I don't see a problem. They guy is giving them a home AND putting them to use.

[shardian]

This was a recent post by my local Freecycle admin:

Dear Freecycle Kanawha(TM) Members:

This is a very serious matter. We are not for certain there is
anyone on our list this pertains to but do feel the need to spread
the word.

It has come to our attention that there MAY be members on our list
(and others) that are "hording" up small animals to use as bait or
feeders for their reptiles/snakes.

PLEASE take caution when placing your pet with a new family. Be sure
to read our file for Pet placement tips on our homepage under files.
ALWAYS ask questions and DO NOT place an animal with a member who YOU
do not feel comfortable with. These are your pets, one of your
family members that you have to part with for whatever reason.
Please take your time in choosing the right home for your animals.

We would also like to encourage those that post and place pets to
include the email address of the person who has given your pet a
home, in your TAKEN post. This will also help other members see just
how many animals a member is getting or trying to get.

Again, we have not confirmed this happening on our group list but
wanted our members to be aware of it. There is someone in WV who is
doing this but we have had no complaints of it on our group.

Should we confirm this is happening on our group, we will ban and
report the offending member(s). This is not a behavior that brings
out the spirit of Freecycle and us allowing members to place pets is
out of courtesy to our members. If this continues, we will have no
option but to remove allowing pet posts. This is not an option we'd
like to take, if we don't have to.

Should you have any questions or concerns about this please email us
at the address below.

Thank you,
Freecycle Kanawha Owner & Moderators

Hehe, that's pretty damn clever of the snake owner I think. Sad, yes. Wrong, well of course. I had  a snake a one point as a kid and we ended up getting a breeding pair of mice to feed it. I knew a guy a long time ago that had two huge Boa's and he bought a box full of rabbits whenever it was feeding time.

[ChadTower]

That looks exactly like the type of form letter the regional reps would ask them to send out.  It may or may not have even happened.  There have been instances people giving away pets and finding out later the new owner did something unhappy with them but I have never heard of anyone actually hoarding them.

I specifically exclude all animals on my list just to avoid the possibility of having to deal with that.  Ironically, of the problem members I've had, most have been idiots who got abusive when I told them no animal posts.  There's just no winning on that topic.

Besides - who is going to put their pet in a landfill, anyway?

[somunny]

In my experience, offering free items of any kind generally attracts lowlifes.  I stopped posting adds for free items on CL because of the parade of ---smurfing--- weirdos you'd inevitably get.  Now the stuff just goes on the curb for bulk pick up.

Regarding the subject of this thread;  if true, it's amazing what people will go through to save a few bucks.  The price of gas alone to go pick up a used mouse has surpass the cost of a brand new mouse in most cases.