steve Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 We will be moving to just outside Parthenay in around 6 months adn will be taking our two dogs with us, but we also have 2 Bearded dragon lizards and a corn snake, which we would be very reluctant to leave behind.We know that you can export reptiles but not too sure as to what the regulations are and the DEFRA website isn't overly helpful.The other concern that we have is the feeding of them. The lizards eat crickets as the main part of their diet and the snake eats fuzzy mice, (which you can buy here frozen and then defrost!)Does anyone have any ideas as to where to source the food for them? Driving around the area, there doesn't seem to be any sort of pet shop which is a little concerning especially for the dog food, and there were no signs of anything remotley reptiley at all!!!Catching crickets isn't an option because of the pesticide risk, and I don't fancy breeding mice for the snake, it just wouldn't seem right! (Contradiction I know, but when someone else has done the nasty bit for you it does feel better!)I would be grateful if anyone has any information.Thanks, Emma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 I don't have any pets now, but I have seen dogfood on sale at Bricomarché and other DIY sheds - possibly also at Gamme Vert? No seperate pet shops.You may end up either breeding mice (I had a friend used to do that) or catching them! We have lots, but I doubt they would travel well...There must be a French version of the British Herpetological Society who can help you with snake fodder.Edit - indeed there is:http://www.societeherpetologiquedefrance.asso.fr/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 You should be able to find a "pet shop" that sells frozen mice without to much trouble, if not in Parthenay maybe Niort - they do sell them! One of the local vets will almost certainly be able to point you in the right direction. Failing that you can have larger quantities delivered, try "souris congelées" in a web search. The crickets may be more tricky but meal worms can be easily purchased.When you mentioned pesticides, I take it you do not have your own land, but I would not have thought that pesticides should present to much of a problem if you collected them from hedgerows on livestock farms, it's only the cereal fields that are heavily sprayed. I assume that they eat bush crickets, what about grasshoppers, will they eat them?Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggimeggi Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Can't help with the dragons and cornsnake I am afraid but your vet will be happy to order dog cubes for you, we buy premium croquettes from our vet and at the same price as it is sold at the bricos. It is just as easy to get it from them and is a sneaky way of keeping in with them (in case of emergency) when you have particularly fit animals and so would otherwise only see them once a year at vaccination time.Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I have seen live crickets and locusts in speciality pet shops. I would think they should be avaialable in your area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Does it have to be mice ? When I was caring for some injured owls I managed a tie up with a local chicken farm which regularly had to cull day old cockerels. I froze them myself which wasn’t pleasant, but the owls relished them.Perhaps you could do something of the sort for your snake.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Do you have to train snakes/owls to take dead food? I seem to remember a friend of mine having to raise a boa constrictor on live food only because it wouldn't go near carrion. Or is the variety of snake important? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I never even thought of that Dick. I was looking after those owls under supervision of someone who had a licence to keep birds of prey so I just did as I was told.At the time I was still working as a teacher and the whole school, over a thousand pupils, knew that I wanted dead birds to feed the owls with so if they found one on the road they would collect it and leave it on my car.One day a supply teacher came up to me and said that she thought I was bearing up remarkably well in spite of everything. I was mystified until it became clear that she thought that there was a campaign against me and the birds were being left by the pupils as some sort of “hex”.This is a long way of saying I don't know the answer to your question.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 On "Vis Ma Vie" last night on French TV, they showed one of those awful shops selling these "pets", great big snakes, alligators etc. The girl invited had to try to fight her fright of them by feeding them. They started off with dead white mice (which looked the size of a small rat), then went on to live baby mice for those who had not yet learnt to accept to eat the dead ones. I couldn't tell you which species it was, I had to look away... [|-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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