A team has recreated a group of mice frozen for up to 16 years, increasing the possibility of doing the same for extinct species. Until now, only live cells could be used for cloning, such as Dolly the Sheep, the first animal cloned in 1996. Freezing cells often damaged vital DNA.
Frozen or live rodents used for pet food, also called feeder rodents, can carry germs that can make people sick. This can happen even if the rodent looks clean and healthy. Freezing does not kill these germs. Avoid handling frozen or live rodents if you are at greater risk for serious illness.
As for pinkies, exposure to freezing cold will kill them very quickly and is probably the way that commercial breeders kill pinks; CO2 does work over time although it does take longer than it does with furred mice. The fastest way is probably a sharp flick to the top of the head.
Frozen or live rodents used for pet food, also called feeder rodents, can carry germs that can make people sick. This can happen even if the rodent looks clean and healthy. Avoid handling frozen or live rodents if you are at greater risk for serious illness.
Most snakes eat lots of mice and rats in the wild. But if you want to offer a more varied diet, there are pet snake food alternatives available. Fish, worms, amphibians, and eggs are suitable for most snakes. Larger mammals, such as chicks and baby rabbits, offer variety.
As a general rule I feed 1 feeder weekly to BPs, sized to the snake(feeder is as wide as the widest part of the snake's body). For large adults, one mouse a week wouldn't cut it. Two particularly large adult mice(they can get big-ish) might be a little much for some smaller adult BPs but work perfectly well for others.
Make sure the frozen mouse (or another pre-killed prey item) is warmed up until it is at least room temperature. Thaw frozen prey in a bag in the refrigerator or by floating it in cold water and then placing it in warm water just before feeding it to your snake to warm it up.
You need to take the mouse out of the cage. If you're scared of it, just grab it by the tail or corner it with a cup or something. The mouse can easily harm your snake, do not leave it in there unattended. Most pet stores will take it back if you don't want to worry about finding a place to put it.
To humanely kill a rodent by asphyxiation, you'll need baking soda, white vinegar, a hose, a sealable plastic container, and a plastic bag. Once you've trapped the rodent in the plastic container, pour a few cups of baking soda into your plastic bag.
Most 110 volt house circuits are 15-30 amps and they can easily kill as well by causing the heart to stop beating. Electronics makes it possible to take 1 volt and create higher amps for a mouse trap. Also, a short circuit from a battery is enough to start a fire.
Gas It (Answered by Jon Ericson)
According to Cait McKeown, a National Mice Club (UK) member and judge, the most humane method of mouse euthanasia is chloroform. Other methods, such as breaking the neck, decapitation, drowning, and freezing are painful for the mouse.Some pythons transition from live prey to frozen prey with little or no problem. A juvenile or adult snake won't allow itself to starve to death and will eventually eat a frozen mouse. If a hatchling won't eat, he'll need a vet's attention.
Re: how long does it take to swallow a mouse? it usually takes me 5 to 6 minutes.
Also mice are fattier than rats and so they're not quite as good for the snake… I wouldn't recommend feeding them 2 pinkies in one sitting. Usually with my ball pythons I feed them and wait at least 2 days before feeding them again (if they need to be fed more than once per week).
Regurgitation can occur when a snake becomes stressed, or is handled too soon after feeding. Feeding your snake inside its tank means that you don't need to move or handle the snake, leaving it to digest its meal in peace. It's quick and easy.
However, if you feed in a separate feeding enclosure, and the only time it's moved to that enclosure is to be fed, you're more likely to be bitten when you move it to a separate enclosure, because feeding is the only association that your snake has with that separate enclosure.
The best source of food for any pet snake are small rodents, not birds. However, in a pinch, it is perfectly okay to feed your snake a few slices of raw chicken breast. There are many dietary substitutions for snakes, but you should know that no snakes are vegetarian.
ELI5: Why feeding live mice to reptiles is not considered animal cruelty? Some reptiles won't eat it if it's dead. Sometimes it is possible to feed them dead mice, which many might consider to be more human on part of the mouse. But some snakes and other predatory animals are finicky and won't eat dead prey.
[A] small even a small mouse can bite and severely injure your pet snake; a mouse can even kill the snake if the snake isn't hungry!” Ball-pythons are notoriously picky eater, another site says, and may simply not be hungry or find the mouse appetizing. Also the animal may be sick, uncomfortable or stressed.
Force Feed
When the snake is ready to be force fed, mix and dilute with Pedialyte (or other electrolyte solution) or 50:50 sport's drink/water Hill's a/d for dogs and cats. Put into a syringe with a steel feeding tube and gavage, ideally 2% of body weight q 24-48 hours.
