Bet you don't see this too often...

[Lolo76]

A pairing where the female is smaller than the male!

I finally decided to introduce my ~2100g Mojave male, Julius, to my 1315g Lesser female, Cordelia - go BELs!! I know she's a bit under that 1500g mark, but she is over three years old, and slow-growing because she can't take large prey due to a neck kink. I've shared her story & photos on here, and most/all seemed in agreement that I could breed her this season (and that the kink isn't likely genetic).

Anyway, they're not locked yet, but literally just met about 20 minutes ago... and I'm not too worried about Julius, my ultimate stud, who had sired 11 babies by his second birthday. If anyone can get the job done, it's him! LOL







P.S. I've increased Cordelia's number of mice (I won't risk anything larger than adult mice) per feeding, from 2 to 3, so I imagine she'll be well over 1500g come springtime. She's a total pig, and as of yet, has never fasted except during sheds.

[hypnotixdmp]

Why no rats?


0.3 Normals (Coilette, Athena and Mary Jane)
1.0 Pastel (De Sol)
1.0 Spider (Zeus)
1.0 Mojave (Prometheus)

0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Stella)
0.1 BCI (Kiyoko)

[Sand]

Why no rats?

He said she has a neck kink.

That could hinder feeding to the point of full restriction

[Lolo76]

He said she has a neck kink.

That could hinder feeding to the point of full restriction

Yep. I don't know for sure that she'd have a problem (constricting and/or swallowing), but it's not worth taking a chance... so I just give her multiple mice instead, as I do for a few other live feeders in my collection. They might not get BIG that way, but as you can see, she is perfectly healthy!

P.S. Not that it matters, but I'm actually a "she."

[Lolo76]

Oh, and if you're asking why not SMALL rats, I sometimes do give her those... but right now I have a tiny rat colony (due to space issues), so when I have to buy extras, mice are just easier and cheaper to get.

On that note, is there any advantage to a similarly-sized rat vs mouse? I know that's been debated here, but can't remember the general consensus.

[mercerasian]

I've heard that mice are less nutritious than rats for BPs even though I would think it depends on what you feed the mice or rats. Other than that, I think it's just a financial thing, it's cheaper to buy a big rat than three mice.

[Rea]

Rats tend to have a higher fat content, and more meat on their bones, than mice. I can personally vouch for rats over mice since we fed my pet normal boy mice for many months before switching him over to rats with everyone else, and he went from inching along to growing like a weed. But it's really up to you if you wanna risk it. Rats do tend to be a bit hardier than soft little mice. And that might make it more difficult on her kink. But it's your choice in the end. Whichever way you're happy.

[MrLang]

I generally disagree with your decision to breed a kinked animal, but I'll assume you have carefully weighed the decision before making it.

Good luck!

[Sand]

P.S. Not that it matters, but I'm actually a "she."

My apologies. And as far as Rats Vs Mice.. From everything I've read Rats Pup =/= Adult Mouse weight and size wise, that being said I tend to lean more towards rats over mice.

[gsarchie]

Good luck, and I hope that the neck kink isn't genetic. They're both gorgeous animals!