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I keep snakes and turtles, and I'm getting my first tegu this summer. I also raise my own rats, gerbils, and fish as feeders.

When I got my first snake, I fed it a live mouse out of an infantile desire to see it "in action". It was stupid to do, and my snake ended up with a scratch on its face for my immaturity.

I only offer live rodents as a last resort to a stubborn feeder, and then only unweaned rodents with eyes still closed.

These are captive animals. If you're feeling guilt about keeping them in a cage, you won't assuage it by feeding live.

If you're feeding live because you like to watch your tegu, or any other pet, kill its prey... grow up.

Contrary to what people think, suffering is not the best seasoning. Veal tastes good because it's made from unused muscles, not because the animal lives its short torturous life in a stall the size of its body. Live rodents won't taste better because they spent the last five minutes of their lives screaming in terror.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating. Dead rodents can't bite your tegu, live rodents can. It doesn't matter whether feeding live is ethical or not. It doesn't matter whether feeding live can make your tegu more aggressive. It doesn't matter whether they primarily eat carrion or live in the wild. A dead rodent will never bite your tegu.

<blockquote data-quote="Nafun" data-source="post: 66185" data-attributes="member: 1906">I keep snakes and turtles, and I'm getting my first tegu this summer.&nbsp; I also raise my own rats, gerbils, and fish as feeders.When I got my first snake, I fed it a live mouse out of an infantile desire to see it &quot;in action&quot;.&nbsp; It was stupid to do, and my snake ended up with a scratch on its face for my immaturity.I only offer live rodents as a last resort to a stubborn feeder, and then only unweaned rodents with eyes still closed.&nbsp; These are captive animals.&nbsp; If you're feeling guilt about keeping them in a cage, you won't assuage it by feeding live.If you're feeding live because you like to watch your tegu, or any other pet, kill its prey... grow up. Contrary to what people think, suffering is not the best seasoning.&nbsp; Veal tastes good because it's made from unused muscles, not because the animal lives its short torturous life in a stall the size of its body.&nbsp; Live rodents won't taste better because they spent the last five minutes of their lives screaming in terror.It's been said before, but it bears repeating.&nbsp; Dead rodents can't bite your tegu, live rodents can.&nbsp; It doesn't matter whether feeding live is ethical or not.&nbsp; It doesn't matter whether feeding live can make your tegu more aggressive.&nbsp; It doesn't matter whether they primarily eat carrion or live in the wild.&nbsp; A dead rodent will never bite your tegu.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Nafun, post: 66185, member: 1906"] I keep snakes and turtles, and I'm getting my first tegu this summer. I also raise my own rats, gerbils, and fish as feeders. When I got my first snake, I fed it a live mouse out of an infantile desire to see it "in action". It was stupid to do, and my snake ended up with a scratch on its face for my immaturity. I only offer live rodents as a last resort to a stubborn feeder, and then only unweaned rodents with eyes still closed. These are captive animals. If you're feeling guilt about keeping them in a cage, you won't assuage it by feeding live. If you're feeding live because you like to watch your tegu, or any other pet, kill its prey... grow up. Contrary to what people think, suffering is not the best seasoning. Veal tastes good because it's made from unused muscles, not because the animal lives its short torturous life in a stall the size of its body. Live rodents won't taste better because they spent the last five minutes of their lives screaming in terror. It's been said before, but it bears repeating. Dead rodents can't bite your tegu, live rodents can. It doesn't matter whether feeding live is ethical or not. It doesn't matter whether feeding live can make your tegu more aggressive. It doesn't matter whether they primarily eat carrion or live in the wild. A dead rodent will never bite your tegu. [/QUOTE]

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