Mice vs Rats?

[Elvyra's Keeper]

Hi, I always feed my two bps on thursdays of every week. I have never had a problem getting either one to eat. I recently began feeding my largest bp two large mice at a time, and she takes both with no prolem, one after another. Last thursday I decided to feed her a small rat, which was only about a 1/4 inch larger the mice I have been feeding her, but she was afraid of it. When I put it in, she smelled it, but then it moved and after that she curled up and hid, and would not move at all until the rat was gone. Even after she hid from it, when I had it outside her cage, she was still trying to smell it, but inside her cage, she was scared. I'm worried that she will be one of those bps that only eat mice, and if so, is it ok to feed her mice for the durration of her life?
If so, how would I know how many to feed her?

[ChrisBowsman]

The way I understand it, keep offering mice until they quit eating them.

I used to feed my bro-in-law's BP one mouse a week, and it always took a lap around the tank after eating. Somebody here told me that meant it was probably still hungry (searching for food), so the next feeding, I gave him a second. He ate it, then went straight for the hide.

[reptile3]

I feed my bp small mouse, i am waiting on a scale to come, so I can weigh him. He eats one about every 4-5 days. Not sure if this is correct or not. He sure seems HUNGRY alot, growing spurt.. or what.

[Brimstone111888]

He could be just hooked on mice. My pastel is a mouser I'm trying to convert.

[Gary Orner]

My Baby Ball Pythons go on rats ASAP. Asome never even see mice!!! Rat fuzzies do great!

[SatanicIntention]

Mice or rats, they do fine on either. All 40+ of mine eat mice as they are easier to obtain, easier to house, and never get too big. The adult females get 3-5 adults depending on their size, adult males get 1-2 adults, and babies through yearlings get 1-3 depending on their appetite that week.

If mice are easier for you to obtain and your snakes eat well on them, then go that route. If small rats are easy for you to get every week, and your snakes eat them, then go that route.

The nutritional differences are moot since no one knows the requirements of Ball Pythons. As long as they are thriving and growing, they are fine.

[Pythonman]

Most people feed their mice and rats the same food, so nutritionally they should contain around the same ratios of nutrients. I have most of my snakes on mice and I like it that way, might be switching to ASFs soon. I have adult females that will eat 5-7 mice if you let them...Mice are just as good if not better in my opinion...Dont be so quick to rush to rats esp if you don't plan to breed...Rats get big, often too big for your bp and then you have new pet ...Mice are ALWAYS edible to an adult ball..the debate is ongoing...good luck!

[McAdry]

We feed rats to all our snakes either asf's or normal rats. We have not had any trouble switching our bp's from mice to rat's it just takes time. Some switch right away some take a few weeks but again if you can get mice and are happy with them and the snakes eat that's fine to I just hate them lol they stink are terriable to breed lol just my feeling on the subject and well I find that feeding rats just is a time saver lol one or two rats to what 5 mice times how ever many snakes it's just what works for us.

[Beardedragon]

I keep mice and love them. They eat less, drink less, you can house more in a smaller space, mine breed like crazy so i have about 6 pregnants and one haveing a litter any minute now. There is nothin wrong with feeding mice. Plus, Rats are VERY smart animals, its almost a waist to use them as food.

[cardell75]

Let me start off by saying that I haven't had a problem switching ball pythons to rats, but I have had to coerce other breeds to accept rats and all I did when they wouldn't take them was to offer a smaller rat and feed more at a time until they got used to them and gradually bring them up to the correct size, which was just a couple of weeks. Just a thought.