The main problem with feeding any domestic animal live prey is that
they often instinctively become more aggressive- they have to in order
to survive- they have to hunt their food and kill it to live. Therefore
they are more likely to play harder, fight more and potentially harm
others either intentionally or unintentionally.

Many people feed carnivore pets live prey in a well meaning way
to create a more natural diet. However these animals have been
domesticated for centuries and it is no more natural for them to eat
live prey than it is for them to dig into the ground and live in a
burrow at the stage of captivity they are now in.

Owners of cats, dogs, ferrets, fennec foxes, and more often find that
live fed pets are much more prone to aggression. People feed live prey
like rabbits and cats to dogs that they are training to fight - because
it makes them meaner.

Live prey comes with its own set of dangers besides the behavioral
negatives, such as parasites and diseases that survive in live animals
but not in processed food or even raw and the chance of the predator
being harmed for example. Prominant snake keepers advise owners to feed
only prekilled rodents as approximately one time in ten a live prey
will bite the snake which often dies from the wound or ensuing
infection. Snakes truly need the whole animal prey as it is the only
complete food that is optimal for their health as no suitable
substitute has been created.

Respected brands of processed ferret foods are created to ensure the
consistancy and quality of nutrients needed for the ferret's health,
whereas rodent prey is not so regulated. Anyone ever check the taurine
level of each mouse being fed?

Anyway, please note that I have said "often" and "most" etc in the
general terms and not as all inclusive statements.

Every animal is different and none can be said to do anything all the
time. We have 25 free range ferrets, 15 cats, 3 dogs, and a fennec fox
all loose in the house (the ferrets are confined to their very large
room for their safety) and yet being in a rural setting we too have had
the occassional field mouse loose in the house and yes a few have even
made it to the ferret room - yet no ferret has ever killed any of them
- we have witnessed the sleepy uninterested look of a ferret with a
mouse on its back - and the rest of the animals find them mildly
amusing as well- only 3 of the cats ( and 10 are strays that have been
rescued) have ever actually killed a mouse here. We have several live
traps around the house and luckily have only ever seen a few mice in
the house, and caught and released a few too. We also care for dozens
of pet mice, rats, and other rodents and all of the animals have never
found any interest in those even at floor level - however with ferrets
tending to be a bit more tenacious if not curious we do not house any
other animals in with them.

Beth
www.crittercamp.biz

[Posted in FML 6225]