comparing the various posts so far, i find yours, misty, to be abrupt
and hurtful (even though you didn't mean it to be) as well as being
full of recrimination and judgement.

i found kim's post to be factual and nothing more than that. nothing
hurtful, no recrimination towards anyone; for any reason.

leslie's post in response to kim's was appropriate - again, it was
factual. it also acknowledged the other person's personal opinion,
about natural diet vs kibble, as being valid (iow, no
recriminations/judgements).

debi's post was also appropriate. again, factual. and she brought up a
very good point that all shelters should keep in mind - the connection
with dog fighting and that they use animals like ferrets/rabbits/etc
for 'training' purposes.

as for the original post, i thought it was a matter of being a bit
overboard about it all. yes, those animals were saved from being eaten
by the snake...does anyone really think that that guy didn't find some
other animals to feed to his snake? trying to get a law passed to stop
it just doesn't make any sense at all. simple fact is that it's not
possible to force such a thing on certain pet owners (to my knowledge,
there are no kibble products available for any meat-eating reptiles).
and to try to force others who own warm blooded pets, who want to
exercise the choice of natural over kibble, just isn't right or fair.
for the owner or the pet.

ferrets/polecats/weasels/stoats/meercats would be within the normal
diet of many snakes - and are, depending on what area of the world they
are located in. so, for a person who has a snake as a pet, it's not at
all far-fetched or unusual for them to look for a ferret (or rabbit or
kitten or guinea pig) to feed the snake. especially if it's on the
larger side (mice or even a rat wouldn't cut it for a fulfilling meal).

as for live versus dead and which is better (for the prey as well as
predator), well, different snakes prefer it differently so no one can
say 'this way is better for the prey and that's how it should be done'.
it all depends on the type of snake and what they usually do in the
wild - kill/eat or eat already dead. some types of snakes will not eat
an already dead item. many reptiles that eat meat will not eat already
dead...they want/need to kill it themselves.

regardless of how upset anyone gets over the subject, animals eating
other animals is a normal part of life...in fact, it's a necessary part
of life (especially for obligate carnivores like ferrets).

unless you are a strict vegan, you don't have the right to make any
comment about animals eating other animals (live/killed or already
dead) at all because you, too, are guilty of being an animal eating
anther animal. even if you are a strict vegan, that's something that
you made a choice about. there are many animals that do not have a
choice in the matter and they must eat other animals (ferrets are in
this group, being obligate as they are; as are snakes). so, you still
don't have the right to make any comment about it. it's just nature
doing it's thing. simple fact.

the majority of pet owners want to provide the best diet for their
pets. simple fact. in this instance, that's exactly what the owner of
the snake was attempting to do. simple fact. owning a large snake makes
this kind of thing necessary. simple fact. even if it may be
distasteful to some.

and, no, i don't agree with the 'sideshow' attitude that sometimes goes
along with feeding live animals to snakes (as that guy seemed to be
into). that's just a part of what being a snake owner can be for some
people. simple fact.

i've known some who didn't promote that (wouldn't even allow anyone to
be there when they fed the snake) and others who were ready and willing
to let you 'see the show'; even specifically invited you to it; even
just went and fed the thing with you sitting right there even though
you'd already said you didn't want to see it.

that whole 'sideshow' aspect of it is no different, really, than a
documentary show about predators (like lions, tigers and even the big
snakes) catching/killing/eating their prey. some people find that kind
of thing fascinating - especially when they can see it going on 3 feet
in front of them instead of on a tv screen. simple fact - as bizarre
as it may be.

to each his/her own. simple fact.

and, just for the record (in case it's not already clear above), i am
NOT one of those people who went and watched the friends snake kill/eat
live prey. not my cuppa. i was appalled when they threw the mouse in
the tank...gave me no warning either...some people just get a kick out
of shocking people. simple fact.

needless to say, the friendship ended as i walked out the door (within
2 minutes of him doing that).

joclyn

[Posted in FML 6386]