Should you feed your snake frozen or live mice? While it may seem like a topic for hot debate, the verdict is unanimous among reptile experts: give your snake frozen mice to ensure it stays safe and healthy.
If you have a pet snake, you’re probably aware of the specialized care it needs - including its unique feeding requirements. But what’s better? Giving your snake live mice to stimulate their natural instincts? Or feeding them frozen mice to prevent the risk of injury?
Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, virtually everyone agrees that frozen mice are the way to go. And here’s why.
Frozen feeder mice are generally recommended over live feed by many experts, according to research from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Live mice present a significant threat to pet snakes, as they will attack to avoid predation, potentially leaving the snake with trauma and extensive injuries that require expensive and prolonged veterinary care - some attacks may even result in the death of the pet. Not only that, but you’re subjecting the poor mouse to the fear and pain of getting eaten, so there are some ethical considerations there too.
Additionally, snakes bred in captivity may be unwilling to feed if they feel threatened or excited by stimuli, placing them at further risk of sustaining injuries from the uneaten mouse.
On the other hand, frozen rodents are advantageous for snakes because they offer the same nutritional value as live mice without posing a risk to the animal. Frozen feed is also less likely to harbor disease, making it a safer option for the overall long-term health of the snake.
If you’ve decided to go for frozen mice, you also have to consider the size you’ll need for your snake. In the pet industry, feeder mice are offered in different sizes to suit the needs of snakes at various stages of growth.
If you have a young snake, go for hopper mice. These are small mice approximately 1.25 to 1.5 inches long and weigh between 7 and 13 grams each, and their size makes them suitable for juvenile corn snakes, ball pythons, and redtail boas and subadult milk snakes.
Of course, choosing your supplier is just as important as getting the right size. You’ll want to go with reputable companies like MiceDirect, which raise their feeder mice in ethical conditions. These brands typically sell American-raised mice that are fed Mazuri and other zoological-grade feed to ensure that the animal is healthy upon death.
Moreover, because the mice are not sourced from lower-quality imports or lab surplus and are raised in humane conditions, they are disease-free with no risk of medical contamination to the snake.
Because high-quality frozen feeder mice are usually preserved in dry ice, it’s best not to handle them with your bare hands, or you risk getting an ice burn. When you’re ready to feed your snake, thaw a mouse in the refrigerator at around 40°F, then place it in a sealed bag and submerge it in warm water. Don’t use the microwave or really hot water; this can cause overheating in the mouse, which will harm the snake.
After your snake has been fed, make sure all tools and surfaces that the feed made contact with are thoroughly sanitized. Even though feeders from reputable sources are disease-free, they are still carcasses that can harbor pathogens unsafe for human health (even if they’re fine for the snake), so don’t take that risk!
