If you’ll be keeping a snake for a pet, you’ve got a large decision on your hands: do you feed live prey, or do you feed pre-killed prey? There are pros and cons to each choice.
The case for live prey is a pretty simple one: live prey is the most natural way to feed your snake. If your snake was in the wild, he wouldn’t be dining on frozen, pre-killed prey. He would hunt and feed when he needed to. Live prey is relatively easy to obtain; you can swing by the local pet store when it’s time for your snake to feed. Alternately, you can raise your own prey. However, raising your own prey can be expensive and time consuming, and doesn’t guarantee you’ll end up with prey that is an appropriate size for your snake.
The dangers of live prey may make it a less attractive feeding plan: live prey may injure your snake. If your snake isn’t hungry enough to hunt or just can’t kill the prey fast enough, the prey can leave your snake with some serious injuries. Even a small mouse in a panic can do some harm to your pet.
Feeding pre-killed prey keeps your snake safe from injury. Choosing pre-killed frozen prey can also save you time and money — you can stockpile frozen prey and always have appropriately sized food available. Your local pet store may also sell fresh killed prey, which you can serve immediately or freeze for later.
If you are thinking about changing your snake’s diet from live prey to pre-killed prey, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Start by offering freshly killed prey and gradually make the change to frozen prey. (They are frozen only for storage, by the way, and need to be thawed and warmed slightly before feeding.)
When you go to buy your snake, talk to the breeder about the snake’s diet. If your chosen snake has been accustomed to pre-killed prey from the start, you’ll have no problem continuing that diet if that is your choice.
More about snakes from the Pets Blog at Families.com!