Thoughts on rodents as feeders?

[Venom1080]

Even a large horned worm is still a small (and messy) meal for a large hungry T. I find it a bit frustrating to feed large T's crickets but not enough to justify feeding mice.
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horn worms are huge..? theyre 4" long and a inch in diameter.. two is a good sized meal for a adult theraphosa.

 

[Realevil1]

horn worms are huge..? theyre 4" long and a inch in diameter.. two is a good sized meal for a adult theraphosa.

Well unfortunately the horned worms available here are much smaller, and id say not cared for as well as a big feeder insect supplier probably would. Feeder horned worms here are about 2- 2.5" and only like 3/4 dia. roughly.

 

[Estein]

Aside from the reasons already mentioned for not using mice as feeders, it also seems needlessly cruel to subject an animal with a central nervous system to such a lingering death.

 

[Teal]

No, The vertebrate feeder calcium molt myth is just that a myth the issue is iether the feeder is strong enough to overpower the T and possibly cause an injury or the leftover meals vile smell.

I would never consider feeding a live rodent to a T, but I can only imagine there are those that would give it a shot. And yeah, the smell isn't pleasant, but eh... it isn't something I am overly concerned with.

 

[Trenor]

The way my Ts plump out with Dubias I really see no need to feed rodents.

If I were so inclined I'd only do pre-killed personally. I've seen some mice/rats over the years go all out on my Ball Python Fred, so I'd rather not make my Ts face that. Especially since there are so many other good feeders available.

 

[Venom1080]

well, lets start the debate then @kooky whats good about feeding Ts mice??
@EulersK if a forums not used for discussion, theres no point of it.

 

[Realevil1]

The way my Ts plump out with Dubias I really see no need to feed rodents.

If I were so inclined I'd only do pre-killed personally. I've seen some mice/rats over the years go all out on my Ball Python Fred, so I'd rather not make my Ts face that. Especially since there are so many other good feeders available.

But again @Trenor in some provinces or states, roaches are illegal. Never the less I would only ever consider a large pinky mouse, for all the previously mentioned reasons.

 

[Trenor]

But again @Trenor in some provinces or states, roaches are illegal. Never the less I would only ever consider a large pinky mouse, for all the previously mentioned reasons.

That is true in some places roaches are not an option, but there are plenty of other feeders that can be used and I feel are better than live rodents for food for the same reason I stated earlier. As far as food goes I doubt there would be any harm (given that the rodent was pre-killed or to small to defend itself). So feeding them is fine though I doubt I ever will. The hassle just seems like it's too much for any gains to me.

 

[Realevil1]

@Venom1080 I agree there is no "good" reason to feed rodents. But lets just say for the the betterment of an animals health and well being, some would consider a pinky mouse a viable option when other feeders are unavailable.
Same reason feeder anoles are used to feed exotic imports reluctant to feed on mice. If they did not successfully feed at all it would be worse off than the option presented.

If a large T become stressed with crickets running about during feeding time, a warm nutrient rich pinky mouse may very well do the trick.

 

[Realevil1]

Again there is no good reason. Just a point of view to consider.

 

[Realevil1]

The option itself may mean the difference between a successful feeding and additional stress

 

[Venom1080]

@Venom1080 I agree there is no "good" reason to feed rodents. But lets just say for the the betterment of an animals health and well being, some would consider a pinky mouse a viable option when other feeders are unavailable.
Same reason feeder anoles are used to feed exotic imports reluctant to feed on mice. If they did not successfully feed at all it would be worse off than the option presented.

If a large T become stressed with crickets running about during feeding time, a warm nutrient rich pinky mouse may very well do the trick.

if theres no other option, and one of my adult Ts was starving, then yes i would buy a pinkie. hornworms are cheaper, bigger, and a all around better option.
if a T wont eat crickets or superworms, its probably not hungry or on premolt and putting a pinkie in would be useless. my spiders dont care what i give them, they'll take it down if its a appropriate size.

 

[Olan]

I have an extra pinky mouse today. Instead of it going to waste I'm going to see if any of my Ts is interested.

 

[Olan]

OBT went for it with no hesitation. It was dead in about 5-10 seconds. Not a lingering death at all with the potency of the OBT venom.