Snake food, kinda stuck here :/

[Thomas Scheltens]

Hey people,

I was wondering the other day. I own a snake for a long while now and obviously she eats mice, nothing else (really they won't take anything other that rodents, lizards or birds).
My opinion on pets is that I think in theory there shouldn't be a problem, since the animals have (if with the right owner) less stress and a longer life then in the wild. IN THEORY haha. I know that's not the case in most situations. Besides I'm highly against wild caught exotic animals and I think these pets should be bred on request, not in mass numbers (kinda like long term ordering ). And I think buying a pet should be way more difficult, more paper work, interviews, house visits (kinda like an animal police force). But hey, that's what I think on that topic, I would like to have that discussion too!

But I bought this snake long before I even thought of becoming vegan. She eats mice obviously, frozen ones. In my city there is really only one provider of frozen mice and rats. These mice obviously aren't coming from the best places, but I can't stop feeding my snake or she'll die. What can I do?? Do you guys have experience with this? Any tips or ideas? Kinda stuck in a dilemma here... Thanks

 

[Damo]

Hey.

I'm fairly sure a snake would die if you stopped feeding it meat, they don't have a choice unlike humans so keep feeding it. If you feel that you can no longer keep purchasing mice, give the snake away.

 

[mamamellie_114]

You could always breed your own feeders to make sure they're happy and healthy up until they become dinner.

 

[Sally]

You could always breed your own feeders to make sure they're happy and healthy up until they become dinner.

If I did that I'd end up with hundreds of pet mice and still be buying frozen ones for the snake. I have a cat (he sort of just moved in, we didn't go looking for a pet) and he is very fussy, there's no way he'd eat anything other than meat and fish, although he doesn't like lamb and doesn't drink milk, so that's something. The best pet, if we have to have one, I think it is animal exploitation especially those who only want purebred animals, is a rabbit or something that doesn't eat meat. But when you already have a carnivore pet you just have to bite the bullet and look after them in the way they need looking after.

 

[SD Joe]

You could always breed your own feeders to make sure they're happy and healthy up until they become dinner.

I walk around snails so i don't crush them, NO way I could kill a mouse to give it to a snake. If i was you id find it a new home.

 

[Rory17]

Hey people,

I was wondering the other day. I own a snake for a long while now and obviously she eats mice, nothing else (really they won't take anything other that rodents, lizards or birds).
My opinion on pets is that I think in theory there shouldn't be a problem, since the animals have (if with the right owner) less stress and a longer life then in the wild. IN THEORY haha. I know that's not the case in most situations. Besides I'm highly against wild caught exotic animals and I think these pets should be bred on request, not in mass numbers (kinda like long term ordering ). And I think buying a pet should be way more difficult, more paper work, interviews, house visits (kinda like an animal police force). But hey, that's what I think on that topic, I would like to have that discussion too!

But I bought this snake long before I even thought of becoming vegan. She eats mice obviously, frozen ones. In my city there is really only one provider of frozen mice and rats. These mice obviously aren't coming from the best places, but I can't stop feeding my snake or she'll die. What can I do?? Do you guys have experience with this? Any tips or ideas? Kinda stuck in a dilemma here... Thanks

Hi
Would it be possible for you to change suppliers and go with one that ensures the mice have a good, healthy, happy and safe life until they are killed humanely? If you really do not like feeding her the mice, and you can barr to part with her, you could also take her to a good reptile rescue centre that loves and cares for all the reptiles properly and does not kill them unless they absolutely have to, and even then they try to ensure that they kill them as humanely as they can...
Best of luck.

 

[Vegan Dogs]

It is clear if vegan then getting such animal as snakes and lizards is a non starter as it would mean killing bred by humans many animals to keep 1 alive.

Cats and dogs have vegan pet foods available to them....i have both vegan fed cat and dogs for example. The small market of reptiles however has not got supplies of vegan nutrients for them to date...and unlikely to....although of course feasible....nutrients are what any animal needs to thrive on so with knowledge of the specific protein etc nutrients it would be possible.

In the case of a "pre vegan days" such snake type pet of course the matter is more difficult to face a decision about.

"In our faces" animals get naturally more attention and therefore given more "importance" disproportionate to other animals "not in our face"

What would i do personally ?

Realising that release of these would mean their deaths and cost of repatriating them to their natural environment a non starter ?

I would kill them.

I would choose...between killing 1000's of defenseless bred and killed by humans rats and mice or baby chicks etc....and killing 1. Either way....i am killing.....so i would base my decision on the numbers of lives involved.

However i have killed animals in pre vegan days.....so know what killing animals means to them.

I just could not justify killing 1000's rather than just 1 is my point.

The problem of just buying dead animals is that it avoids hearing and seeing their fear and pain when being killed by us. It makes it easier to just buy them dead already killed by someone else.

I do add....that if someone dumped on me again as did happen another dog or cat ...if not rehomed in 1 week to a vegan feeding home I would kill the dog or cat. For the same reasons.

We all let dogs and cats die by not adopting those in rescues every day everywhere. We just do not do it "in our faces" is the point. So saving 3000 chickens lives that someone feeding non vegan would be killing to feed just 1 cat or dog is a no brainer for me as a vegan.