People are sick... GRAPHIC VIDEO

[irockdude]

Why would people post videos of people posting fancy rats being fed to snakes? I dont see the point. This is just plain wrong.. And Sick! Dude I dont know. I just needed to vent but still. Who in there right mind would do this?



Myspace.com

Our worlds gone mad.

[daftscotslass]

There's a worse one than that of the rat actually being killed. Obviously the snake has to eat but posting it on myspace? Disgusting. Add to that the fact that the owner has deliberately posted it under "extreme videos" which shows that he's not just posted it to show how a snake eats and kills.

The tank that animal is being kept in is also a disgrace.

[VoodooJoint]

The person is an idiot.

In the second video with the corn snake not only is the person feeding the snakes live prey which is a stupid thing to do but the rat is much too big for the snake and you can clearly see that the rat is biting the corn snake as it gets constricted. So, the rat dies and the snake gets badly injured. That owner's mother must have beated him liberally with an idiot stick when he was younger.

[Lyndsay]

Well that was kinda disgusting. Snakes scare me, but that was uncalled for throwing a cute rat like that to its death. Some people just make me shake my head.

[bleachmiracle]

I think it is irresponsible of snake owners to feed live prey. It is just so dangerous. I have owned snakes before and yes I have fed them mice (they have to eat), but I could NEVER bring myself to feed live. I know it is still sad that the mice have to die, but at least they don't have to run around scared like in that video.

[spoonyspork]

Hrm... I thought some snakes can't be trained to eat non-living prey? The school snake I took home on long holidays when I was in High School would only eat live prey... I couldn't bring myself to do it, and wound up keeping the mice I was supposed to be feeding him as pets. My mom's neighbor rescues snakes though, and raises and kills his own mice and rats (so he can be sure they're raised and killed humanely - his will eat them dead, but only if they were literally just killed). He tried to feed mine one of his dead ones, but he wouldn't take it so he gave him a stunned one instead, and did that from that point forward.

He NEVER makes sport of it though, and even has several rats and mice that are his pets, as even he can't bring himself to kill them sometimes. Some people are just sick though, and shouldn't own any animal, let alone a wild animal (that shouldn't be kept as a pet anyway - but that's another argument entirely) like a snake.

[littlebear]

I can understand that its in a snakes nature to eat rats and things such as tthat but when someone makes a joke of it by filming it is truly sickening and Myspace should remove that video. And VJ could not have put it better in any other pay.

[smartorl]

Being fairly new to snakes, feeding was the one thing that really put me off. Voodoo gave me some great advice with regard to feeding. I have read anything with regard to feeding I can get me hands on and this movie clip was ridiculous. We started with a ball python that had never eaten anything other than live prey and she ate the first time using Voodoo's tong method. The second is a injured baby corn snake that took right away to killed prey. Last is a milksnake that just came Saturday and we have been having a harder time with him but it is largely because he is shedding, blind, and not focusing on feeding right now. With all the research I am reading, any snake will eat killed prey, some may be more difficult but you just have to step up the efforts and find more creative ways to fool them. Feeding live prey can be very dangerous to the snake!

[fashion victim]

I've never been able to keep snakes (even though I love them) because of that same reason - them eating live animals. It's just sad that people think of that as fun. My own brother throws plastic bottle caps at my bunny when he's bored, and he laughs when the bunny jumps and runs away to a hiding place. Don't worry, I've smacked my brother plenty of times for this, and I warned him if he keeps it up I'd report him for animal abuse. The point is some people are just heartless...I agree- the Myspace people should take that video off from that account. I think they should remove all videos in which animals get harmed just so as to prevent giving other idiots wrong ideas.

[fashion victim]

*GASP* Omigosh I hadn't even seen the video when I posted yesterday... the poor rat was trying to get away...

[Myspoiltpiggies]

Originally Posted by spoonyspork

He tried to feed mine one of his dead ones, but he wouldn't take it so he gave him a stunned one instead, and did that from that point forward.

A stunned one? How did he stun mice?

I think saying that they should only eat dead prey is kinda argueable. I know that if I ever had a snake, I would never ever feed it live prey. But feeding live prey is kinder to the reptile and a more horrible death for the victim..and vice versa. I don't think it is fair to call him 'stupid' for feeding live prey, but I DO think it is stupid and idiotic to film it and post it on the web. I always feel bad for lions and tigers..etc.. in captivity because all they have is already killed meat, wheras in the wild they would be able to do what they are born to do - hunt.

[smartorl]

I do not agree that feeding live prey is kinder to the snake. Do you see the rat biting the snake in the head? My first rescue snake, the ball python, is covered in scars from being fed live prey. My vet, who I have asked a ton of questions, as well as provides me with humanely killed prey, claims that snakes can die because they can starve themselves to death out of fear to eat because of injuries while eating live prey. When we house wild animals in little glass houses where the conditions are in no way "natural" how can the natural way to hunt prey apply? The rats these animals eat are domestic not wild, they are built entirely different than the wild prey, they are much larger than these animals would eat in the wild, not to mention what we have done to the snakes with our need to inbreed for special colors.

[bleachmiracle]

All the reasons that Smartorl listed is why I think feeding live prey is irrisponsible. Most snake owners (that feed live prey) do it "because it's cool" and enjoy watching it, and because they have not done research to know any better. I just don't think you've done enough research to agrue for feeding live Myspoiltpiggies. It is not kinder to anyone.

There are some snakes that will refuse dead prey, but there are many techniques that should be tried before you go that route.

As far as how to "stun" a rat, I doubt anyone wants to really know, but you grab the rat by the tail and hit it on the counter. How anyone could ever do that I do not know, but it does make it easier and safer for your snake.

[smartorl]

I don't want to start a bigger debate, but the people who make videos like the one here, are the same ones that fight their dogs and tape it, beat up people and tape it, destroy things and tape it.......... I feel like this is not the first and certainly not the last violent and demeaning act this person will commit. THis wasn't about feeding the snake it was about domination and torture, this video should be pulled down and I pray that the next weak thing that this person torments isn't breathing. This was about shock factor at cost of a life thought to be expendable, both the snake and the rat.

[Res Judicata]

On the other hand, if they're going to tape themselves doing illegal things, we can all hope they get caught. Someone is bound to turn them in sooner or later. Let's just hope it's sooner, and they tape themselves destroying property rather than hurting some living being.

[cinny123]

This is horrible! On another note of cruelty, the woman arrested in TN. who ran a "puppy mill" (and had 400 abused and neglected dogs and cats) only got 2 years probation! Also she will never be able to breed or sell animals again. Still it doesn't seem like much of a sentence.