# Rehomed my python today. I'm officially a convert



## erinsweeney

After becoming close with and adopting rats I find I can't handle live feedings with my python anymore. But I have a friend who is a reptile fiend, has always wanted a snake and already has more than enough supplies. It's good news. Now he will get the attention and the affection he deserves, and I don't have to be sad about little ratty executions anymore.


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## kksrats

They do sell frozen rats/mice. That's what I do with my python.


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## erinsweeney

Unfortunately once a snake has been raised to adulthood only on live prey, training them to take frozen is largely impossible. And aside from that, as I have said he definitely deserves a better life; my friend has better finances, time, knowledge, and interest to give him the good life he deserves. I have loved him for years but honestly, my parents got him for me when I was 16 and very ignorant. I think it's time I do the responsible thing for the best interests of this beautiful and delicate animal! I'm sure you would agree. It saddens me greatly, as I do love him. Please be kind to me as it was a difficult decision to make and I have come to this conclusion after much thought.


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## Mrs.Brisby

I think it's great that you've been converted into a ratty lover. Welcome to the club!


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## FallDeere

I don't even know what to say... Good on you for recognizing the python's best interests and acting on them, even though I'm sure it was a decision that caused you great stress and emotional turmoil. Giving up a beloved pet of _any _type for any reason isn't easy. I feel for you. <3

I am glad you were able to find a great home for him. I wish the best to you, the snake, and your rats. Hopefully all of you will be able to be much more content with your situation now that the snake will be getting the attention it needs and you no longer have to live feed rats.


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## erinsweeney

Thanks!  Luckily I will be able to track his life through the beauty of social media, so I'll know how well he's being looked after.


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## MissSix

It's good that you found him someone you can trust to take care of him and give him a wonderful life.


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## Phantom

In a way, I kind of know how you feel. My boyfriend and I own a corn snake who eats live mice. We've spent lots of money trying to get her to except frozen mice, but she never wanted anything to do with them. I was also hugely put off by the decaying mouse that my friend found in the frozen mice bag she bought for her snake. I'm glad you were able to find your snake a good home. =P


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## artgecko

Did you ever try switching your python to f/t? Just curious. many snakes can be switched successfully but I know some can be stubborn. I have been lucky that all of mine came eating f/t or I was able to switch them shortly after purchase. I have 1 snake that I may need to rehome due to him not readily feeding consistently (not sure if it is a live vs. f/t thing or other factors.. he's a western hognose and they are known to be picky) and am having a hard time making the decision on that. 

In any case, I'm glad you found him a good home with a willing and knowledgeable owner. 

phantom- If you every do buy f/t, don't get them from a store like petco / petsmart. These are often frozen / thawed / refrozen resulting in bad rotting food and sick snakes.. Plus they are insanely expensive. If you or your friend need f/t try checking online via a seller or buying f/t from a reptile show near you. If you would like me to supply you with the names of vendors I have used (and provide quality prey at fair prices) let me know. The downside to ordering online is shipping charges, but I get around this by ordering enough for 4-6 months at a time.


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## Malarz

Even though I know this is the way things work, I am not able to imagine any kind of live feeding. Even if I were not a rat owner, and had zero emotional involvement with those animals, I would not allow a creature to be eaten alive. Once my rats caught a cricket and ate it. They were so quick that I wasn't able to react in time. It was just a bug, but I was distressed. 

Side question: how do you get frozen mice/rats? I mean how do they die? I am hoping they are euthanized by some medicine, not dumped into a freezer.


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## nanashi7

Malarz, the humane best way is they are pts using CO2 in a pressurized chamber (quick if done right) then froze. Sometimes, your fears are how Ma/Paw shops do it.


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## Phantom

artgecko said:


> Did you ever try switching your python to f/t? Just curious. many snakes can be switched successfully but I know some can be stubborn. I have been lucky that all of mine came eating f/t or I was able to switch them shortly after purchase. I have 1 snake that I may need to rehome due to him not readily feeding consistently (not sure if it is a live vs. f/t thing or other factors.. he's a western hognose and they are known to be picky) and am having a hard time making the decision on that.
> 
> In any case, I'm glad you found him a good home with a willing and knowledgeable owner.
> 
> phantom- If you every do buy f/t, don't get them from a store like petco / petsmart. These are often frozen / thawed / refrozen resulting in bad rotting food and sick snakes.. Plus they are insanely expensive. If you or your friend need f/t try checking online via a seller or buying f/t from a reptile show near you. If you would like me to supply you with the names of vendors I have used (and provide quality prey at fair prices) let me know. The downside to ordering online is shipping charges, but I get around this by ordering enough for 4-6 months at a time.


I have no idea where my friend bought that frozen mouse from. All of the frozen mice I've tried have come from a varity of places. When I bought them I always made sure to see them before buying. Many of the local pet shops sell them in clear plastic bags.


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## artgecko

malarz- The snake doesn't eat the prey animal alive, it constricts it until it stops breathing (dies) then eats it. Still, it would be difficult to watch. I have never fed live and don't plan on doing so. Most of the people that I know that do feed live are breeders trying to get baby snakes to feed. Feeding live is not recommended because things can go wrong (for both the prey and the snake). Most snake keepers that I know only feed live if it is the only option because of this. 

Phantom- That is great that you have multiple options to purchase them where you live. In my town you either have to buy live or buy f/t from petco / petsmart. The online dealers that I buy from are perfect prey and big cheese rodents. Both have good customer service, quick and affordable shipping (in dry ice so they stay frozen), and their animals appear clean and well packaged. I've never gotten any rodents from them that reeked of urine or showed signs of injuries, etc. leading me to believe that their husbandry practices are pretty good (at least as good as it can get for a company that sells feeders wholesale).


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## heckhund

...honestly that is kind of terrible. You shouldn't just dump one pet to get another. Animals are commitment!Besides, why didn't you just feed frozen? It is better for the snakes anyway.Oh well, I guess it is better that the snake is with someone who wants it rather than someone who ignores it in favor of new cuter pets.


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## nanashi7

heckhund said:


> ...honestly that is kind of terrible. You shouldn't just dump one pet to get another. Animals are commitment!Besides, why didn't you just feed frozen? It is better for the snakes anyway.Oh well, I guess it is better that the snake is with someone who wants it rather than someone who ignores it in favor of new cuter pets.


Woah, heckhund what the ****? A person can get more than one pet, even if they are conflicting interests. I have a dog and parakeets, but I still got rats. If caring for one created hard feelings towards the others, it is in the pets' interest that one of the two parties be rehomed to a better place. For example, if my dog killed a rat or my rats a parakeet I would probably rehome one of the parties and not because I wasn't "committed"... 
Additionally, any 'one' knows that converting an adult snake to frozen is an uphill battle. They usually need raised on it. If you had bothered to read the thread, you would've gotten these details. 

This isn't the kind of forum for that kind of attitude.


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## heckhund

You aren't seeing what I am saying. I have no problem with people having multiple pets, but you can't take on the commitment of having a pet, then just dump it when you decide you don't like it anymore. This happens way too often, especially with reptiles. When I worked at a pet store in the reptile department just about daily someone would come in and ask what to do with their snake, gecko, etc. that they are bored of because they want something cuter/cooler/bigger/whatever.


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## FallDeere

This isn't a case of "oh, I've lost interest because I found something cuter." The OP loved her python, but the situation changed and she no longer was able to give it the care it needed so she _responsibly _rehomed it to someone who would care for it better. I feel that is much more responsible than keeping a pet you can't give the love and attention it needs when there is a good home available for it. She didn't dump it and she can get updates on it because she gave it to a friend.

I've rehomed rats before because I wasn't the right owner for those specific rats due to situations I did not foresee that made it where those rats would have been extremely unhappy with me. Instead of forcing them to stay with me, I found good responsible owners who could give them the type of love and care those particular rats needed.

Yes, lots of people get pets and then rehome them due to boredom and what have you, but many responsible pet owners find them in sticky situations where sometimes rehoming is the best option for all parties. If an animal will truly be happier with someone else, is it really fair to it to keep it?


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## heckhund

I wouldn't coincider the fact that snakes eat rodents an unforeseen curcumstance.I am not so angry that they got rid of their animal, but because they got it in the first place when they clearly are not responsible enough to make the commitment of having pets. Good owners don't drop one pet for another.


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## nanashi7

heckhund said:


> I wouldn't coincider the fact that snakes eat rodents an unforeseen curcumstance.I am not so angry that they got rid of their animal, but because they got it in the first place when they clearly are not responsible enough to make the commitment of having pets. Good owners don't drop one pet for another.


qt: "I have loved him for years but honestly, my parents got him for me when I was 16 and very ignorant. I think it's time I do the responsible thing for the best interests of this beautiful and delicate animal! I'm sure you would agree. It saddens me greatly, as I do love him. Please be kind to me as it was a difficult decision to make and I have come to this conclusion after much thought."
maybe you need to go to the rant forum, instead of attacking another user.


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## heckhund

Sorry, I quit reading that post after "Unfortunately once a snake has been raised to adulthood only on live prey, training them to take frozen is largely impossible."That is just plain untrue. With some encouragement majority of snakes take to f/t rodents fairly quickly. Many new owners do it once they realize the risks of feeding live and the novelty of watching your pet kill something wears off.


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## FallDeere

Then you should be happy she rehomed it with someone who might be more knowledgeable? What exactly did you hope to gain by posting on this long since resolved thread? I too feel you would be better served making your own rant thread.


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## heckhund

I didn't realize until just now how old this thread is. It was on the first page, so I assumed it was recent.I am probably being an arsehole here, so I'll stop replying. This is just something I see too often, so I react strongly to it. I am not meaning to 'attack' anyone, I just hate seeing animals ditched. They deserve better. Sorry op, I really shouldn't judge you so harshly without really knowing the full situation. I only read the first post and that was pretty dumb of me.


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## FallDeere

I completely understand your point of view. It's so irritating when people get pets and get bored of them and were never really dedicated to them in the first place. I too see it way too often. Sorry if I was rude or anything. I just strongly feel that the OP was right to responsibly rehome her python in this case. There are many cases when it isn't the right thing to do, though, so I understand your knee-jerk reaction to be angry about it without fully studying the thread.  I've done the same in the past, lol. Easy to get carried away when you have a cause you feel strongly about. ^_^


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## Jaguar

I'm glad this sorted itself out, but yes, please avoid bumping up older threads that've already been resolved.

I agree that pet flipping is a real issue that unfortunately happens too often - but we can't always predict what happens in our future and making the choice to rehome a pet you love is not the same as just "dumping" it. Try to put yourselves in this situation and remember that while your intentions may have been good, we don't always know the circumstances around a decision to rehome, and it's really not our place to judge.


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## aliceinwonderland

I used to have a cornsnake who was a real glutton and he would just snatch whatever you gave him right up. I had to switch to live feedings though because sometimes he'd snatch up the f/t mice with so much power behind his bite that their innards ended up on the side of his feeding bin. Not only was it disgusting to deal with(even thinking back makes me shudder) but thinking that he was eating something that, as Phantom said, is decaying just couldn't be healthy. Plus it's hard to say how the f/t rodents you get are killed. It really depends on the morals of the person selling them I guess. Some gas, some bonk them on the head. Once I started buying live mice, I'd euthanize them to spare them the pain of constriction(plus keep the snake from getting hurt in the feeding process) by breaking their necks which, when done right, is very quick and painless for them. But I still felt guilty about having to do it and after several scenarios of bonding with the mice and adopting them out as pets rather than feeding them, I too decided it would be best to find my snake someone who was less on the fence about the issue. 

I have no sympathy for bugs though. I had a cat years ago who would spend hours hunting and wearing down the occasional wood roach that made the mistake of squeezing under the door and always rewarded her for being my good little hunter. I may have to teach Mamma to be a cricket hunter this summer. Those buggers always get in and I can never find them!

As for the OP, hoorah for conversion! I love snakes and they really are amazing beautiful animals but rats are much better pets if you like interaction.


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## erinsweeney

Yes, some snakes can be switched to frozen. Obviously I tried that. 
To clarify, the snake was first foisted on me by an unwilling original owner (my mother). And I didn't end up rehoming him. I got him a new tank and decked it out and he's doing fine now. I just had to work with him. Also, can you all stop calling me "she"? My pronouns are clearly displayed in my signature. 
Additionally, this thread is long dead. I felt I had to defend myself but I'm reporting your post so a mod can clean it up.


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