Live feed – macabre?
Some may find it a bit macabre to feed on live insects or live feed animals at all.
But there is generally not much “humane” about the way nature is arranged.
We philosophize a bit about this in this article.
In a way, it is understandable when some people feel disgusted with the use of live food, but on the other hand, nature is generally quite macabre if you wear those glasses.
A considerable part of nature’s animals are predators, and there is not much “human” about it.
Exactly why we as humans may be inclined to shy away from a little from the cruel world of reality is hard to say.
Maybe we are trying too hard to humanize nature, maybe there are other reasons.
But it seems to be a development that, in some cases, is gradually becoming excessive.
Here you can e.g. think that some (many) have recently been outraged that a zoo slaughters a giraffe because the meat is to be used to feed other garden animals.
In the wild, the giraffe would not have been killed in a “humane” way,
When talking about e.g. zoos, the predators are usually fed with pre-killed animals.
And this even though it is actually unnatural, and as such really a bit of a pity for the predators, which in that way e.g. does not stimulate the natural hunting instincts.
But it is a possible solution that is more “edible” for us humans.
But when it comes to reptiles in the terrarium hobby, there are not always the same options.
For example. Many carnivorous / insect-eating lizards are so instinctively programmed to go after live insects that they risk starvation if presented only to insects that have been killed in advance.
In other words, it’s not about us as hobby animal owners having a bizarre pleasure out of feeding live insects – it is simply absolutely necessary, and in nature, it would go the same way.
A question that may intrude on someone:
“Do the insects feel pain?”.
There is no clear answer to that question, although much research has been done into it.
The concept of “pain” is also subjective.
Many believe that the feeling of pain to some degree involves thoughts and feelings that inferior animals are not thought to possess.
Perhaps for inferior animals, one can talk more about discomfort, but also it can be subjective and involve thoughts/feelings.
Some researchers reject the pure possibility that insects can feel pain.
For example, “higher” insects have been observed eating, despite the fact that the body was cut in half.
But we will hardly get a definitive answer before it becomes possible to ask the insects themselves, and it may well take some time yet.
The conclusion must, however, be that feeding with live insects is a completely natural thing, and in many cases an absolute necessity, if e.g. an insect-eating lizard must be able to survive.
In addition to the fact that the hobby animal must necessarily eat, it also needs instinctive stimuli and exercise, and both are also catered for naturally with live feed insects and can be difficult to do otherwise.
