I've started this thread because the poll on the snake thread is being taken out of context.

There are many arguments both for and against the feeding of live vertebrate prey to reptiles. In order to give everyone a chance to air their views without hijacking the other thread, please express them here (and avoid directing abuse at any individual in particular).

Please bear in consider the following:

1. UK legislation currently outlaws the causing of unnecessary suffering to any vertebrate animal.
2. Expert testimony could argue the feeding of live vertebrate prey causes unecessary suffering to the prey. And that the collective suffering of the mass of prey items required to sustain the life of a single predatory animal outweighs the suffering of that predatory animal starving.
3. Current legislation is not species-specific and so must be applied to all animals. Therefore if you were to legalise the feeding of live vertebrate prey in cases where animals were "picky" eaters, one would be free from prosecution if they were to feed live puppies/kittens/etc. to exotic animals such as big cats, or large boidae.

Enjoy.

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1.0.1 Bearded Dragons
1.0.0 Mississippi Map turtle
0.0.1 Razorback Musk turtle
1.0.1 Freckled Monitor
2.4.0 Bearded Pygmy Chameleons (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus)
1.1.0 Pitted Pygmy Chameleons (Rhampholeon temporalis)

Then I guess the answer is just don't get caught.

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The duty of care that has been outlined in the AWA is basically 'husbandry'...........what is husbandry? to all intense purposes it means to be a provider. To provide everything what your animals needs.

The AWA is fague to say the least, the Act can be mis-interpreted or maybe we should say, interpreted into whatever side of the arguement you stand on.

I think we will all have to wait until to 'code of practice' is written, and as it stands now, consults your vet when you have a snake that wont feed.

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these sort of threads always go the same way

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Why would there be any need to feed live prey to big cats ? They will always eat dead prey, as for boids well if they were that picky then I'd have no qualms about feeding live.

Back to your first point on the other thread.

There is no law specifically against feeding live prey. There are the unnecessary cruelty parts but nothing that actually prohibits the live feeding itself. Obviously it amounts to almost the same thing, but the wording is different.
So it is legal to feed live (ie it currently isnt against the law) but you could well get brought up on a cruelty charge which you would have to prove to the judges satisfaction that you are doing it in the best interests of all the animals.

Now if you want to take it to extremes then you could stop us killing animals for food. Which is what the nutters want, then we could all eat veggie and chop down all the forests so we can grow more grain.

Mike

I still enjoy hanging cats

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Yes but that's a hobby not for food

Mike

I haven't started the thread to argue with anyone - just to give people an opportunity to air their views. Masticophis is correct with his/her description of the legislation.

I'll reply to the veggie bit (I'm not veggie or vegan by the way!), apparently (so I've been told) vegetarian land use is less than livestock land use.

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1.0.1 Bearded Dragons
1.0.0 Mississippi Map turtle
0.0.1 Razorback Musk turtle
1.0.1 Freckled Monitor
2.4.0 Bearded Pygmy Chameleons (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus)
1.1.0 Pitted Pygmy Chameleons (Rhampholeon temporalis)

They certainly do...

The second this thread starts to become personal or users start antagonising each other it will be closed. I dont like to say it, but we have a track record of not managing to keep these threads civil

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Yes but livestock can use land that isn't suitable to use for agriculture, so to increase the land for food crops you would need to chop down existing forests, to a certain extent the livestock can live on hillsides and stuff like that and still allow them to be pretty natural, well compared to wheat fields.

Mike