It really upsets me when people talk about hurting hamsters..

geckoqueen

New Member
Messages
202
I am on this message board called Metal Sludge, and people have mentioned of leaving hamsters on the side of the road, or for target practice, or feeding to snakes. That is animal abuse. I told them that to. It makes me glad I'm a hamster owner. I would never treat my hamsters like that. Some people said they were bit, so they fed their hamster to a snake, or hurt it. These people should be fed to snakes and abused. I would never own a snake because I do not have the heart to feed it a hamster. And snakes scare me to death anyways. Hamsters bite because they are scared, or not tamed. Hamsters are animals to. Here is the link if you like to leave your own comments..
http://forums.metalsludge.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=246482

 
Last edited:

M_surinamensis

Shillelagh Law
Messages
1,165
Now I'm totally against animal abuse...
But feeding a rodent to a snake is just nature....

Hamsters are pretty terrible, nutritionally. Not many species of snake where a hamster is an ideal or even adequate choice as a prey item. So this,

feeding to snakes. That is animal abuse.

Is sort of true, though I think it's more neglect than abuse. The nuanced difference in failing to provide appropriate care for the snake, including optimal nutrition versus actively engaging in intentional harm.

... she was talking about snake abuse, right? It's the only thing that makes sense.
 

geckoqueen

New Member
Messages
202
Now I'm totally against animal abuse...
But feeding a rodent to a snake is just nature....

This is why I would never own a snake because I feel it is animal abuse to feed a pet hamster to it. What about the hamster?? it's an animal to. I mean can't snakes eat frozen hamsters? I'm talking when the hamster dies of natural death, then gets froze. Not while living, that is cruel. Snakes should be left in the wild, then they can go eat what ever they like. I get the snake has to eat but there has to be other foods for it I would think so. If I had a snake he live on veggies. lol. Then again I never plan on owing a snake, yikes!
 

DoubleZ

New Member
Messages
286
Location
USA
Hamsters are not nutritionally good for a snake to eat. Rats and mice are better, and yes a lot of people feed frozen/thawed you have to kill the mice/rats in order to freeze them, you can't use ones that died of natural causes. Snakes eat animals alive in the wild, as do thousands of other species. It's nature. Not giving a snake the proper food would be animal abuse. I've had pet rats, I loved them, and so I wouldn't own a snake large enough to need to eat rats but I don't think people that use rats as feeders are cruel.
 

Herp Lover

New Member
Messages
63
Location
Perris, Ca
I'v had hamsters, mice and rats and I'v had snakes and it has never bothered me to feed the snakes their mice. I was even going to breed mice to feed the snakes. I think as long as the mouse/rat was put to sleep in a painless manner such as CO2 it is not cruelty. I always wonder how someone can think it is cruel to feed a mouse/rat/rabbit to a snake when they could care less about that roach they just stepped on or feed to their lizard. My mom was always asking me how I could stand feeding my snakes mice but if I found a tick on one of the dogs she would get mad at me because I would let it go and refuse to kill it that don't make any sense to me.
 

Kat&Rin

Leopard Gecko Girl
Messages
132
Location
BC, Canada
Lots of good points! I've not heard of people feeding their snakes hamsters as mentioned above, they're not nutritionally good for snakes...so yah, feeding snakes hamsters is more like snake abuse XD.

Everybody has to eat right? We eat cattle, sheep, shrimp etc. etc. and very few people think its cruel. The ones who do think its cruel start to eat vegetables which could have been sprayed with pesticides which can kill insects and animals, have polluted run-off leading into streams which kills the fish etc. So, IMHO being a vegetarian is no less cruel then eating a varied diet. This being said, people who buy hamsters should take proper care of them. People don't kill their children when they do stupid things (unless they have a mental problem in which case its off to jail) so how is it right to kill your pet? I disagree with what those people are doing. Its either cruelty to the hamster or cruelty to snakes. Both are bad and thats that.

There's a natural balance that must be maintained in the wild. The food chain. Predators must eat prey or else the prey multiplies and overruns everything. When the prey diminishes so do the predators until the prey can make a comeback. Saying that 'feeding a hamster to a snake is animal abuse' is ridiculous. Though they don't eat hamsters in the wild, they do eat other rodents but as I said, its a natural part of life and necessary to keep the ecosystem thriving.
 

chiefyellowshirt

New Member
Messages
12
For many a hamster is just a rodent. But still not cool with outright animal abuse. I myself am not fond of them. I have been bit to many times. Much prefer the rats. I would never feed a hamster to a snake though, I would worry about the hamster attacking it instead of the other way around. And as much as I like rats, if I had a large snake, yep, it be food. Not a personal pet, but yeah some cute ugly rat bred for that purpose.

And I guess it has been a way to long since I worked in pet store. When did frozen even become available? That is just weird, I assume you can get a snake hungry enough to eat something dead, but that is just wrong on so many levels.
 

M_surinamensis

Shillelagh Law
Messages
1,165
And I guess it has been a way to long since I worked in pet store. When did frozen even become available?

Coborn casually references it in his stuff and he wrote most of his substantial work in the seventies... so... awhile.

That is just weird, I assume you can get a snake hungry enough to eat something dead, but that is just wrong on so many levels.

Which levels, exactly?
 

Kristi23

Ghoulish Geckos
Messages
16,181
Location
IL
Coborn casually references it in his stuff and he wrote most of his substantial work in the seventies... so... awhile.



Which levels, exactly?



I want to know this, too. Feeding frozen is safer than feeding live. All my snakes eat f/t.
 
Messages
322
Location
good 'ol AL :/
This is why I would never own a snake because I feel it is animal abuse to feed a pet hamster to it. What about the hamster?? it's an animal to. I mean can't snakes eat frozen hamsters? I'm talking when the hamster dies of natural death, then gets froze. Not while living, that is cruel. Snakes should be left in the wild, then they can go eat what ever they like. I get the snake has to eat but there has to be other foods for it I would think so. If I had a snake he live on veggies. lol. Then again I never plan on owing a snake, yikes!

II have two snakes, and while I agree that it's just natural for a snake to eat a rodent, I would never feed it a hamster. I already feel bad enough feeding them rats.....
 

chiefyellowshirt

New Member
Messages
12
I am sure it had been study, however 17 years ago I had never, ever heard of anyone feeding frozen, much less finding them. There was no internet for easily sharing information. I still find it a bit strange. Then again typical pet care was a lot different twenty years ago than now, not too surprising to see that applies to reptiles as well. Still the thought of it is going to take bit to get used to.
ugh we now have a poor starved sanke and I have used a f/t. I still found the whole method to be very bizarre and am not totally sold on it. Seems to be the more accepted way but have found plenty still prefer live. We shall see, and wish me luck. I just want to get it healthy, even if that means hairdryers on food.
 

vinnie-gecko

New Member
Messages
115
Location
UK
it is horrible what some people. my hamster i used to own was just so evil. would attack me if i tried to get near him. but i still kept him and spoilt him and he lived 3.5 years
 

chastity

New Member
Messages
111
Location
CA
I want to know this, too. Feeding frozen is safer than feeding live. All my snakes eat f/t.

my baby corn was started on frozen so she has never known live food. she eats it like a champ and tries to "hunt" it even though it's not alive.

i used to breed dwarf hamsters and adored them but i would never feed them to a snake only for the fact that they would probably kill the snake before it even tried to eat them. hamsters are vicious when they want to be. they eat their own babies for heavens sake. people seem to be against snakes just for the fact that they dont want to kill animals, but snakes do these things in the wild. i personally do not want to feed live but if there comes a day where my hatchling refuses frozen and wants live food, i would give it to her.
 

Visit our friends

Top