How do animals that swallow their prey alive (e.g. frogs, lizards etc.) ensure that their prey doesnt struggle and hurt their internal organs? Are they crushed during the swallowing process?
In: Biology
This is actually why it’s recommended to feed snakes pre-killed mice instead of live ones. [Link](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/pet_column/pet-snakes-diet-dead-alive/).
Sometimes they are poisoned or constricted, so if they are alive it is barely.
For others who just chomp something down, they just sorta crush the bugs in their throats and stomachs. If the bug is compressed on all sides, it can’t kick or do anything destructive inside, while it suffocates.
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There isn’t really an issue with swallowing it, at least from a boa constrictor standpoint, I keep them. By the time they are actually being swallowed, they are dead or very close to it. They suffocate their prey before actually consuming it. It is however a problem from the catching prey standpoint. It can be dangerous for the snake to actually get the prey in its mouth, as in the mouse struggled and sliced open the snake. That’s why its extremely common for enthusiasts to use frozen thawed rodents.
As others have said, it is absolutely an issue for them, in the wild its just a numbers game, the prey occasionaly wins. Lots of memories of crushing mealworm heads for my guy once he got a little slow.
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