Live kitten fed to burmese python

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Terry Allan Hall

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My gripe is that idiots like this make ALL of us who keep large snakes look scummy and/or demented...and give politicians more reasons to outlaw what we love as pets.

I feed my snakes in private and NEVER would I post a video of their feedings on YouTube for precisely this reason.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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Terry Allan Hall said:
My gripe is that idiots like this make ALL of us who keep large snakes look scummy and/or demented...and give politicians more reasons to outlaw what we love as pets.

I feed my snakes in private and NEVER would I post a video of their feedings on YouTube for precisely this reason.

That I can agree on. I used to post on youtube. I don't anymore, mainly because I just don't have the time, and most of my camera usage is reserved for my firstborn. The herps rarely get photo shoots anymore!

But yeah, there's a lot of herpers out there making the rest of us look bad. Its not PETA, its not HSUS...we're pretty much giving the rest of the world the ammo to shoot us in the leg.
 

exoticsdr

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Terry Allan Hall said:
My gripe is that idiots like this make ALL of us who keep large snakes look scummy and/or demented...and give politicians more reasons to outlaw what we love as pets.

I feed my snakes in private and NEVER would I post a video of their feedings on YouTube for precisely this reason.

Absolutely!
 

Tony the tank

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I use to always fed frozen rats, rabbits to my snakes... Even the venomous took it readily....Some were a little picky so you needed to either leave it in there box or move it around with some tongs...

Frozen for me was more humane and less danger of the snake getting injured... I have always gotten my frozen feeders from a local research facility...(they use them to test products then kill them with carbon dioxide)... Otherwise they would incinerate them..
 

cherylim

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I read about this a few days ago. I struggle to see the images and think of that happening because I am a cat-lover. However, it's nature. It's only the same as them eating any other animal. It happens.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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I just think about how many feral cats are in the world, reaking havoc on native species and cranking out more unwanted kittens that take up space in already crowded shelters. I think about how many times I've been bitten by rats, mice, hamsters, and rabbits while I worked in the pet industry. I mean, I used to have pet cats and pet hamsters. But its pretty easy for me to look at things objectively.
 

babylove6635

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that was an act or crulity because he filmed it for that purpose. if he was just feeding the snake, then just feed it the whole world dont need to see it. there is a time and place for all animales, as a kid we raised many animels for food even cute rabits. but we never filmed us eatting them. its a way of life for some, not for others. now i have lion head rabbits and would never think of killing them, they are pets. the cat in that video was someones pet, wild cats even kittens are mean. and do not act like that one did. and thats where it became wrong. im a firm beliver in hanging him till his tail stops wiggling.
 

ascott

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I did not look at the video so let me start off there. After reading the posts here I am glad I did not.

I absolutely love snakes. However, I have a personal handicap in that I can not make an animal from live to dead....I do give credit to the folks that can do this and in being able to do so are age to care for snakes. This is the only handicap that keeps me from housing snakes. I have caught and move a variety of rattlesnake here in the desert and do not have a problem with them....they are a necessary part of the food chain.

After all we tortoise and turtle keepers house as guarded treasures items that some folks would drool over the thought of eating....to me that is not appropriate in my world.....but in other parts of the world is is acceptable and even sought after at great cost.

I do not think that it appropriate to feed a cat or dog to a snake...and it is absolutely a cultural upbringing.....also there are places that offer cat and dog up as food and have no problem with it....we slaughter off live horses to in turn feed to our dogs and cats and as long as we don't have to see it we buy quietly and not give it thought.....

This video was done likely by a part of our society that frankly worry me and make me grateful that person is not my neighbor (I hope anyways). The world was full of videos of people taking their foot and stomping to death kittens and puppies heads till they were dead...somewhat like folks do a bug.....there are lots of folks that are terribly out there.

I use to think that the way to stop these types of videos being out for viewing so much was to simply not view them...not giving them that hit...but the sadness is that even if normal folks did not look at the videos there are equally many people who thrive on viewing bad this.gs...so the market is there.
 

Terry Allan Hall

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ShiningSnakes said:
I just think about how many feral cats are in the world, reaking havoc on native species and cranking out more unwanted kittens that take up space in already crowded shelters. I think about how many times I've been bitten by rats, mice, hamsters, and rabbits while I worked in the pet industry. I mean, I used to have pet cats and pet hamsters. But its pretty easy for me to look at things objectively.

Agree that there is definitely a feral cat/dog problem, and "harvesting" them humanely, for whatever purpose, really doesn't bother me...but it's something that needn't be advertised, because cat- and dog-lovers can't always look at such things objectively. And people who fear/hate snakes (and other reptiles) REALLY don't look at this sort of thing objectively.

Discretion is a better ploy in such matters.

And, until there are no ferals left, if ever that time comes, there's no good reason to use cats/dogs raised to be pets as snake/crocodilian/other predator chow.

Just my $.02 worth.
 

Neltharion

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Wicked Demon said:
Feeding live not only is cruel and disgusting, it is a danger to the animal being fed.
Live prey should only be used for rehabilitating wild animals.
(I am surprised to be the first to point out pre-kill as an option on a reptile forum!)

I kept numerous species of constrictors and pythons. Mainly the ones that stayed on the smaller side. I fed primarily mice, rats, chicks, and occasionally small rabbits to the bigger ones. Mine were usually frozen thawed or pre-killed.

Every once in a while though, you get a picky eater. One that won't eat anything but live. If done correctly, live feedings can be safely done. I had a blood python that would only feed on live prey. This usually meant putting the live animal in and monitoring for about 20 minutes. If the python ate, great. If not, take out the prey item and try again in another few days. I don't see feeding live as being cruel or disgusting. The difference is a matter of the prey item being killed by a human or the snake itself.

katherine said:
: ( this hits close to home. I have a reticulated python and we only feed frozen feeders but I still cringe everytime it's feeding day. Owning a carnivorous animal means a responsibility to feed and care for them as such; and while I obviously don't think that feeding a live kitten is responsible, is feeding a killed rabbit? Responsible to the snake sure, but what about the bun? I feel in moral predicament everytime I feed, ESP as a rabbit owner, knowing that the animals I purchase for him never had a chance : ( Anyone less emotional like to adopt my slithering moral dilemma so I can resume feeding herbivores and not dread meal time so much?

Interesting that you mention this. I kept a number of constrictors and pythons. When I met my significant other, she wanted me to get rid of the snakes. Not so much out of fear of the snakes themselves, but she was repulsed knowing that they ate whole prey items, mostly mammals. The fact that I had a freezer in the garage full of frozen rats and mice was also not something that appealed to her. What was the worst for her was seeing the prekill method for rats and mice. She watched me one time, press down on the neck of a rat and yank the tail, then put the rat in the enclosure. That was the first and last time she watched that. I ended up selling off the collection about a month later.
 

cemmons12

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What a thread, I think I will skip this one for sure, have a great night forum friends! :)
 

Tom

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I think Josh was right... can o' worms.

I understand both sides of this issue and have dealt with both a lot. I really don't think either side will be swayed by the other on this issue.
 

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dmmj said:
But is an animal eating another animal, cruelty?


Yes when an animal that is not in the wild is fed another animal that he for one would probably never get in the wild and for two, the animal being used has no chance as it is being fed in captivity. If I had my way, I would hang every animal abuser, but not to quickly die, oh no, a very slow death. I hate any and all animal abuse and abusers.
 

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tyler0912 said:
People who think this is right are blatently sick!

No Ty, they just see things differently then you do.
 

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wellington said:
dmmj said:
But is an animal eating another animal, cruelty?


Yes when an animal that is not in the wild is fed another animal that he for one would probably never get in the wild and for two, the animal being used has no chance as it is being fed in captivity. If I had my way, I would hang every animal abuser, but not to quickly die, oh no, a very slow death. I hate any and all animal abuse and abusers.

I do believe if you hung a human, then you too would be considered an abuser by a lot of folks. Plus who is to decide what is abuse and what is not? Who is to say this belief or that one, is wrong?
 

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Jacqui said:
wellington said:
dmmj said:
But is an animal eating another animal, cruelty?


Yes when an animal that is not in the wild is fed another animal that he for one would probably never get in the wild and for two, the animal being used has no chance as it is being fed in captivity. If I had my way, I would hang every animal abuser, but not to quickly die, oh no, a very slow death. I hate any and all animal abuse and abusers.

I do believe if you hung a human, then you too would be considered an abuser by a lot of folks. Plus who is to decide what is abuse and what is not? Who is to say
this belief or that one, is wrong?

A hanging of a criminal, who cares! In this country, USA, animal abuse is against the law. We have come along way in this country, to fight animal abuse and still have a ways to go. The acceptance of this kind of behavior should not be tolerated as it is a set back. If the animal is humanely killed first then that is one thing, to feed while alive is not and should not be excepted, not if you are a sane human, kitten or mouse, it is animal abuse. You do know what most child abusers started out as don't you? If you are okay with a live animal purposely being fed to another live animal, I don't care who you are, you are one sick ******! I will always be against any and all animal abuse, and I don't take it litely as you can tell. I will fight for them with everything I have.
I am out now on this one, as my blood pressure has tripled. I should have taken the others advice and past in the first place.
Proud member of 5 animal rights groups.
I
 

Angi

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I won't be getting a snake any time soon.....or ever. I can't even get a lizard that eats another animal, not even a pinky. It just makes me sick to think about. But I don't have a problem watching my dog kill wild mice, rats, gopher etc....Captive snakes just really creep me out. And killing captive, domestic animals seem sick to me.
 
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