Feeder Mice

So I purchased my ball python, and I will be getting it in may her weight is in the 200-300 gram range, and the most affordable way for me to get mice is to buy frozen in bulk, so my question is what size rats should I buy If I plan on buying around 100?

I plan on feeding her twice a week until she is about 700 grams then once a week. This may seem like a lot of mice to buy in advance for one snake but this is really the best way for me to do this with shipping being as much as it is.

I would get weaned rats (about 40 grams)

Wait, are you buying mice or rats? Rats are more nutritious for your snake and as the snake gets older it's easier to feed a larger rat than multiple mice.

Rats is what I meant, also should i get all the same size rat or should I get some different sized rats too for when she grows?

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

Wait, are you buying mice or rats? Rats are more nutritious for your snake and as the snake gets older it's easier to feed a larger rat than multiple mice.

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Do you have any proof of this? I feed my snakes mice and they are fat and healthy.

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Originally Posted by ZBP

Rats is what I meant, also should i get all the same size rat or should I get some different sized rats too for when she grows?

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I would get some weaned and some of the next size up.

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

Wait, are you buying mice or rats? Rats are more nutritious for your snake and as the snake gets older it's easier to feed a larger rat than multiple mice.

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Originally Posted by ballpythonluvr

Do you have any proof of this? I feed my snakes mice and they are fat and healthy.

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As far as I know, there is no research available that proves rats are more nutritious than mice. Most folks feed rats because its generally more economical to feed a single rat per feeding than 2-3 mice. But mice are just as nutritious as rats and some BPs will only take mice. I have one myself and she is 3 years old and weighs in at 2100gm and is fat and healthy eating 2 jumbo f/t mice per week and she'll fast for a month or two sometimes as well and all's good.

Having said that, I would feed her rats if I could - everybody else eats rats and it would make my life easier if that's what she'd take. But really, its mostly a matter of convenience and preference.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I would get some weaned and some of the next size up.

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I agree with Aaron - get 50 weaned rats and 50 smalls and that should be about right.

But I wouldn't feed twice a week. I would feed 1 weaned rat every 5 days instead until she's ready for the smalls and then go once a week. Every 5 days is often enough while she's on the weaned size. Every 3-4 (twice a week) is a little too frequent. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

Wait, are you buying mice or rats? Rats are more nutritious for your snake and as the snake gets older it's easier to feed a larger rat than multiple mice.

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That's a little off. Rats have a higher fat content than mice. But overall, they have generally the same nutritional value.

The only reason to feed rats is that it takes less time and effort to feed a single rat to an adult snake than 4 adult mice, which I agree with you.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

That's a little off. Rats have a higher fat content than mice. But overall, they have generally the same nutritional value.

The only reason to feed rats is that it takes less time and effort to feed a single rat to an adult snake than 4 adult mice, which I agree with you.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

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^^^ this right here :gj: