We've always live fed our snake and he's fine

Is that not what this FML is?

Snakes like to hunt and stalk their prey so they rarely eat it right away. I'm glad your snake is okay. I have heard about rats hurting snakes.

^ What kind of snakes do you have? My three corns almost never hesitate, I've never heard this before. It does make sense though! Also, congrats on the happy ending OP!

129, some snakes that have never eaten anything live or are new to it like to take time to adjust and stretch their body to prepare themselves for the meal. Being a 4ft snake eating a rat which I presume is kinda of big the snake had to get itself ready

I was asking 116 not OP actually, sorry! Every snake I've fed live mice to has never tried to hunt or stalk it when its placed in front of them. 9 snakes in total over the years, so I was rather surprised to hear that. Instinct appears to usually take over, as hesitation could lead to a hurt snake. :(

I honestly came to the op reply prepared for the "ok he ate it" good for the snake bad for the rat. Good night.

As others have pointed out, not all snakes are used to live food when they've been bred in captivity. I believe it may also depend on the species and the snake's temperament. It's generally suggested to feed your snakes frozen food if possible to avoid injury to your snake, as they have a limited amount of space to escape if the food decides to fight back (I've also heard that it has a chance of making your snakes more aggressive and harder to handle, but I've never really been given a resource for that one.).

I also have a few cornsnakes myself :) I've never had any trouble feeding them, but cornsnakes tend to have more energy than other thicker snakes; such as boas or pythons, Which may play a part in their eating habits as well :)

There's a follow up.

You can't feed a 4ft pythons frozen mice. They don't come that big and be frozen at the same time. Most snakes won't eat something that doesn't move by a certain age/stage of feeding

No, but rats do, which is what he was feeding. Rats and mice are actually different species! Live feeding is unnecessarily cruel to the rodent and dangerous for the snake. In the UK prekilled is normal and snakes do perfectly well, without the very real risk of an adult rat being able to defend itself against a snake in a confined space - they've killed the snake in some cases.

in Germany it's even forbidden. (insectes excluded)

Snakes are picky. Most if not all won't eat a frozen rat by a certain time. They have a hunt catch kill process about them. He be why even snake experts and breeds will do live feelings

What are you talking about? My biggest two are 5 ft and 6 years and eat thawed rats, and my oldest snake is 9 years and eats thawed mice and rats. They attack and strangle, not caring about live/dead. I know plenty of breeders of pythons, boas and colubrids who only feed with thawed rodents.

Well apparently not every snake has the same attitude towards weather it's food is live or not. Yours don't care, his did, if only for a little while.

It is a matter of training and temperment. I've got 10 pythons, from 1' to 5' in length. All have been trained to frozen-thawed. Some of them prefer live. Sometimes, if feeling picky (or mating), a couple will refuse frozen-thawed and only eat live. As to what professional breeders do, unless you are one, you can't say. I know some (with hundred of pythons) who feed live, others who feed frozen-thawed, and others that feed recently killed or stunned. There is a risk with live, but in truth, if the snake is used to eating live, they are used to defending themselves from their food. The real risk is feeding live to an animal that feeds exclusively on frozen, as they aren't used to their food biting back.

#111 I agree, snakes are VERY picky. My dad's Ball Python will refuse to eat unless it's a live, all white mouse. He has tried the frozen food, no luck. Accidentally got a mouse with a black ear and the snake would have NOTHING to do with it.

Try other types of rodents, ball pythons have been known to show a preference for gerbils, I always think there's something you can do to feed frozen. There's lots of tips :)

How sad. Do you not feel for the poor rat at all? I don't understand how someone can love a snake buy not rodents.

127, yeah better start feeding the snake a veggie diet!!!

If the rat's spine was broken, then theoretically it probably wouldn't be able to feel anything, correct? That being said, I have a personal preference for frozen or recently killed feeding. Less danger to the snake. Not so much less suffering for the rodent, since my corn snakes always kill their prey pretty much instantly, which is probably why my boyfriend still feeds them live food.

Snakes need to eat too