Keeping boas and rats in the same room?

[artgecko]

I had not thought to ask about this until I read another boa thread.. I have seen numerous threads about people keeping their feeders in the same room as their BPs, so wasn't anticipating an issue.

That said, I keep rats in the same room as my other snakes (they are pets now, but will be the start of my rat breeding colony when we move into a house) and have had no issues. I was planning on also putting the boa in this room because it is the only room in the house that my cat does not have access to during the day... hence why the rats are also in the same room.

With the extreme feeding response of boas, would this cause me any issues? I would, of course, observe typical protocol of washing hands thoroughly between dealing with the rats and the boa, but would the odor in the air alone cause issues when handling the boa?

I'd appreciate any feedback you guys have.

Thanks!

[WifeOfSlasher]

Honestly, I would not. This could lead to an issue I like to call SFM - stupid feeding mistakes. Just the smell alone could have your snake/s always in feeding mode, you could handle the rat/s and forget to wash your hands ending up getting mistaken for food, all sorts of things could potentially lead to bites. .

[Daybreaker]

I've handled all of my boas (including my 7' male) in the same room as my two pet rats (and three indoor rabbits) and they don't pay them any mind: it's like they don't even notice them even when I stand right next to the small animal cages while handling them. So personally I haven't had any issues (same with my retic female: she doesn't notice the rats either).

[Evenstar]

My 2 sugar gliders live in my snake room. Not the world's best situation, but it is what it is. Even so, I've not had any issues whatsoever. Now, sugar gliders are not rats and therefore do smell different, but my snakes don't pay them any attention.

Having said that, ALL my boas are instantly aware of any rat, dead or alive, that enters that room. It might be different if I actually kept rats in that room and the snakes were used to the constant scent, but I personally wouldn't try it. I don't want to dodge my Argentines' feed responses any more than I have to...

[artgecko]

Thanks for the input guys!
At the moment, I'm not sure where else I would put his tub... So I may have to try it for a few weeks, see how it goes, then move the boa somewhere else if I have to. In this case, there really are disadvantages to having a free-roaming predator as a pet. The only other room he's not allowed in during the day is our bedroom, but he does sleep with us at night, so even if the boa was left in there during the day, I'm sure my cat would go nuts with the boa moving around at night and stressing the snake out (not to mention keeping us from sleeping).

We should be buying a house in a few months, so at that point, I may be able to separate the snakes and the rats, but until then, I guess I'll have to see how things go.

I will be sure to be uber-careful about not handling the rats anytime close to when I handle the boa, washing my hands, etc. I am planning on hook training the boa anyway, so this may come in handy. I'm considering using the hook to transfer him to a smaller "travel" tub, putting the lid on it, then taking him out of the room to do any handling, that way he won't smell rats when he's being handled by me.

Thanks again for your advice.

[Evenstar]

I wouldn't worry about your cat. My cat has free access to the boa room and doesn't bother the snakes and they don't bother her. As far as stressing the snakes out, well, I also raise German Shepherds. My dogs are my kids and have access to ALL areas of our home. Believe me, one cat padding by is not going to bother your snake as much as 6 75lb GSDs thundering through the living room.........

In all seriousness, I wouldn't think the cat should be a problem at all. The snakes most likely won't even notice him.

[artgecko]

Kali- He has a history of going after my geckos... hence the worry. When I last moved, I made the mistake of leaving a glass gecko cage on my desk and leaving the door to the room open. I was gone only 5 minutes when I got a call from my ex-roommate that he had pushed the tank off the desk in that time and it had cracked. The gecko survived, but it was a close call. One of my parents cat's did something similar when I lived with them (when I was in school) only there were gecko casualties.

I think the snake would be in more danger of him damaging the enclosure and pushing it off or caving the lid of a tub in sitting on it, etc. I'm sure if the snake was out, he would "play" with it and hurt it that way.

When I upgrade the boa to a pvc cage that is pretty heavy duty I'll feel a lot safer about having it out around the cat.

[MonkeyShuttle]

A local pet store that has a huge variety of snakes, kings, milks, boas, balls all in glass aquariums on the same rack as the mice and rats with ferrets, chinchillas and rabbits 2ft in front of the racks. Its actually a pretty small space for so many animals but i don't complain cause of the selection. All of the snakes there handle really well even in such close vicinity to each other. However, i wouldn't risk it if the snake had the potential to cause serious damage to itself or me.


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[Evenstar]

Kali- He has a history of going after my geckos... hence the worry. When I last moved, I made the mistake of leaving a glass gecko cage on my desk and leaving the door to the room open. I was gone only 5 minutes when I got a call from my ex-roommate that he had pushed the tank off the desk in that time and it had cracked. The gecko survived, but it was a close call. One of my parents cat's did something similar when I lived with them (when I was in school) only there were gecko casualties.

I think the snake would be in more danger of him damaging the enclosure and pushing it off or caving the lid of a tub in sitting on it, etc. I'm sure if the snake was out, he would "play" with it and hurt it that way.

When I upgrade the boa to a pvc cage that is pretty heavy duty I'll feel a lot safer about having it out around the cat.

Oh I getcha now. Yeah, well, some cats can be a pain in the patootie like that........

[DooLittle]

We have cats. They roam where the snakes and rats are. They never bother any of them. However, hubby used to have an anole tank. One cat in particular wouldn't leave that alone. And did the same thing, knocked it off and broke the tank.

We also have one rat colony the bedroom, where the littlest boa is kept (for now). As well as pet rats and a hamster In the living room, where the two bigger boas are, and haven't had any problems. Maybe they are just used to it, since it's always there?