cannibalism studies

[GeckoMandi]

Wow I don't even know where to begin with that, at first it really pissed me off, but after a long talk with my boyfriend about it there is some level I can understand why someone would do this but to me it seems you would have done a little more to try and save it, by seeing it was not doing well with others in the tanks/tubs whatever it would have been taken out.

I can think of more humane ways to put something down besides using it as a project, or to prove a point most of us already know.

I also agree with what someone posted there, had it been a sick raptor or snow it wouldn't have been put down that way.

 

[wsmitty]

Poor little thing.......

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I actually had nightmares last night and didn't sleep very well as a result of seeing those very graphic and disturbing photos. To me, being eaten alive would be one of the most horrible conceivable ways to die. I hope it sends a message to those who feel it's OK to house babies and adults together.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I tried not to think about those pictures last night. I'm just glad that the kids didn't walk into my office while I was viewing them.

 

[LeosForLess]

I think its bad that they didnt care for it, but has anybody ever fed their gecko a live pinky?

 

[GeckoMandi]

I've never fed my geckos pinkies and never will.

 

[marula]

me too...
the person who start the post now say " i do that so people can see what's happend if adult and babies are put in the same tank" ...but he start the post in a different way...i don't know...i only don't understand why people thing to be able to do something like that with their animals...i repeat another time: fro me is not ethic...

 

[MischiefManaged]

Those pics were just so sad . . . they broke my heart . . .

It is my personal opinion that a captive environment should be free of cruelty and inhumane activity involving live vertebrates. I have seen some horrific photos and videos where people feed their pet tarantulas live geckos, frogs, mice, rats, birds, you name it. My question is "WHY???" I have converted the pickiest eaters to frozen/thawed . . . even my tarantulas take thawed pinkies from forceps - ALL five of them!

There are some excellent points being made in this thread about our responsibilities as pet owners. We need to remember that we are keeping these animals in a captive environment and it is our duty to do our best to eliminate the suffering and hardships normally experienced in nature. So feeding live vertebrates to my pets is just not going to happen in my home, and you won't see me doing "experiments" with baby leos, deformed or not. When I come across an animal that is suffering (I do a lot of rescue work with LG's, CG's and Fatties), I pay the $15 to have it humanely euthanized by my vet. I understand that not everyone can afford this, but if that is the case, then you should not be breeding and hatching these animals.

Great post Marula . . . thanks for sharing and discussing.

 

[nightseer00]

me too...
the person who start the post now say " i do that so people can see what's happend if adult and babies are put in the same tank" ...but he start the post in a different way...i don't know...i only don't understand why people thing to be able to do something like that with their animals...i repeat another time: fro me is not ethic...

I agree with Marula... I don't agree that this is ethical either... I'll admit that I fed a gecko a pinky mouse once. Even though they are bred with the intention if them becoming food it was still difficult to watch my gecko eat it. I could not imagine feeding a baby gecko to an adult gecko ( IMHO it could have been saved... my little one was scronnier then that and after being seperated from the other babys has outgrown them substantially) .

Completely unnesecary.

 

[KiKi]

i think that the person who posted those picyures didnt even try to save that gecko and what that person did was horrific and unethical. if that person knew one gecko was stressing out the other one they should have seperated the hatchling instead of feeding a baby to an adult

 

[robin]

i didnt find the shocking or disturbing at all. i mean thats what can happen. thats the simple truth.
i have fed my gargoyle geckos baby leos. granted they were either deformed or just has the "failure to thrive syndrome". i do not disagree with this particular method (not as a man food source mind you, maybe one every month or two). i mean if a gecko isnt going to make it put it to use (as long it is disease and parasite free) but i sure wouldnt keep hatchling gargoyles with adults or adult leopards with babies. like normal healthy offspring or whatever

 

[Scott&Nikki]

i didnt find the shocking or disturbing at all. i mean thats what can happen. thats the simple truth.
i have fed my gargoyle geckos baby leos. granted they were either deformed or just has the "failure to thrive syndrome". i do not disagree with this particular method (not as a man food source mind you, maybe one every month or two). i mean if a gecko isnt going to make it put it to use (as long it is disease and parasite free) but i sure wouldnt keep hatchling gargoyles with adults or adult leopards with babies. like normal healthy offspring or whatever

I agree with that, but his whole reasoning was "it wasn't eating due to a cagemate stressing it out". So, most likely, if he separated them, there wouldn't be a problem at all. Yes, I know the argument that it happens in the wild, and it is obviously a natural thing, but this particular "problem" and "reasoning for doing this project" could have been avoided from the start.

 

[robin]

he may have had it separated and it still not thrived. who knows?

 

[Scott&Nikki]

he may have had it separated and it still not thrived. who knows?

Good point. I guess he didn't really specify. Just what came to mind first.

 

[Gecko]

Something that bugs me about this is it really isn't a "study" . If he was doing a canabolism study he would have tried seeing if they ate other geckos ,etc. Only ate them when starving, etc. This was just someone seeing if one of there geckos would eat another gecko.

 

[crayolaskies]

The saddest part is that the baby was allowed to deteroirate to the point where it had to be euthanized. I understand that some baby gecko deaths are unavoidable due to growth problems and such, but in this case, it might've been prevented if the baby had been separated from its clutchmate early on.

It's just sad for that little baby.