Moral Issue.

[draper]

Ho hum, I haven't really given this much though 'til tonight.

But I'd like your opinions on, to what degree should people be allowed to feed reptiles live animals?

Now I kept frogs and salamanders and I have no qualsm about feeding anything crickets or any type of insect.

And also, if I had a snake or a meat-eating lizard (which I hope to one day) I'd have no qualms about feeding them rats and mice, and even feeding my frogs a baby mice one day.

But, I was talking to a guy tonight online about our reptiles/amphibians and he was talking about his pythons and his monitors etc.

He said he fed most of them rats which is fine, I personally consider rats lowly and without much personality so it wasn't a big deal to me.

But then he said he had to feed his larger python guinea pigs on occasion, and I thought that was really, really, psuhing the envelope. Really, I don't see the difference between feeding an animal a guinea pig and a dog or cat.

Anyways, how much is 'too much' as far as feeding reptiles go, in your opinions?

 

[Invader Pichu]

As long as you don't feed them someone else's pet then it's alright. :>

 

[SnowOwlMoon]

If you're going to keep a pet, you have a moral obligation to take good care of it, including feeding it what it needs to stay healthy. If you are too squeamish to do that, perhaps you should look for a different type of pet. If a snake needs to be fed a guinea pig or rabbit, then that's what it should be fed. In the wild, the snake would be hunting for animals that size for food. If you keep it in captivity, you need to provide for it.

 

[Nicci]

Why do you consider rats lowly and without much personality? I've kept rats before, and each one has their own distinct personality. Each one has their own likes and dislikes, they are INCREDIBLY intelligent, and they are very clean....a heck of a lot cleaner than my cat lol. God didn't create anything that doesn't have value. They are wonderful animals, and they make wonderful pets. I do plan on getting a snake one day (preferably a columbian red-tailed boa constrictor) and although I adore rodents, I know that I will have to feed them to my snake for the snake to be healthy. I agree with SnowOwlMoon...you have an obligation to all the animals you bring into your home to give them the best care humanly possible. I for one will always feed frozed prey...never live. The prey can be just as deadly to the snake as the snake is to them. One of my friends had a boa that she always fed live prey to...The snake was killed by a rat. There is nowhere for either animal to run to and hide. It's not the way it's done in nature. In the wild they can at least attempt to get away...they aren't thrown together in an enclosure. meh....I got off on a tangeant there didn't I? I just don't like it when someone says that one animal is more valuable than another (no offense draper it's just a pet peeve of mine). You feed the snake what it needs to be fed, and preferably you should feed frozen, not live. They don't live in the wild so the act of hunting can be significantly more dangerous to the snakes as well as the obvious peril the mouse/rat/rabbit/guinea pig is in.

 

[draper]

Actually, well, yeah. I agree with you guys, I was in a squeamish mood last night, not too sure why :-/ Probbly because I was at a crappy Leafs game.

Oh well. I mean, personally, I just think of the kind of rats that are bred for commercial use (feeding) quite lowly. I mean of course there is a difference between those and rats kept as pets, the commercially fed ones are kept in concentration camp like settings.

Now, I can see where you get the frozen food bit from. I also know that at several pet stores they give them frozen food, because the mice or rats can poke out an eye or something else that'll make the snake impossible to sell.

 

[IvoryRain]

Obviously you have never had a rat as a pet since you down them so. Why is feeding a guinea pig to a snake "pushing the envelope" - what makes them so much higher than a rat? Sometime when I get my digital camera working I'll post some pictures of the rats I take to the nursing home my grandfather stays in. You'd be suprised at how much the residents love them - all they are are fluffy marshmallows that give kisses. (the rats, not the people. that would be weird)

Most "feeder rats" are absolutly no different than those kept of pets. (three of the rats I take to the home were "feeders", one due to his eye being damaged due to overcrowded housing) They usually end up in the feeder section if the shipment arrives at the store with sexes mixed, or if there were "illegal breedings" taken place in the store. If a "concentration camp" setting makes them look lowley in your eyes you ought to see a mill of any sort pertaining to animals. None would be very worthy at all, I guess. Its not the fault of the animals how we as humans decide to keep them.


As someone else stated, you are obligated to take proper care of an animal you have decided to keep in your care. If that means feeding it live, frozen or freshly killed animals that is what must be done.

 

[draper]

Well I guess we have different opinions on rats.

Feeder rats personalities are not developed, really. When you take them into your home I guess they do develop.

And, guinea pigs have more personality then rats and are much more cat or dog like, which is why I said that.

 

[Nicci]

It's hard to see any animal's personality while they are in a pet store. They've constantly got people poking their cages, making stupid faces at them, they've got to deal with noisy birds while they try to sleep, etc. It's hard to tell what kind of personality any animal has until you get them into your home (a much more stable environment). Their personalities are quite developed, you just can't always see it because of their living conditions. Guinea pigs don't have more personality than rats. Rats, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, and any other animal all have personalities. They all have DIFFERENT personalities, but they all have personalities. Rats can learn to come when they are called just like dogs can...that's something my cat, who I've had for almost seven years, still refuses to do. My hamsters come when they are called too, and in general they aren't as intelligent as rats. They are not stupid by any means, but they do tend to have a different level of intelligence. No animal is above another animal. I love rats, and I'd choose them over a guinea pig any day. Although I do like guinea pigs .

 

[SnowOwlMoon]

Well I guess we have different opinions on rats.

Feeder rats personalities are not developed, really. When you take them into your home I guess they do develop.

And, guinea pigs have more personality then rats and are much more cat or dog like, which is why I said that.

When you are close to an animal, making it into a pet, you become aware of its personality. If the only contact you've had with rats is as snake food, then no, you won't see any personality in it. If the only contact you had with guinea pigs was as snake food, you wouldn't see any personality there, either. You wouldn't handle them, spend time with them, or try to train them, as you would with a pet. You simply regard them as snake food.

This isn't meant as criticism or a slam--I think it's just the way human beings in general regard food animals, whether for our food, or our pets' food.

 

[ChristFollowers]

When you are close to an animal, making it into a pet, you become aware of its personality. If the only contact you've had with rats is as snake food, then no, you won't see any personality in it. If the only contact you had with guinea pigs was as snake food, you wouldn't see any personality there, either. You wouldn't handle them, spend time with them, or try to train them, as you would with a pet. You simply regard them as snake food.

This isn't meant as criticism or a slam--I think it's just the way human beings in general regard food animals, whether for our food, or our pets' food.

I agree with you.

Draper.....Rats do have personality if you give them a chance and adopt one. My cousin has a Rat as a pet...he's only had the Rat for about a month, but the Rat has a personality. He runs and have fun in his little cage just like a Guinea Pig...also when my cousin let out the Rat he runs around and come to us humans all the time (he's a baby Rat)....he hasnt been train though...but thats because my cousin hasnt took the time to train the Rat.

But I think Rats are intelligent creatures....it's just that humans dont give them a chance.

 

[Moros]

Think about what they would eat in the wild.

 

[Myah]

I think it's more of an issue of using a "cute and cuddly" animal to feel something that doesn't seem so cute and cuddly. If I had a snake, you're darn right I would feed it what it needed. I'd have to look at the rats, guinea pigs..etc as feed, not as pets.

 

[Faithful83]

And, guinea pigs have more personality then rats and are much more cat or dog like, which is why I said that.

Actually rats do seem more like dogs. They give kisses. I'm not trying to talk down GP's, but I've yet to get a doggie kiss from a GP.