Rats vs. Mice: why?

[Freaky_Ferret]

So I've always fed my BPs mice, but a fellow snake enthusiast I know insists I should feed rats because they are more nutritional. Is there really that much of a difference in nutrition to bother making the switch to rats? I tried with my older boy, and he just won't have them, but I have a new hatchling and I'm thinking that if they really are so much better, I'll just get her used to them now. So, is one really better than the other?

[RichsBallPythons]

No there is no nutritional benefit from mice to rats. Gram per gram they are the same until scientific study proves otherwise.

Only real benifit from rats to mice are the sizes.

[xdeus]

Nobody knows the exact nutritional requirements for Ball Pythons, so rats aren't necessarily better for Balls than mice. Many people will feed their Ball Pythons mice exclusively and their snakes will thrive, grow and breed.

However, rats have a larger range in size. If you're trying to add weight to a building female breeder or if you have a picky snake that eats periodically, you might be better off feeding rats which come larger than trying to feed multiple mice.

[STEW]

If you go to the red tail boa forums, they will tell you and Im pretty sure I seen it somewhere online that rats are higher in certain areas of nutrition. I dont know if its fact.

I feed rats to my red tail simply because of the size of the snake. I switched my BP over only because 3 mice are more expensive than 1 rat.

The petstore I got my boa from had him eating mice when I purchased him. I noticed with both the Boa and the BP that the growth rate went through the roof when they were switched over..... I dunno what that has to do with though, age of the snake or nutrition. I feed rats because it costs me less and I dont have to deal with multiple offerings every meal.

[rabernet]

If you go to the red tail boa forums, they will tell you and Im pretty sure I seen it somewhere online that rats are higher in certain areas of nutrition. I dont know if its fact.

Yes, they are higher in some nutritional values, and mice are higher than others.

Since no studies have been done on the nutritional REQUIREMENTS of ball pythons, both mice and rats could have a higher nutritional value than the snakes need.

Therefore, no one can state conclusively that either one is better than the other. There's no scientific study to back those claims up.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Yes, they are higher in some nutritional values, and mice are higher than others.

Since no studies have been done on the nutritional REQUIREMENTS of ball pythons, both mice and rats could have a higher nutritional value than the snakes need.

Therefore, no one can state conclusively that either one is better than the other. There's no scientific study to back those claims up.

X 2

Gram per gram it's all the same, however on one end you do have to feed multiple preys on the other one is enough, it is really a matter of convenience for the owner.

The bottom line is feed what works for YOUR snakes and is convenient to YOU.

I feed both and while the vast majority eats rats I have 3 BP (out of 60+) that will have nothing to do with a rat.