Gruesome question

[kittyfoot]

Looooove the headshake!!!!:LOL: :LOL: The comment was aimed at the Geniuses who dreamed up that program tho.

Actually,I question the whole idea of zoos as something whose day is done or nearly so. If something requires such extraordinary means to survive it should be in it's own home..not here. If someone wishes to study a particular animal,reptile,etc let them go to it's natural home.

 

[sunlion]

I'm a complete wimp myself. If meat didn't come in styrofoam packs at the market, I'd be a vegetarian. So as much as I love my kitties, if I had to kill their food for them, I'd raise rabbits.

Can snakes eat dead prey? I thought they need the motion to know where their food is.

I know this is going to be a little controversial and get me flamed, but . . .

Human beings eat all kinds of things that I think are on a sliding scale from unappetizing to inhumane, but that doesn't mean I can just tell them, "Hey, no more fried cockroaches for you!" Feeding kittens to snakes is unfortunate, but that's because I think the little furballs are so cute! My daughter thinks rats are cute and would be just as bothered if they were on the lunch menu, but most people wouldn't think twice.

I'm not advocating breeding kittens for snake food, but it is one solution to what to do with all those unwanted animals. Is it worse than putting them down? Is it worse than turning them out to die slowly of exposure or whatever else ferals die from?

We're all just meat to someone else in the great scheme of things anyway. Much as I love cats (and I love my cats very much), why should they be any different?

In our city, no exotic predators are permitted period. No monkeys, no owls, no deadly snakes. The argument against owls, BTW, is that they hunt housepets, including cats and dogs. I think that could easily be extended to cover dangerous snakes.

 

[kittyfoot]

No flames from this quarter. But nobody has given me a reason yet for keeping a pet that requires that kind of food. "Just because I want to" is not valid really,it's open to all sorts of abuse. The "it's a natural food chain" is a bit superfluous too,since human beings fit nicely into some animals diet also. Should we feed unwanted or stillborn babies to these "pets" too? We'll leave the soul thing to another day,I'm just speaking in terms of meat here.

There was recently a case out on the Left Coast where a woman allowed a LARGE python to crawl among her children including a small toddler.
The courts found in her favour citing lack of evidence. Does that strike anyone here as SANE??

 

[barbb]

I'm with you, Kittyfoot. I know we don't live in a perfect world but I just can't see making the sorts of choices that would hurt and kill little creatures - especially domesticated animals.

I think I'd be a vegetarian if it were really easy to get all my nutrition, especially iron, that way.

 

[alszrx]

I have owned two boas and a ball python and they all would only eat live rodents. I have heard of people feding their reptiles puppies, kittens, rabbits, and chickens. I feel the people that feed the kittens and puppies are dimented (sp?). I guess you could look at the people that feed their snakes rodents in the same scope. I enjoyed my snakes, sure they were not warm and fuzy, but each one had it's own personality. Once my children were born I decided for their safety(not fear of them being eaten!) to adopt out my snakes and get a green iguana.:tounge2: I still have Corky and he is very docile even at five feet long and six years of age. I also adopted my niece's iguana earlier this year, now he's a hellion! Anywhoo, back to the snakes, I hate to hear of anyone that is giving any animal a bad name.

 

[sunlion]

KF,

I would say there is a big difference between humans and animals, but perhaps I am prejudiced because I am a human. Though I do know some people who would advocate solving the human overpopulation problem by turning us all into soylent green.

Even if nobody feeds my body to the wolves, I imagine that at some point it will decompose and in that sense I am the food of those fungi, bacteria, etc. It's part of the cycle, each bit consuming some things and being consumed by others.

I agree that it is a failure of common sense to allow your defenseless toddler to play with large predators. And I don't care if it's a python or a pit bull, the child is not able to protect himself and it is the responsibility of the parents to do so.

Do you remember the story about the toddler who was bitten over 200 times by the parent's pet rat? Said they couldn't hear the kid crying (screaming?) over the music they were playing. Just plain irresponsible.

 

[airprincess]

I never used to really think about this issue much, but Mary Anne turned me on to an animal advocacy board, and they discuss things like this frequently.

While I don't personally see the purpose of owning a 6ft boa, or other kind of snake, I guess to some people they are the equivent of a cat or dog. Some people don't like cats and wouldn't want one for a pet. It's just a matter of preference.

I think that if someone is able to care for the pet properly, keep the temperature exactly right, etc. Then they should be allowed to have whatever pet they want, as long as it's legal. Part of that is being responsible around children, other family pets, etc.

KF, I know the story you are talking about. It caused quite a debate on the AA board. There is no doubt in my mind the woman acted irresponsibly. I can't imagine what is going on in her head. If I remember right she has somewhere like 6 or more children, the youngest being a less than a year. Someone like that shouldn't be allowed to own a python.

As far what to feed them, it makes me sick to my stomach to imagine kittens being fed to a snake. But I also realize that is because I have a soft spot in my heart for the furry little creatures. For some reason it bothers me less that they would be fed a mouse or a rat. That doesn't make any sense, because people own rats and mice for pets, and they love them like I love my cats. I know that a lot of things happen in this world that I would rather not know about it. I'm not going to change what some pet owner in KY or anywhere else decides to feed thier pet snake. And since it's not against the law to do feed kittens to snakes, (not that I'm aware of) I don't have a leg to stand on anyway.

But on a personal note it bothers me very much.