Feeding mice termporarily

[kiiarah]

So although I had spoken with the pet store recently and they indicated that they have all sizes of frozen rats, it seems as though all sizes means small through large. The small rats are still quite a bit too big for Shesha to swallow. I had asked about placing a special order and when I followed up the associate told me that they just got a shipment and had rats already in stock. I did specifically ask if they had fuzzy rats and he said that they did, but he must have misunderstood or not have been listening. Either way, my husband picked up small mice which appear to be about the same size as fuzzy rats but I have read so much conflicting information on feeding rats vs mice. I do not live in a main city so local retailers are limited and I can't justify ordering bulk for just one snake.

Would there be any harm in feeding mice for a few weeks while I keep looking around for a way to get the rats. Also, worst case, if there is nowhere that will order rats locally and I were to get stuck with mice until he is old enough to eat small rats would that be cause for concern? He is only about two months old and I just ordered a digital scale today so I will soon have a weight for him to help determine what weight of food he should be taking. I have read that rats are healthier but then again I was just reading that there is really no solid information backing that. I do have another frozen pinky rat for him but I really feel that he is too big for pinky rats. The last one he ate he had down in about 3 minutes. It was probably about half the size of the widest part of his body. Any advice?

[KMG]

Shouldn't be an issue. I have raised several of my snakes up on mice and graduated them to rats when they were ready.

You may still check online vs the store you are buying from. Ordering the size you need plus the size you will need soon may just be cheaper than paying the local store. It was for me. Large mice and small rats don't take up to much room in a freezer and it sure beats trying to track down what you need. Sign up for Rodent Pro newsletters and wait for their hot deals. It may make it worth it fir you. The other thing I would do is check for a local breeder that you can buy from directly. I did this and have saved a ton on shipping.

[kiiarah]

I will definitely subscribe to them. I am in Arizona and it seems like many of the large sites are on the east coast so shipping is extra on top of the normal prices from many of them. He is small enough right now that mice aren't an issue and seems to be a good feeder but I would hate for him to be unwilling to switch down the road. Do you think that is as common a problem as people make it out to be? Also should small mice be ok for a short time? Like I said he is about two months old. Do you think there is any chance that pinky rats are still an appropriate size for a two month old bp, because the small mice are about double that size.

[KMG]

If they are smaller than you should be feeding you could always feed two. My brb would not take medium rats for some odd reason so I fed a couple small mice for a few months until he started hammering medium rats. His previous owner couldn't get him to take frozen but I beat that and his fear of med rats. It just took some time.

I doubt you will have any issues especially going between rat pups and mice. What I always do when switching from mice to rats is thaw them together. This crosses the scents and its my belief gets snakes used to a rat smell even though they are taking a mouse. This is easier for me though since I fed a variety of sizes. Now all of mine are eating rats that can.

As for what size you should feed its hard to say without seeing or knowing the weights so I say eyeball it. I still eyeball which rat goes to who. As long as the prey is as big as your snakes widest part your good. If its much smaller than that feed two or feed more often.

[kiiarah]

That should work then, I actually thawed and offered him a small mouse last night just in case he was hungry. Those pinky rats are really very tiny compared to his largest size. The last one I gave him didn't even result in a bulge on the way down. He did sniff the mouse and act interested. He opened his mouth a bit but didn't get the right angle the first try and seemed to give up. He had seemed a bit lethargic prior to this, but while he was in his feeding tub he did poop, although it was only a small white pellet with a tiny bit of green and quite a bit of light yellow liquid. Not sure what to make of that or if it is normal. Do ball pythons typically urinate of does this mean is is overhydrated/underfed? Also interesting was that right after he finished his business he perked up a ton, went right back to wanting to explore and the nice long and frequent tongue flicking.

[KMG]

Your snake urinated, thats normal.

I dont remember if you have ever discussed feeding in a tub but search the forum and you will see that it is really not needed. Many times you have beeter luck feeding in its home.

[kiiarah]

Oh boy, I have read tons of posts on tub vs enclosure. I really like the idea of feeding him in the enclosure but I keep coming across the dangers of ingesting bedding and he is currently on aspen. I could maybe try removing his hide and laying a paper towel over the bedding with the mouse on it. He does swing around and move a bit while swallowing, but maybe if I made sure the mouse is very dry before offering it. He did seem pretty preoccupied with slithering out of the tub so enclosure would probably work better, though he did take his first pinky rat in the tub.

[KMG]

I doubt you will have a problem with aspen when nobody else does.

I use a mixture of cypress mulch (Forest Floor), Repti Bark, and Eco Earth. I warm in water and serve rats slightly wet yet I have never had an issue.

[kiiarah]

That's a relief. This Saturday I will try feeding in the enclosure then. As many posts as I have seen warning about ingested bedding, I have yet to see any confirmed cases of it being a problem.