I live with someone who hates them and says NO. I think they're afraid that it'll get loose and eat one of our small animals. I'm also a little uncomfortable with feeding them live mammals. What are your thoughts on snakes escaping and eating your other pets. Ever had this happen to you or someone else?Thanks for any input.
I'd like to get into snakes but...
- Thread starter B8709
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Have you considered species that are
a. too small to eat your other pets should they escape (though it's kindof a silly fear if your other pets and the snake are properly contained)
b. disinclined to eat mammals, such as species that eat mostly eggs, amphibians, or fish, if the thought bothers you
or
c. converts readily to F/T? Very few responsible herpers feed live if they have the option not to; it isn't very safe for reptiles to be fed live prey due to the risk of injury. Chances are if you got an easy "beginner" species from a responsible captive breeder, you could get an animal well started on frozen/thawed rodents, allowing you to avoid live feeding.
The only time I had an issue with a snake getting out was when a friend was pet sitting it. He didn't latch the lid properly, and it got into the enclosure next door, which incidentally held a much larger kingsnake (frankly I kindof doubt it was an accident). It didn't end well. Most horror stories I hear about pets eating pets involves cats and dogs eating fish, pocket pets, and birds - not snakes eating other pets.
a. too small to eat your other pets should they escape (though it's kindof a silly fear if your other pets and the snake are properly contained)
b. disinclined to eat mammals, such as species that eat mostly eggs, amphibians, or fish, if the thought bothers you
or
c. converts readily to F/T? Very few responsible herpers feed live if they have the option not to; it isn't very safe for reptiles to be fed live prey due to the risk of injury. Chances are if you got an easy "beginner" species from a responsible captive breeder, you could get an animal well started on frozen/thawed rodents, allowing you to avoid live feeding.
The only time I had an issue with a snake getting out was when a friend was pet sitting it. He didn't latch the lid properly, and it got into the enclosure next door, which incidentally held a much larger kingsnake (frankly I kindof doubt it was an accident). It didn't end well. Most horror stories I hear about pets eating pets involves cats and dogs eating fish, pocket pets, and birds - not snakes eating other pets.
schnautzr
Arachnosquire
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When you keep animals that could potentially eat each other, it's a good idea to make sure ALL your animals have adequate cages, and that when any animals are out of their cages, they're being held or monitored closely.
My fourth grade teacher kept tropical fish, dwarf hamsters, teddy bear gerbils, a crawdad, three cockatiels, and a large corn snake. The corn snake's cage was about the same size as the cockatiel cage, and she rarely let him out. He seemed pretty content and never tried to escape, although once she left his cage open and he escaped. Somehow someone found him in the hall before he exited the school.
My fourth grade teacher kept tropical fish, dwarf hamsters, teddy bear gerbils, a crawdad, three cockatiels, and a large corn snake. The corn snake's cage was about the same size as the cockatiel cage, and she rarely let him out. He seemed pretty content and never tried to escape, although once she left his cage open and he escaped. Somehow someone found him in the hall before he exited the school.
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Well firstly most feed frozen/thawed, not live. Actually i'm still pretty steamed about a person who was trying to rehome his adult female snow corn snake at my work, and was going to give her to us complete with set-up if he couldn't rehome her by the end of June. I told him if she ate prekilled then yes, I'll take her, and supposedly she USED to eat prekilled and could take it fine, but he still decided to feed her live. Well the last week of June, the snake is no more, as a rat killed her. I wish i could have told him I'd take the rat (seeing as I have three lovely ratties and wouldn't mind another) but the rat was killed as well.
As far as snakes that don't eat small mammals, there's plenty out there. Look into garter snakes (www.thamnophis.com) or egg eaters (not that commonly kept), or even smaller species. there's also lizard-eaters, etc.
I personally keep egg-eaters, and southern ring-neck snakes which eat slugs and small worms. I'm considering getting into some certain garter snakes, as they can be fed things like salmon chopped up with supplements and that appeals to me far more than keeping dead rodents in the freezer. The florida blue striped garters or the Puget sound garters are absolutely beautiful IMO (and some gravid puget sound garters going on right now... so hopefully some babies will be available soon!)
These snakes are small compared to the more commonly kept snakes out there, but they appeal to me. I saw some brahminy blind snakes (can be fed tiny crickets or isopods) and some shovelnose snakes for sale and am considering them as well. Once again, these are TINY snakes. TIIINNYYYyY!!!
I've never had issues with a snake getting out. Usually it's someone not properly housing their snake.
As far as snakes that don't eat small mammals, there's plenty out there. Look into garter snakes (www.thamnophis.com) or egg eaters (not that commonly kept), or even smaller species. there's also lizard-eaters, etc.
I personally keep egg-eaters, and southern ring-neck snakes which eat slugs and small worms. I'm considering getting into some certain garter snakes, as they can be fed things like salmon chopped up with supplements and that appeals to me far more than keeping dead rodents in the freezer. The florida blue striped garters or the Puget sound garters are absolutely beautiful IMO (and some gravid puget sound garters going on right now... so hopefully some babies will be available soon!)
These snakes are small compared to the more commonly kept snakes out there, but they appeal to me. I saw some brahminy blind snakes (can be fed tiny crickets or isopods) and some shovelnose snakes for sale and am considering them as well. Once again, these are TINY snakes. TIIINNYYYyY!!!
I've never had issues with a snake getting out. Usually it's someone not properly housing their snake.
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the feeding of live rodents to snakes is often a hot button topic. for the most part its not necessary at all. live rodents pose a huge risk to snakes, search for snake killed by mouse or rat...be ready for some pretty gruesome pics, anything from puncture wounds to punctured eyes to partialy and mostly eaten snakes. its amazing what rodent teeth can do to a predator! ive personally seen some horrible rodent bites over the years. one of the worst incidents ive seen with feeding live animals was a large burmese python that had been disembowled with one single kick from the rabbit. rats and mice can also do a bit of damage with their claws. live lizards and frogs as feeders also pose the risk of pathogen and parasite transmission. this is lessened by snakes willing to accept frozen thawed lizards and frogs, but it is possible that some pathogens and parasites can survive the freezing and thawing process. these days frozen rodents are readily available and by all means cheaper to feed than live rodents. most snakes can fairly easily be transitioned onto frozen thawed. just some food for thought.
Jaymz
Jaymz
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The topic of feeding live rodents has already been covered here as something that is not only unnecessary, but extremely risky to the safety of the SNAKE. There are also many snakes that don't eat rodents; I breed Water Snakes, which eat primarily fish and amphibians(though they can be conditioned to eat rodents easily)and will even eat fish from the supermarket meat counter, that is already dead and cut up into fillets!
I have kept various species of snake, ranging from tiny little newborn Ribbon and DeKay's snakes to adult Burmese and Reticulated Pythons, in the house along with various dogs, cats, ferrets, small primates, bobcats and even an adult female cougar(the four-legged type), as well as birds, for nearly half a century now, and I have NEVER had a snake escape and eat one of the other animals! Secure caging for all the animals involved prevents this from happening. I've had some of the other animals which would loved to have eaten my snakes, but they couldn't get to them because the snakes' cages were intended to protect THEM as well as prevent escapes. Right now, I keep approximately 30 snakes, the largest of which is pushing nine feet(Colombian Boa female), and I also have a cat and my father, who had to move in with me a year and a half ago, has a small Pug, and we have not had any problems at all. As my Principal likes to say, "proper prepardness prevents poor performance"; in other words, having the right type of enclosures for the animals that need them will go a long, long way in preventing tragedies.
pitbulllady
I have kept various species of snake, ranging from tiny little newborn Ribbon and DeKay's snakes to adult Burmese and Reticulated Pythons, in the house along with various dogs, cats, ferrets, small primates, bobcats and even an adult female cougar(the four-legged type), as well as birds, for nearly half a century now, and I have NEVER had a snake escape and eat one of the other animals! Secure caging for all the animals involved prevents this from happening. I've had some of the other animals which would loved to have eaten my snakes, but they couldn't get to them because the snakes' cages were intended to protect THEM as well as prevent escapes. Right now, I keep approximately 30 snakes, the largest of which is pushing nine feet(Colombian Boa female), and I also have a cat and my father, who had to move in with me a year and a half ago, has a small Pug, and we have not had any problems at all. As my Principal likes to say, "proper prepardness prevents poor performance"; in other words, having the right type of enclosures for the animals that need them will go a long, long way in preventing tragedies.
pitbulllady