keeping snakes and feeders in the same room

[J.P.]

have any of you tried this? right now my rats are in my garage and the snakes are in a room. we're having a really hot summer, so my breeder rats are dying like flies. all the while, my ball python eggs are incubating. i forsee a famine if i do not act quickly. so i'm thinking maybe i can move the rats into the snake room, where it's easier to control temps. i'm just concerned on whether that will have a negative effect on my snakes' feeding response. they get really excited when they smell food coming, i do not want them to loose interest in food if they smell rats in the same room 24/7. as usual, your advice will be highly appreciated. tia

[Daybreaker]

Never had problems, I have indoor bunnies and pet rats in my snake room too

[AjBalls]

I've only done it once, but I had rats with chewing issues so when they escaped they went back outside. Do you have a fan blowing on the rats? The ventilation really seems to do well in the heat. I had mine in an aluminum shed, when it first got hot a few died. I went out and bought a canopy tent and left the door open and didn't have a single one die the rest of the summer.

[J.P.]

i do use a fan, but rats are still dying. fan is just circulating hot air, not really helpful in lowering ambient temps. i think the fan works on people because the breeze evaporates our sweat, but rats do not sweat so it can't do anything for them. my garage has concrete walls but wide open on front and back. rats are kept in screentop racks, so the set up is well ventilated, it's just so dang hot....

my snake room is separate from the house, so i think i can live with a few escapees. but i'm still hoping that my rat rack remains chew proof.

[satomi325]

I've kept my rat colony in the same room with my snakes.
No issues. In fact, I think the snakes' feeding responses got better.


And regarding keeping rats in heat, I've kept rats in 90 degrees no problem and breeding kept up as normal. Keep air circulating as mentioned. Also putting frozen water bottles and granite/tile slabs in the tubs will help lower temperatures as well. The rats lie on the granite/tile to lower their body temps.

[J.P.]

temps in the shade commonly reach 95F and sometimes even more. i really wish the rains would come soon.....

i'll try the stone thing. i do not have granite, but there's some scrap marble. as for frozen water bottles, i'll think about it. i do not like any moisture in my rat tubs.

thanks.

[DooLittle]

I've have rats and snakes in the same room. Everybody is fine.

[sunnyscales2day]

Wild ball pythons live in rodent burrows, they leave when it smells like snake. I've had feeder rats in my snake room for only a week now but my snakes seem to be thrilled about it. They are eating voraciosly when before they barely ate at all. Could be coincedence, could be they love it. Just my input.

[J.P.]

I thought balls lived in termite mounds? Lol. Anyway, i've moved the rat racks into the snakeroom. I hope no more rats die, my breeding females are down to 9, i hope the young ones make it to breeding age before the bp eggs hatch. I'll also try to buy some adult rats, i'd be lucky to find willing sellers since local feeder rodents are an endagered species during this time of year.

My snakes are getting fat, since i feed them more often rather than waste the rats and pups. I guess they should put on extra weight, since they'll need it when i run out of feeders.

[satomi325]

They live in both.

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