# Live rats & mice in London



## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

Hi snake lovers,
please can you tell me where to buy live rats as a food for my Boa in London?
He use to eat live rats/mice only and I'm gonna bring him to our new home in London.
All the pet shops I've visited have only frozen ones...
Thanks for any information


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

you won't find a shop willing to sell you a rodents as live food for your snake in the UK, although there are no real law against it as such , it's generally not the done thing here and is discouraged.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

I found that warming a defrosted mouse in hot water would encourage a snake to eat it when it otherwise wouldn't.


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## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

Thanks for the information guys.
I am quite disappointed with this. It seems to me really stupid...
Snake eats mice, that's natural. But people think it's more natural to kill them by themselves and give it to snake dead. Maybe they will kill the insect and sell it frozen for reptiles in the future...
It is alright to kill rodents at home, to buy rodenticides and mouse traps etc.. But when you give mouse to snake to live, that's very very bad... 
But my snake will eat live mice!


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

it's not that people don't do it they probably do , here in the uk people consider possible injuries to the snake , as most if not all are weaned using frozen so have never experienced killing then eating anything live. hope that helps. mice/rats are usually gassed then frozen and sold in most reptile stores , i don't kill them myself , i couldn't bring myself to do this.


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Smolda said:


> Thanks for the information guys.
> I am quite disappointed with this. It seems to me really stupid...
> Snake eats mice, that's natural. But people think it's more natural to kill them by themselves and give it to snake dead. Maybe they will kill the insect and sell it frozen for reptiles in the future...
> It is alright to kill rodents at home, to buy rodenticides and mouse traps etc.. But when you give mouse to snake to live, that's very very bad...
> But my snake will eat live mice!


Most people have realised that feeding live is a risk that the majority don't need to take.

The vast majority of captive snakes will eat dead prey, and feeding dead prey eliminates the risk of an injured snake and eliminates the stress of feeding live.

Rather than trying to be sarcastic about feeding frozen insects (which you can indeed get  ) why not research into why people have moved over to frozen prey rrr:

Yes a snake needs to eat, but the reality is that live feeding is not needed :sneaky2:

It is not natural to keep snakes captive so please don't use the "it's natural" argument as it doesn't wash here


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## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

Nagini:
My snake eats live mice/rats since was born and have never had any injury...
The same with all of my friends' snakes.

StormyThai:
Are you serious?  IT IS snake's naturalness and this is really good argument. :nono: Hunting is only "fun/sport/movement" a snake has. Would you rather have a snake just to feed IT and watch it lying in vivarium? Maybe would be better for you to have a padded pet or just a plush toy - can't get any injury and you don't need to feed IT, so even cheaper and safer.


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Smolda said:


> Nagini:
> My snake eats live mice/rats since was born and have never had any injury...
> The same with all of my friends' snakes.
> 
> ...


I have kept many reps in the past thank you, your argument was lost the moment you mentioned "natural"...nothing about the way we keep captive reps is natural


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

Smolda said:


> Nagini:
> My snake eats live mice/rats since was born and have never had any injury...
> The same with all of my friends' snakes.


just because its never happened yet , does not mean it won't  if you don't like the advice , maybe leave your snake where it currently resides so it can continue being fed as you wish.


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## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

My pet will be fed as I wish, doesn't matter where he resides. 
Do you think that , it can't do anything originally natural once captive? Maybe the best way for you is to buy snake's dead body with some gadget inside. :ihih: :dita: :ihih:


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

Smolda said:


> My pet will be fed as I wish, doesn't matter where he resides.


Good luck then. Not many pet shops sell mice these days, and you will be refused a sale if you try to buy a *pet* rat in a pet shop for snake food.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

There is no law specifically stating it's illegal to feed live vertebrates as food, but I'm pretty sure it would be considered against the law under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 as it would be seen to constitute 'unnecessary suffering'.


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

Smolda said:


> My pet will be fed as I wish, doesn't matter where he resides.
> Do you think that , it can't do anything originally natural once captive? Maybe the best way for you is to buy snake's dead body with some gadget inside. :ihih: :dita: :ihih:


how old are you? like 5?:Yawn:


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

Shoshannah said:


> There is no law specifically stating it's illegal to feed live vertebrates as food, but I'm pretty sure it would be considered against the law under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 as it would be seen to constitute 'unnecessary suffering'.


those of us that keep snakes and other reptiles as pets are aware of the laws (which are necessary some times) as to regarding reptiles that won't feed or haven't fed for a long time , usually there's always a way round things such as offering a different thawed rodent (or sometimes a chick) before having to resort to feeding anything live (i've never resorted to it and kept reptiles for a looooong time) 
but , i can't be bothered reeling them off to an absolute ar$e who just wants to feed live for the sake of it, for the 'thrill'.:001_smile:


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## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

Shoshannah said:


> There is no law specifically stating it's illegal to feed live vertebrates as food, but I'm pretty sure it would be considered against the law under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 as it would be seen to constitute 'unnecessary suffering'.


 'unnecessary suffering'?? And when you buy mice traps with rhodenticides and kill them? After eating of rhodenticides they suffer much much more before they die... It's hypocritical, because people just don't want to see it, but if they suffer hidden somewhere, it's alright.

The difference: Snake kills the mouse for himself in natural way OR man kills that mouse and gives it to snake dead, frozen (means not fresh) and heated in microwave... Results: The mouse is killed but snake can eat fresh or frozen


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## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

Nagini said:


> how old are you? like 5?:Yawn:


Oh, sorry, I will not talk to you anymore. You seem to be much smarter and more adult than me... :blush2: :001_tt1:


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Why the hell would you stick a frozen mouse into a microwave 

Please do continue to spout your utter drivel tho, it's almost entertaining :Yawn:

Mouse traps and poison have absolutely zero to do with live feeding 
And again...the act of feeding a snake (live or otherwise) is NOT a natural event. If you want to carry on with the natural argument then you best not keep pets full stop :sneaky2:


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

Smolda said:


> 'unnecessary suffering'?? And when you buy mice traps with rhodenticides and kill them? After eating of rhodenticides they suffer much much more before they die... It's hypocritical, because people just don't want to see it, but if they suffer hidden somewhere, it's alright.
> 
> The difference: Snake kills the mouse for himself in natural way OR man kills that mouse and gives it to snake dead, frozen (means not fresh) and heated in microwave... Results: The mouse is killed but snake can eat fresh or frozen


it _could possibly_ be considered unnecessary suffering , yes it could , i'm not reeling off the legal why and for because i can't be bothered , the information is out there if you care to look 
if you are asking for people to advise where you can buy mice/rats as live feeders for your snake , you are on the wrong forum.
i'm assuming somehow you got the snake feeding anyway and have just come back to troll.


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## Nagini (Jan 13, 2014)

StormyThai said:


> Why the hell would you stick a frozen mouse into a microwave
> 
> Please do continue to spout your utter drivel tho, it's almost entertaining :Yawn:
> 
> ...


you wouldn't stick a frozen mouse into a microwave , unless of course you didn't want to use your microwave again.
i would be interested to see to see the OP's set up , to see how 'natural' the snake is actually kept


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Smolda said:


> 'unnecessary suffering'?? And when you buy mice traps with rhodenticides and kill them? After eating of rhodenticides they suffer much much more before they die... It's hypocritical, because people just don't want to see it, but if they suffer hidden somewhere, it's alright.


I was just mentioning the Animal Welfare Act to contribute to the discussion; I didn't write it. Ethics is not a black and white subject, unfortunately. I am well aware of the effects of rhodenticides (sic), ta.


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

What snakes and other animals do in the wild they do because its the only way they can feed themselves, cats kill mice in the wild but we wouldnt bring live mice in to feed it when they can get food from somewhere else
Keep your snake where it is then if you want to feed it live food
We here would consider it cruelty and as already stated, unneccessary suffering
I think we are a bit more civilised than feeding our animals other live animals


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## Smolda (Nov 25, 2014)

StormyThai said:


> Why the hell would you stick a frozen mouse into a microwave
> 
> Please do continue to spout your utter drivel tho, it's almost entertaining :Yawn:
> 
> ...


Maybe nothing to do with live feeding, but everything with the life of the mouse and its suffering when you need to kill it. It is the same to say: mice freezing in some commercial station has nothing to do with snakes feeding.

The last thing to everybody from me: Don't feed your snakes with nothing on an organic basis because you can also feed them by artificially made proteins and vitamines. If you kill the mice for feeding anyhow (either live or frozen), it could be considered as 'unnecessary suffering'. Maybe you can convince your snakes to be vegetarians.... (but it is also killing of the plants, so be careful if you give it to your snake fresh or frozen) ut:

Ciao, nice to share **** with you guys 
:001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Oh bless your little cotton socks...never fear, back to school soon


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Buh-bye!!!


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Smolda said:


> Maybe nothing to do with live feeding, but everything with the life of the mouse and its suffering when you need to kill it. It is the same to say: mice freezing in some commercial station has nothing to do with snakes feeding.
> 
> The last thing to everybody from me: Don't feed your snakes with nothing on an organic basis because you can also feed them by artificially made proteins and vitamines. If you kill the mice for feeding anyhow (either live or frozen), it could be considered as 'unnecessary suffering'. Maybe you can convince your snakes to be vegetarians.... (but it is also killing of the plants, so be careful if you give it to your snake fresh or frozen) ut:
> 
> ...


Oh you absolute fool.

Babbling about what is 'natural' when you're keeping a snake in a totally unnatural environment.

Once of a day, it was 'natural' for men to live in caves, club animals to death and drag their wives round by the hair.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

Twit.

I will even substitute the *i* in that for an *a*, but I suspect that won't get past the mods.


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