What is the difference between live, fresh killed, and frozen thawed rodents?
You should almost always avoid feeding your Brazilian Rainbow Boa a live mouse or rat. Live rodents have sharp teeth and can severely injure or kill your snake. An exception to this is that Baby Brazilian Rainbow Boas can be offered Pinky Mice and Rats to stimulate their feeding response. Pinkies haven’t developed their teeth yet and pose little risk to your snake. Brazilian Rainbow Boas usually accept fresh killed rodents as readily as live, without the risk of injury to your snake. The most humane way to kill a mouse or rat is to separate their vertebrae and break its neck. This can be accomplished by chopping a rodent’s neck with the edge of your hand or by swinging it by the tail and hitting its neck against the edge of a hard surface. If you are unsure how to do this or feel uncomfortable, frozen thawed may be your best option. Frozen/Thawed mice and rats have many advantages. Most Brazilian Rainbow Boas can be converted from eating live and fresh killed rodents to frozen thawed.
