How recent does recently deceased prey need to be?

n/p- keeping this one short and sweet for a change

This is probably one of those times when elaboration is a good thing, so we know exactly what you are getting at without assumption.

Did you find a cadaver and plan on getting it stuffed? (My EX tried doing that once.)

Something you found that you plan on feeding to your critter? (You'd never find me doing it.)

Something you owned and it passed, and you plan on getting it stuffed? (I have a couple that I've considered doing that to when they pass.)

Whatever it is, has it been frozen? Or just sitting and getting ripe? Too many holes for an accurate answer really.


Point I'm making is people take the written word the wrong way sometimes, and it may alleviate confusion, or misunderstanding what you mean.

OK, I'm referring to some hoppers (3)I bought, but the snake was in shed, so I held off. All were alive when I left for school yesterday around 10am. 2 were dead when I returned around 7pm. BRB took all 3 last night, no problem. But now I'm wondering if that was a good idea. I kinda figured that he would just refuse them if they were too far gone. And I have seen on TV wild boas eating recent cadavers. I'm just hoping I didn't make a snafu, and if so, what signs of problems should I be alert for?

No worries.

Ain't near long enough to do any harm. IMO

Some breeders leave their boas and pythons with dead prey overnight at ambient temperatures that are oftentimes over 80 degrees. Some eat immediately some after a few hours in short I agree, you don't need to worry.

Regards,

very good, thank you muchly. Am I correct in assuming that he will just not eat any prey item that is too, um, ripe? At least now I know he'll eat dead suff. they were warm b/c they died in the tank over the UTH, which was on. Is that a good way in the future to warm f/t prey?

I'd thaw them separate if frozen. Could be he'd eat it before the core was thawed.

Some snakes just might eat something a little ripe. But it would ingest any bacteria etc. that may be present from the ripening of the carcass if it did. A wild snake may do it with no harm. But captives don't have the same immunities of a wild specimen IMO.

Yes, I agree. Don't let them thaw more than necessary for boas (cold but flaccid and thawed inside). Ball pythons are a little picky, some will eat it cold no problem, some will like it warm. I usually thaw them until they are cold but thawed and then warm them up in a zip lock bag under warm water.

Regards.

OK, yeah, I was thinking more of the Ball in terms of warming prey. The boa does seem to be turning out MUCH less finniky about eating, confirming all that I have heard. I had tried the warm water method prev for her (BP) to no avail, so I thought the UTH may be slightly hotter. Are you saying it may heat the prey too much, resulting in excess bacteria?

Bacterial population growth will be a result of temperature but also of time. Heating a prey and feeding it within a few minutes it's far less of a problem than heating a prey and leaving it in the enclosure overnight at 80 degrees. That's why they smell so bad if they haven't eaten the carcass and it remained warm all night; they are starting to decompose by bacteria.