Breeding: My Friend Wants To Breed!!

[pennykit&amanda]

I have a friend in South Africa that wants to get a breeding pair of guinea pigs and feed the babies to his 7 snakes! He knows I own two for pets so he was asking me about the gestation period and litter size. He said the parents would be his pets. He would have preferred rats, but his parents wouldn't allow rats in the house, and he despises them. He calls it nature. He called it nature when he showed me a pic of a Python eating a dog, too!

This makes me sick, he thought they had pinkies and he wants to start breeding!?! I don't know what to say to him, I sound rude each time I tell him something, and then he gets mad at me. We've already changed the subject to something entirely different, and I would feel like a freak to bring it up again. But, I can't help be be extremely furious with him.

I don't know much about South Africa, so I don't want to start telling him about overpopulation, and shelters and rescues. He already has a breeding pair of mice, and now he wants cavies?

I need some help, do I just rush in and tell him about breeding complications and that to "responsibly" breed you can only have 2 litters a year, with only 2-3 pups? Which, obviously wouldn't be enough for 7 snakes to eat.

I've never had to deal with anything like this, and I don't know what to say to him.

[LadyMorrgian]

Tell him the truth,

1) feeding young pigs would be unwise due to the fact that they are already larger than infant mice which is the best for captive snakes.

2)the behavior of the young pis differs greatly from that of their normal food, so possibly they would not eat the pigs.

3) the cost of keeping mom and dad is much more expensive v/s buying of pinkies, which are better food quality.

Maybe it will help get the point across if you emphasize the compassion on the snakes which are beloved to him and thus save some pig lives.

[guineapigluver1]

pennykit&amanda, did you read that thread a while back about feeder mice? If you didn't here is the link: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ht=feeder+mice
A snake eating a dog is nature? I think not.

[pennykit&amanda]

Originally Posted by guineapigluver1

pennykit&amanda, did you read that thread a while back about feeder mice? If you didn't here is the link: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ht=feeder+mice
A snake eating a dog is nature? I think not.

I do remember reading that. He told me that he doesn't even feed live mice, but he breeds them. And some of his snakes are too big to eat full grown mice, so he needs something bigger.

[guineapigluver1]

I wonder why he breeds mice if he doesn't feed them. Some people confuse me. It would be less expensive for him to feed other things (like what is said in that thread), then to keep and breed cavies, saying he takes care of them properly.

[pennykit&amanda]

I'll tell him about the cost's of guinea pigs when his routers working again. He's been telling me how broke he is, so I'm sure he'd like to know about it.

[Adorable]

Originally Posted by LadyMorrgian

1) feeding young pigs would be unwise due to the fact that they are already larger than infant mice which is the best for captive snakes.

3) the cost of keeping mom and dad is much more expensive v/s buying of pinkies, which are better food quality.

If it's not okay to feed GPs, why is it okay to feed mice? I don't understand how you could come up with a laundry list for one but suggest the other. They're both living things.

[sophistacavy]

I know its South Africa, but there is no way that he can get something frozen that was humanely pre-killed? I don't know anything about South Africa, but they don't have pet supply shops? Sorry if thats a dumb question, L0L. I thought South Africa was the "better-off" part (developmentally speaking)...

[pennykit&amanda]

Originally Posted by sophistacavy

I know its South Africa, but there is no way that he can get something frozen that was humanely pre-killed? I don't know anything about South Africa, but they don't have pet supply shops? Sorry if thats a dumb question, L0L. I thought South Africa was the "better-off" part (developmentally speaking)...

I'm about 90% sure he can get something pre-killed. I believe I've talked to him about it. And at one point he said he feeds it. Which still confuses me... I shall ask him about it.

[salana]

If you want to breed rodents to raise them humanely and kill them humanely and feed them to snakes, here's a few reasons NOT to use guinea pigs:

Long gestation
Small litter
Slower to grow up than rats and mice
Chubby and probably full of cholesterol

This guy doesn't know anything about snakes if he wants to feed guinea pigs. He has two options: breed his own rats and mice and kill them, or buy frozen rats and mice. If he can't deal with either of those, he needs to STOP KEEPING SNAKES.

[LadyMorrgian]

Adorable, I know that you may find it odd for me to be against feeding pigs but okay with feeding mice, and I am fine with that. I have had pet mice and loved them till the day they passed away. I would have never been able to bring myself to feed them to a snake a food.

Mice/ rats are commonly snake food, in and out of the wild. Yes I know a pig can be eaten by a snake and more than one has been in the wild, they are not common prey for snakes. As such is it fare for us to impose our beliefs on a snake? They are carnivores and many have a main diet of small rodents. I will not ignore that fact.

Fact: A infant pig is much larger than a infant mouse.

Fact: Infant mice are the optimal size for captive snakes sometimes (although rarely) lasting years, and in some smaller breed snakes a lifetime.

Fact: Fuzzies (or fluffs) are still smaller than a infant pigs,

Only a fully grown snake could eat an infant pig with out risking it harm.

We try to replicate food sources ect. for our pigs, why not do the same for a snake?

[pennykit&amanda]

This guy doesn't know anything about snakes if he wants to feed guinea pigs.

It's really the other way around. Like I said in my original post, he thought they had pinkies.

[Adorable]

It’s the same to me. Mice and Rats are no lesser than Guinea Pigs so I’m not sure why you’d endorse the feeding of one over another. I’m all for healthy, well fed snakes but I’m not sure if it makes a difference if they are pink and defenseless or furry and able to fight back.

[pennykit&amanda]

I have no idea why, but I would much rather/be OK with feeding a snake a mouse or rat. But never a guinea pig. Mice and rats are just regular snake food I guess. Even though I am a total rat lover and their my favorite domestic animal, guinea pigs just aren't regularly sold as snake food. If they were from the beginning of snake owning, I'd probably be OK with it... Never thought I'd say that.

Either way, they should only be fed pre-killed, for the better of both animals.

[pennykit&amanda]

I told him about the cost of owning pigs, and asked him about why he needs to breed them in the first place. He said he had a big snake, and feeding 4 pre-killed rats was getting too expensive. He never answered me when I asked him if he thought guinea pigs were cheaper than that! And then he started comparing what they do in the wild vs. captivity.

[IluvePiggies]

Do not let him do that! I repeat, do not let him do that!

[pennykit&amanda]

Originally Posted by IluvePiggies

Do not let him do that! I repeat, do not let him do that!

I can't really stop him. His friend already bought a trio. And he's waiting 'till he breeds them a few times, so he can get a few for himself.

[IluvePiggies]

That guy is horrible! I once saw a video on youtube of a snake suffocating a Guinea Pig. The Guinea Pig was squeaking like crazy.....


P.S. We have the same breed of Guinea Pigs!

[Silverbeat]

It is natural for predators to eat prey animals, as much as you may disapprove of it [though a python eating a dog isn't natural].

[Faunn]

Larger rats for food can be bought, and piggies could be to big for some snakes. But breeding them over and over is to costly in the long run.

A snake eating a dog is nature? I think not.

If a large enough snake finds, constricts, and devours a dog without dieing itself, then yes, it is nature. Purposely feeding you dog to a snake is not so much.