Introducing Snake to Rat (rather than vice versa)

So here's the story that made me think about this:

I drove into Minneapolis to pick up a small rat for my BP from Twin Cities Reptiles. My plan was to get home, hold my spider for awhile, then feed her. What I was considering was whether or not I should let the live rat be in her tank for 30-45 minutes while I handled my snake. Is that enough time for the rat to consider the tank its "territory" in the absence of the snake?

So I want to dive deeper into this and see if anyone has every fed a BP by putting it into the rats cage? Do rats become more aggressive when defending their territory? Do rats even think of things being their territory?

I thought of the consequences (snake getting seriously hurt, snake going off feed, etc.) and decided against it. Was just curious as to if anyone has any knowledge/insight/experience to share with us regarding this matter.

Devin


(Is this in the right forum?)

You could just avoid the whole problem by braining the rat in the head before feeding it to your snake, or skip live alltogether and switch to frozen thawed, much safer all around, and you can store the rats without having to feed them.

But putting the snake into the rats cage sounds like the snake would be less likely to feed due to just being handled for a long period of time before being introduced into the cage...

Plus why leave the rat in the snakes cage at all?

Unless you are an advanced keeper I wouldn't be experimenting like this. Just stick to standard protocol which is the just put the rat in the snakes cage. If you like you can sit the rat in a small container near or on top of the snake cage to get the sent in there so they know it's coming.

Also, rule of thumb is you are not suppose to handle your snake before feeding.

hmmm sounds like a no-no to me :colbert:.
for simplicity's sake i consistantly stick with the same routine every time i feed.

Hi,

I agree with the posters above.

I don't even handle my snakes on feeding day unless I have to clean their enclosures.

Let the snake be relaxed and feeling secure before trying to feed it. Once it is introduce the prey animal.


dr del

I dont even handle my snakes for 48 hours after I feed them, you dont want to put stress on their stomachs when they have a half digested rat sitting in it...

agreeing with all the above responses and adding some info: If you let a rodent wander around the snakes enclosure for a half hour, its going to smell like rodents. This can put your snake into feeding mode for DAYS. I would not do it.

Well, I'm glad the whole purpose of the thread was forgotten about and scolding for bad husbandry ensued instead (in typical ball-pythons.net fashion). I fed her the same way I always do as I stated, so no worries. I'll let this thread die now as my search for knowledge has obviously been overlooked.

Happy summer solstice everyone,

Devin.