Q&A: Food for Snakes
Food for Snakes
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I have a question about giving animals precedence over humans when it comes to food.
I catch snakes, and by law we release the snakes back into the wild. Sometimes some time passes before we release them, either because going out to the field is a whole procedure, or because I want to keep one for a day or two for photography.
The question is: is it okay to keep it with me without food? In principle, snakes eat once a week or two; I have no way of knowing when it last ate (unless it was very close to feeding time, in which case you can see a bulge). Is that okay? After all, if this counts as its food being my responsibility, then I would be forbidden to eat before providing for it, no?
Of course, the question is only with regard to non-venomous snakes.
Answer
The issue is not the Jewish law about giving food to animals before ourselves, since you are not asking when to feed it but whether it is permitted not to feed it for a day or two. So the question is about causing suffering to animals. The fact that you would not eat would not really help it (it would remain hungry). If this is needed for human purposes, it is permitted within reasonable limits. It seems to me that if it eats once a week or two, then one day will not make a significant difference. But that you certainly know better than I do.