Am I the only one?

[mmfh]

A friend of mine says i'm the only freak around who gives my feeder mice chew toys and exercise wheels. Surely there are other ppl out there who treat their feeders as pets until "that moment" arrives?

 

[skippy]

I usually don't wait long enough to do that but if I bred my own I would.

Might as well make it pleasant for them if they are gonna get eaten.

 

[mmfh]

Oh yes, i'm talking about the ones I breed.

 

[skippy]

A happy meal is a tasty meal

There's no reason not to make their life pleasant, anything less seems a little callous IMO.

 

[Najakeeper]

I care about the individual roach, try to give them a nice life. As for mice/rats, I left live feeding long ago. Once I bred rats to feed my Gila monsters but I got attached to the babies and sold them as pets. I only feed humanely killed frozen/thawed now.

So no, you are not alone.

 

[Formerphobe]

A happy meal is a tasty meal

I agree. This applies to all prey animals, even the ones humans eat.

 

[skar]

I care about the individual roach, try to give them a nice life. As for mice/rats, I left live feeding long ago. Once I bred rats to feed my Gila monsters but I got attached to the babies and sold them as pets. I only feed humanely killed frozen/thawed now.

So no, you are not alone.

Ha ha they are cute and nice huh ?
I keep a few (rats) as pets so I quit feeding live as well .
Topic- Why shouldn't you ? Just cause they are meant as food, doesn't mean you create a dreary death camp !

 

[groovyspider]

Honestly i do F/t as well but its not because i wouldnt do live feeders but the fact i dont want a rat possibly hurting one of my pets, but because rodents freak me out i just cant stand them, they poop/pee everywhere it stinks and they have those huge teeth, id rather play with a 6 foot rattle snake then hold a rat.

 

[Najakeeper]

I was bitten both by a rat and by a viper... Give me 10 rat bites any day compared to what I went through with a juvenile small European viper bite.

 

[groovyspider]

I was bitten both by a rat and by a viper... Give me 10 rat bites any day compared to what I went through with a juvenile small European viper bite.

I agree but i dont know i just dont like rodents

 

[mikem]

if i bred rodents as feeders i'd definitely give them wheels,paper towel rolls, etc to keep them happy.

 

[ScarecrowGirl]

My roaches live in the lap of luxury honestly, and we keep rabbits, chickens, and ducks for meat, I'd rather them nice and happy till that day rolls around. I'd do that for anything really, feeder or pet.

 

[Odyssey]

I'm a big believer in treating feeder animals well before their end, and not really so much because I'm "fluffy" and like pet rats (I bred for show for quite a while). I find it difficult to justify buying my food frozen from petshops as I know in feeder breeder places they are crammed in the tiny breeder tubs without room to manoeuvre, I've seen what they're kept like in rodent farms and even by some individuals that think it's ok to do that. I know it's all about cost, but I do wonder about the health costs on the animal the meal is for if it's crammed with stress hormones and in the case of rats overrun with infections from the stress of being kept badly and on cheap food. Feed 'em and treat 'em well and it's not only better for the rodents but better for the snakes.

 

[mmfh]

Thank you everyone! I'm going to be showing my friend this thread to prove that just because people keep carnivores or insectivores as pets does not mean the people are cruel and that hopefully when keeping feeder animals, whether for animals or humans, humane methods become more of the norm.

 

[ParabuthusKing]

My rodents are always well taken care of before feeding to the reptiles.. I personally think that my snakes prefer freshly killed prey (it is like eating a tv dinner vs. freshly prepared meal) in my opinion. That said the rodents receive great care and better food than me often times They always get their "Last Supper" to fill them full of vitamins and nutrients before they are fed off or go into the freezer if necessary. If I do have overly aggressive animals in the colony, they tend to be fed off first though :O