozen thawed or even prekilled is better than live. freezing kills any parasites and has no effect on nutrition value. frozen are just as healthy as live but dont bite back. and the snakes dont care

Answer 5

Live Prey........Animals that originate in the wild NEED to hunt for their prey because that is how they live...scientist PROVED that they will die quicker if they DON'T work for their food.

Answer 6

Alive because they are predators in their natural habitat.

Answer 7

Doesn't make any difference to the snake.....but frozen mice are easier for you to store so it looks like hubby has you beat.

People telling you it needs to hunt and that it won't touch dead mice are clueless.....my snake has eaten dead mice for the last 20 years.

It still thinks they are dead and constricts them...it's a snake after all, not a rocket scientist.

Answer 8

My snake prefers live prey but if you have bought it grown then it might be accustomed to eating frozen mice or rats.Also  they say it is better to give them frozen mice or rats for the fact that they carry nasty dieseases and such and it kills them when they freeze it .

Answer 9

f/t (frozen/thawed) much safer for the snake!

Answer 10

live prey can harm your snake because they will fight back and they can injure your animal. i've heard of snakes that do not eat the mice right away and the mice will start to nibble on the snake. no joke. so just be careful if you decide to feed live mice and also check your snake for bites. if too many injuries occur, then its time to switch to dead mice.

Answer 11

Live prey is not best. Live prey fights back and can injure or kill your snake, AND its creul to the prey.

Pre killed, or frozen and thawed prey is safest for snakes. It is quite easy to switch a snake over to pre-killed or frozen. Its also easier, less mess, healthier, and you can stock months in the freezer. Use a thawed or prekilled prey item and hold it in tongs by the tail and gently move it infront of the snake. Motion problem solved. Soon they will be readily gobbling them down.

My snakes eat chicken quarters and meat from the butcher for my big guys like my adult burms and retics and anacondas. One of my anacondas really likes beef.

Do your snake a favor and take the fight out of his life ! :)

Answer 12

dead. and it should be on rats if its 3ft.  if the rodent turned around and bit, your snake could lose eyes, scales, even die if it gets him just right.  I have seen boas skinned to the bone by a rat.

Answer 13

Frozen/thawed rodents are much safer for your snake.  Mice and rats that cannot escape an enclosure will frequently attack the snake causing severe injuries.  This is very common!  Also, frozen rodents have a lot less parasites to pass on to the reptile.  Don't worry about live being "natural" or that feeding thawed will hurt the snakes "hunting instinct".  There is nothing natural about keeping a snake in a cage and since they are pets and not wild animals that must hunt, why care about hunting instinct?  Mine eat frozen thawed like pigs!  The trick is to make sure the prey is completely thawed and hot before feeding.  Here's a link for converting:

http://www.redtailboas.com/frozen_thawed...

Answer 14

live prey is better because pythons dat size eat and kill live mice very quickly if it was smaller then dead mice would be best

but since urs is pretty big nothing wrong with feeding live prey

Answer 15

live.

it wont bother to touch it if its dead.(natural instinks,like if it died from desease.)

its better for it anyways.