feeding live pinkys??

[jasuncle1972]

Hello . Has anyone else fed there garters live pinkys? A coworker was cleaning up out side the shop and found a mouse nest w/ 4 babies. Itook them home and offered them to all three garters only one ate them, my female that just had a clutch.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I have fed mine live pinkies, its not a problem for larger ones, smaller ones ight have a little trouble with the pinkies fighting.

[Lee]

My adult female has eaten live rat pups on several occasions, a small live pinkie shouldn't be a struggle for them.

[jasuncle1972]

The female that did eat them ate all five. Since she's given birth she's had a ravenous appitite. My other female garter started to eat one but spat it out, funny thing is she'll eat f/t just fine. Maybe it was the smell orthat they were warm.

[adamanteus]

Personally, I would question the motives behind feeding live pinkies to your snakes, unless it is a temporary means to get the snake feeding. Don't you consider it unecessarily cruel, if the snake will just as readily accept dead food items?

[Lee]

Personally, I would question the motives behind feeding live pinkies to your snakes, unless it is a temporary means to get the snake feeding. Don't you consider it unecessarily cruel, if the snake will just as readily accept dead food items?

Lol uh oh... Live food debate?
Why do I on occasion feed live rat pups? Well, she feeds fine on F/T however I want to watch how my snake works in the wild. They are wandering garters, known to prey on rodents in the wild, what is more interesting than watching nature in action? Garters don't go find frozen mice, they gotta hunt them and catch them. It isn't cruel, its nature, its life. I know a lot of people feed live fish, if your going to say its cruel to the mice/rats why not cruel to feed live fish? seems just as bad???

[jasuncle1972]

Lol uh oh... Live food debate?
Why do I on occasion feed live rat pups? Well, she feeds fine on F/T however I want to watch how my snake works in the wild. They are wandering garters, known to prey on rodents in the wild, what is more interesting than watching nature in action? Garters don't go find frozen mice, they gotta hunt them and catch them. It isn't cruel, its nature, its life. I know a lot of people feed live fish, if your going to say its cruel to the mice/rats why not cruel to feed live fish? seems just as bad???

While I understand the reasoning behind feeding prekilled, I don't agree. What would our garter's eat in the wild? Most likely living food.When I feed my 4 snakes later today,( 3 garters, 1 ball python) they all get live food whether it be fish or a mouse. Here's another twist, I'm sure all of us have enjoyed meat of some sort what about the conditions it was raised in. I bet that said meat was kept very confined and not had very clean conditions in which to live and not really very humanely killed. So sorry for getting on a soap box I see it all as the circle of life.

[Thamnophis]

Personally, I would question the motives behind feeding live pinkies to your snakes, unless it is a temporary means to get the snake feeding. Don't you consider it unecessarily cruel, if the snake will just as readily accept dead food items?

I agree with James.Garter snakes are not good killers. And every living creature should not suffer if it can be prevented. When I can kill a prey faster than the predator and there is no need for feeding alive, I will do the killing.

[Stefan-A]

Well, some of us do feel that feeding them live fish is unnecessary, if the snake accepts dead ones. I don't think "nature" even enters into the discussion and I don't see how it could even be a valid argument. It's not really nature, is it? It's a tank with a snake and a rat pup (or a bowl of fish). That sounds more like baiting to me, with the odds being against the rat pup.

[Lulu Bennett]

i agree with stefan and james on this one. i have always disagreed with live baiting. its just crule.