For many snake owners feeding your pet often can be a task. Most pet snakes can eat up to once a week or more depending on the species and size. It is very important to know your particular snakes dietary needs prior to purchasing. You will want to be sure not only to feed your snake an appropriate diet, but also feed it as much as is required. You do not want to over feed either. A over weight snake is more likely to bite or die from not having enough time to digest. If you are feeding your snake what you should, animals, then the bones and teeth can take some extra time to digest. If you are planning to be a good snake owner, it is important for you to be able to feed your snake other animals, not matter how cute and fuzzy they are.
There is a humane way to go about preparing a meal for your snake, pre-killed frozen/thawed food. Snakes will eat dead prey without hesitation. It is a myth that only live prey will work. There are several reasons why pre-killed food is best. It makes the natural process more humane for the animal about ready to be eaten as well as protects your snake from injury. A rodent or rabbit thrown into a cage with a snake is not just going to wait to be eaten. These animals do have claws and teeth and will attack your snake, which can cost you in vet bills.
To begin the pre-killed food process, you would take your food source and kill it for your snake in a very painless manner. You can easily put them to sleep by using CO2 gas from your car. Just place the animal in a paper bag and put the bag at the tail pipe. With in a few minutes the animal has passed painlessly. You will now want to store your snake food in a freezer for a minimum of 30 days to kill any parasites and bacteria. Once it is mealtime for your snake you will just let the food thaw in the refrigerator. When the food is warm inject it with vitamins for a healthy meal. Some snakes that have not been fed pre-killed food prior may have to adjust. To make the food seem alive you may have to “wiggle” it around till your snake strikes at it. Many times you will have to try different sizes and colors of pre-killed foods. Even though snakes only see in shades of gray, sometimes the color provokes a better response.
Try different times such as feeding your snake at night in his hide box to see if this is preferred. It may take a while but out will figure out where and when your snake prefers to eat. Do not be discouraged or give up if a few meals go to waist. This is only a minor loss of time and money. After your snake has figured out this is dinner he will most likely strike the animals and strangle it as if it were alive by instinct. Be careful to use a long safe object when moving prey around to not be injured. You never want to hold the food in your hands. You can get an inexpensive pair of snake tongs at any pet store that sells exotic animals.
Pre-killed food is much safer for your snake for more than just injury reasons. A dead animal is not going to fight for his life by any means. Not to mention that it is frozen to eliminate diseases. It is very important to remove all food that has not been eaten within 12 hours to avoid more disease. For those who do not want to kill the food themselves there are plenty of online stores you can get frozen pre-killed dinners from. You can even save a lot of money by buying larger quantities. This is much cheaper than buying live animals. Some pet stores are even selling mousicles and ratsicles now for snake owners. This is an easy and convenient way to feed your snake as recommended and humanely. Most snake owners will agree that snakes will have no problem with pre-killed food once they get the taste of it.
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