Current Events > My pet store gave me a feeder mouse that's alive

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I usually get frozen. They always go in the back and bring it back in a paper bag. I drive back and I see the bag tilting. Theres a fucking live baby mouse alive.. I cant kill the thing. What do these guys eat

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Is it pink or does it have fur?

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MabusIncarnate posted...

Is it pink or does it have fur?

got a lil bit of fur

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Give it a little wooden sword and shield and stick in the in cage.

It won't live without it's mother, that's considered a pinky. If you don't give it to your snake, it will likely be dead by morning. I'm not trying to be harsh, just honest. At that stage they don't have their eyes open yet.

I'd take it back to the store at this point if you still can.

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if i had to choose might as well give it to the snake it's going to die anyway :(.
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MabusIncarnate posted...

It won't live without it's mother, that's considered a pinky. If you don't give it to your snake, it will likely be dead by morning. I'm not trying to be harsh, just honest. At that stage they don't have their eyes open yet.

I'd take it back to the store at this point if you still can.

Wow you know a lot about animals... Not just fish.

Anywho if they die when not with there mom, how do stores keep them alive ?


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cjsdowg posted...

Wow you know a lot about animals... Not just fish.

Anywho if they die when not with there mom, how do stores keep them alive ?

My first job was a manager at Petco for 7 years, I had to get state certified in aquatics, reptiles, birds, and small animals.

The unfortunate truth is the store that get pinkies typically have them for a day or two until they die, and then they are frozen and sold as frozen pinkies. A lot of places don't offer live pinkies for this reason as it's considered cruel. A lot of places will have a list of people requesting live, and they know the delivery day, so they sell through them on the same day. Some large tarantulas will only eat live pinkies, so those pet owners don't have much of an option. A cricket/worm only diet isn't completely healthy for it.

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my wife is crying so Im giving it a shot. I got a small enclosure, bedding set up, I bought some kitten milk replacement and a medical syringe

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Mark_DeRosa posted...

my wife is crying so Im giving it a shot. I got a small enclosure, bedding set up, I bought some kitten milk replacement and a medical syringe

Well if you are gonna go for it, keep it as warm as possible. Good luck and maybe he will pull through.

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cooked lentils and bean burrito.. cut into bits.
mashed potatoes.. crushed chick peas. bread
non acidic vegetables and fruits finely chopped

MabusIncarnate posted...

Well if you are gonna go for it, keep it as warm as possible. Good luck and maybe he will pull through.

should I try using some of the snake lights?

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Mark_DeRosa posted...

should I try using some of the snake lights?

Yeah, if you can get a base temperature for the mouse enclosure in the mid 80's that's going to be ideal

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Going to need a heating lamp.

Mark_DeRosa posted...

my wife is crying so Im giving it a shot. I got a small enclosure, bedding set up, I bought some kitten milk replacement and a medical syringe

Are you fucking kidding me.

Do you guys eat meat? Why did you but a pet with a base requirement that it eats baby animals?

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its a goddamn mouse. just feed it to the snake
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Bluebomber182 posted...

its a goddamn mouse. just feed it to the snake

this tbqh

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LostForest posted...

Are you fucking kidding me.

Do you guys eat meat? Why did you but a pet with a base requirement that it eats baby animals?

Because normally they're not alive.

Bluebomber182 posted...

its a goddamn mouse. just feed it to the snake

Fuck you, it's alive.

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Bluebomber182 posted...

its a goddamn mouse. just feed it to the snake

i think he should try to keep it alive since its a living animal too

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MabusIncarnate posted...

Yeah, if you can get a base temperature for the mouse enclosure in the mid 80's that's going to be ideal

I have a couple heating lamps with those fancy thermostats

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its vermin. going outta your way to try and keep it alive is pointless
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Honestly the best habit you can have is feeding your snake frozen. If it gets a taste of a live mouse all of a sudden, it might not take frozen again. It's uncommon, but it can happen. TC has a Ball Python, they can get 5 feet, which means the snake will eventually eat rats. If he has an adult snake that will only eat live rats, there's a good chance the snake will get bitten, and in rare cases, a snake can coil and part of the rat can wiggle free a bit, enough to chew on the snake's head, gnaw out it's eye, or chew on it's neck.

As common as it seems to just drop a live mouse or rat in and watch the snake feed, in the animal trade just about all responsible large snake owners feed frozen. On top of that, it's less cruel to the rodent than to be bitten and suffocated to death.

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Bluebomber182 posted...

its vermin. going outta your way to try and keep it alive is pointless

its still a living being

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Youre going to put it in a cage to try to keep it alive? Lamps will burn it, by the way

Feed it to the snake. What do you think these things are before they are frozen and you feed them to the snake?

Why not put the bag in the freezer??? No different than buying it from the store...

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StarReaper13 posted...

Because normally they're not alive.

They start off alive and they get killed so that you can feed them to your pet. No matter what, you're responsible for a baby animal dying.

Once again, why buy a pet that requires a dead baby animal if you're too sensitive to deal with that truth.

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Eliza-Schuyler posted...

its still a living being

so are spiders and roaches but people dont make a fuss about killing them
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Bluebomber182 posted...

so are spiders and roaches but people dont make a fuss about killing them

i catch th bugs and let them outside

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Bluebomber182 posted...

so are spiders and roaches but people dont make a fuss about killing them

People pick and choose. Generally they don't care about insects. I never understood why people get upset knowing certain animals in the wild kill other animals to survive.

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LostForest posted...

They start off alive and they get killed so that you can feed them to your pet. No matter what, you're responsible for a baby animal dying.

Same could be said for people eating meat.

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MabusIncarnate posted...

Honestly the best habit you can have is feeding your snake frozen. If it gets a taste of a live mouse all of a sudden, it might not take frozen again. It's uncommon, but it can happen. TC has a Ball Python, they can get 5 feet, which means the snake will eventually eat rats. If he has an adult snake that will only eat live rats, there's a good chance the snake will get bitten, and in rare cases, a snake can coil and part of the rat can wiggle free a bit, enough to chew on the snake's head, gnaw out it's eye, or chew on it's neck.

As common as it seems to just drop a live mouse or rat in and watch the snake feed, in the animal trade just about all responsible large snake owners feed frozen. On top of that, it's less cruel to the rodent than to be bitten and suffocated to death.

Between this post and your one to me, you are full of interesting yet horrible information. I never knew that the Rat could beat the Snake. And those poor little piny dying just to be frozen is a kind of sad. I know things have to feed and that is just the animal world..

I only got into fish because I was about to feed my turtle some guppies, and I couldn't drop them into the tank. I just couldn't. Then I started to get bigger fish that could live with the turtles. They normally do well with Oscars unless the Oscar get sick and then nature takes over.


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MabusIncarnate posted...

Honestly the best habit you can have is feeding your snake frozen. If it gets a taste of a live mouse all of a sudden, it might not take frozen again. It's uncommon, but it can happen. TC has a Ball Python, they can get 5 feet, which means the snake will eventually eat rats. If he has an adult snake that will only eat live rats, there's a good chance the snake will get bitten, and in rare cases, a snake can coil and part of the rat can wiggle free a bit, enough to chew on the snake's head, gnaw out it's eye, or chew on it's neck.

As common as it seems to just drop a live mouse or rat in and watch the snake feed, in the animal trade just about all responsible large snake owners feed frozen. On top of that, it's less cruel to the rodent than to be bitten and suffocated to death.

TBF I wouldn't call it "common" for people to just drop live feeders directly in their pet's enclosure. The people I know who advocate live feeding always said to do so in separate enclosures cuz you don't want to build the habit of it thinking anything that comes into its home is always food.

You're right though, you don't want to risk training a fussy snake. One of my snakes got a taste for live early on, and wouldn't touch frozen for his entire life. I reached a point where 'braining' the mice became more gruesome than just using live ones. Dunno how he got so spoiled, the breeder started him on frozen \_()_/

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Yes, live mice or rats can hurt the snakes

cjsdowg posted...

Between this post and your one to me, you are full of interesting yet horrible information. I never knew that the Rat could beat the Snake. And those poor little piny dying just to be frozen is a kind of sad. I know things have to feed and that is just the animal world..

I only got into fish because I was about to feed my turtle some guppies, and I couldn't drop them into the tank. I just couldn't. Then I started to get bigger fish that could live with the turtles. They normally do well with Oscars unless the Oscar get sick and then nature takes over.

Yeah I wasn't thrilled about taking a job at a pet store chain knowing the stigma and reputation that comes with it. I wanted to learn as much as I could and educate myself, and be a lifeline for people and their pets. I didn't want to just sell stuff and brush them out the door and hand them a genetic care sheet from the rack at the store.

LostForest posted...

TBF I wouldn't call it "common" for people to just drop live feeders directly in their pet's enclosure. The people I know who advocate live feeding always said to do so in separate enclosures cuz you don't want to build the habit of it thinking anything that comes into its home is always food.

You're right though, you don't want to risk training a fussy snake. One of my snakes got a taste for live early on, and wouldn't touch frozen for his entire life. I reached a point where 'braining' the mice became more gruesome than just using live ones. Dunno how he got so spoiled, the breeder started him on frozen \_()_/

I meant for non-snake owners I think most of them believe you just buy a mouse or rat and just drop it in for the snake, not meaning it's common for owners to do this.

We fed the in-store snakes outside of the enclosure, we set them all in separate boxes and fed them that way.

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Its a snake. It eats mice. Just give it to him.

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Christ I hate this topic

Also how does MabusIncarnate know so much stuff

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Nope, both my pythons have ate frozen. Not changing it up one of the bastards was 400 bucks Im not risking a live one hurting it. Trying to figure out how far to position the light for the baby mouse

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Gamefaqs. Where people get thier morals.

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tag for further developments

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12 to 15 inches should suffice, you don't want it too close and burn it

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I only ever fed mine live... it's not so bad outside of the slight squeaking.

Though that said if it's true about them suddenly not liking pre killed food that could be problematic in the long run.

I had a corn for several years, and many pinkies and hoppers died. Pinkie should be ok/safe though, so long as you don't let it die in the enclosure and attract ants like my dumbass brother did to his snakes.

Why not put the bag in the freezer?

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Yeah I'd say freeze it... if nothing else it'll just die/shutdown from cold like it'll do without its mother, just faster.

MabusIncarnate posted...

Yeah I wasn't thrilled about taking a job at a pet store chain knowing the stigma and reputation that comes with it. I wanted to learn as much as I could and educate myself, and be a lifeline for people and their pets. I didn't want to just sell stuff and brush them out the door and hand them a genetic care sheet from the rack at the store.

You are very good person. Many times people sell pets and don't care at all, double so when they are something small. But fish,turtles and birds can mean a lot people. I know when am feeling down my tanks make me feel batter. Thanks for caring.

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we feed it the kitten milk and this is the set up. Im using a gun rack mount for the light lol

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I don't know much about snakes and their feeding so:

1. By frozen, I'm assuming you let it thaw before you feed it to them? Is it room temperature?
2. Is that baby mouse capable of hurting the snake? Or just rats?
3. Do you think snakes are happy in "smaller" enclosures? Is all they really care about food and just being fed? They have have social needs?

@MabusIncarnate

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I used to feel bad about feeding live ones to my ex gfs snake, but the pet store owner explained that the white/red eye ones are so inbred they rarely live even a third the usual lifespan and often have health problems

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Coloradough posted...

I used to feel bad about feeding live ones to my ex gfs snake, but the pet store owner explained that the white/red eye ones are so inbred they rarely live even a third the usual lifespan and often have health problems

And yet you perpetuate an industry to intentionally inbreeds these creatures to have a cruel, short life with a violent end at your hands. Hm...

By all means, carnivores need to eat meat. Your justification of the suffering of its meal is just weird.

Houston posted...

I don't know much about snakes and their feeding so:

1. By frozen, I'm assuming you let it thaw before you feed it to them? Is it room temperature?
2. Is that baby mouse capable of hurting the snake? Or just rats?
3. Do you think snakes are happy in "smaller" enclosures? Is all they really care about food and just being fed? They have have social needs?

@MabusIncarnate

Yes, you let it thaw out by various methods.

No, the baby mouse, and again i'm gonna be cruel, is basically bite sized and they don't feel the need to strike, coil, and eat it unless it's a small snake, they will typically just grab it and swallow it. It does not have the jaw strength or capacity to bite a snake in that stage, no.

Reptiles aren't capable of feeling emotions, so the need for socialization isn't there. Their primary goal in life is staying warm and eating. Pythons detect heat through the vents above their upper jaw line. At times, they cannot distinguish between a human hand and prey. People who claim their snake "loves them" likes to wrap around them solely for heat and to stay warm. They aren't capable of love. So considering that, if the snake has adequate space, is warm, has a water source it can soak in and is being fed, it's perfectly content in a enclosure as a pet. It will never have an awareness that it's "trapped".

This picture shows those vents, they are for detecting heat signatures, they aren't nostrils.



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Its 83 degrees in his little enclosure. Id say the heat lamp is about 15 inches away away from it. Saw a neat trick online to use a paint brush for feeding.

my main concern is the distance from the lamp. I dont want to be burning the little guy

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