too true, mans. People just think snakes are cool and don't require much care... which really is a joke. They need just as much care as any other pet and daily handling to check them out and keep them (or get them) used to people.

People who feed live also disgust me... a ton of American herpers feed live, which is bad for the snake and the prey item. Ball pythons especially are notorious for grabbing the wrong end of rats, which leaves them open for some nasty bites and scratches. Not to mention the extreame terror and pain this puts the rat in. As a past owner of pet rats... I just couldn't do it... rats are intelligent little buggers.

I do have a picture of a snake attacked by a rat... I rarely post it unless there is a hard core live feeder to disuade though, as it is very sad and slightly sickening to see.