Feeding Live Prey

Many snake owners know that sometimes, getting a snake to eat frozen/thawed (hereafter known as f/t) can be a time-consuming effort, and is sometimes just plain impossible.  Many people outside the hobby don't realize this.  Maybe they just don't care.  I don't know their motives for acting the way they do, but I am fed up with it.

There are three types of people that complain about feeding snakes live prey.  They are:

1. People that have genuine concern for the welfare of the prey item and are simply expressing their displeasure at potential suffering of a living creature
2. People that dislike snakes and other 'creepy crawly' creatures and seek to make the lives of their owners miserable
3. People that don't understand the above mentioned fact, that sometimes it is difficult to get a snake to eat f/t.

1 and 3 I can handle, provided that these types of people eventually understand the situation many snake owners find themselves in.  Sometimes it makes more sense to feed and breed live prey than it does to spend an outrageous (for some) amount of money on a limited supply of frozen prey items.

People of type 2 just piss me off, and if they refuse to see reason, the most I can do is mentally scream at them in frustration and walk away from the discussion, because it will only serve to anger me more.

I understand why people get upset when the subject is brought up, but I also feel that I deserve some understanding as well.  John Doe down the street has this annoying little football-type dog that yaps and yaps, and I enjoy imagining drop-kicking it into the next county. However, Mr. Doe loves his dog dearly.  Yappy is a member of his family, and he would be devastated were anything to happen to him, or if he were unable to provide proper care.

Everyone, that is how I feel about my scaly friends.  You may not like or understand them, and you may be confused at how I can be so attached to them.  Rest assured, though, that I love them as much as I love my dog or my cat.  They do have to eat, you know.  If I could feed them all f/t I would.  It isn't very expensive (right now it is, for me), and it's a lot safer than feeding live (a pre-killed freshly thawed mouse isn't going to bite my snake, unless it's a zombie), but sometimes it isn't an option.

If that is the case, like it is now, I will do my very best to make sure that the mice are comfortable and happy for as long as they live, however long or short that may be.  Do not judge me for keeping snakes, because I don't judge the fact that you think having a dozen yipping and nipping pocket dogs is adorable.  

It's simple, folks.  Snakes need to eat too.  If you don't like that, okay.  You are welcome to your opinion.  However, next time you come to my door with pitchforks, think about the last time you went out to eat.  Think about the last juicy T-bone you grilled.  Do you honestly think the animals slaughtered so we can eat are treated better than the mice I feed my snake?  I doubt it.

Thanks for reading, comment below.

Snake Awareness Day

The reptile world was shaken last week with a massive blow to the industry. Congress added four species of snakes to the Lacey Act - Northern and Southern African Rock Pythons, Yellow Anacondas, and the infamous (and often misunderstood) Burmese Python.  This happened because the Humane Society of the United States and other special interest groups that don't want us to have snakes as pets.  This was a devastating blow to the industry and more snakes, boa constrictors, are in danger of being listed.

To that end, reptile lovers all over are putting their heads together for Snake Awareness Day, a day that will focus on demonstrations, lectures, and basically introducing people to the wonder of snakes.  We are doing this in an attempt to get the public to help us prevent the passing of unfair legislation concerning these wondrous creatures.

Since being introduced to snakes, I have discovered that they are wonderful pets.  They are easy to care for if the proper research is done beforehand, they make great conversation pieces, and they have a habit of helping me let the stress slip through my fingers just like their scales do as they slither across my hands or shoulders.  I am terrified that fear and misunderstanding will prevent me from breeding them or even owning them.  Would I pay for a permit to keep them or breed them?  Absolutely, as long as the rules and regulations associated with that permit were fair, I would not hesitate.

Snakes are some of the most misunderstood creatures on the planet.  Television and movies portray them as malevolent, blood-thirsty creatures that want nothing more than to dine on the flesh of the young and innocent.  This is not the case.  They are simply alien to many people, and people fear what they do not understand.  All I want, all the rest of the snake and reptile lovers out there want, is for our passion to be understood, for those who fear these beautiful creatures to leave them, and us, alone rather than try to force us to believe and behave as they do.  Please help us realize this goal by at least trying to understand why we love snakes, even if you don't like or even fear them.  Don't judge the entire snake population by the actions of a few mistreated, starving animals either.  It isn't fair to the snakes, and it isn't fair to those of us that have them as pets.