New prey items, what do you think?

So I'm thinking about trying different rodents for my ball pythons. But I want your opinions on the following:

1. Rabbits (kits not adults)
2. Guinea pigs (small ones)
3. Hamsters
4. Gerbils
5. Quail/chicks

How healthy are they? Surely in the wild they eat other things besides mice and rats. I would be purchasing frozen so no live. Also what are your experiences with these? Did your snakes prefer them over mice/rats? Did they go better on any of them?

Thanks in advance!


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Pound for pound rats are the second most nutritious meat on the planet.
Quail being number one.


And balls eat rodents in Africa so why mess with a sure thing. Surely all of the ball python breeders in the world are not doing it wrong ;)

You have a source selling those cheaper than mice or rats?

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Originally Posted by KMG

You have a source selling those cheaper than mice or rats?

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Maybe I just have the money


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In the wild, they nest in ASF burrows, eat the inhabitants, and move to a new ASF burrow. honestly why shell out extra cash for feeders when you can use it to buy another snake and feed them what they're born and bred to eat?

not to mention that getting a BP hooked on something like gerbils can end up in a much higher bill than i'd care to pay, seeing as they're mostly bred as pets. and it's a struggle and a half to get them back to rats, should you ever make that choice.

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Originally Posted by Wapadi

Pound for pound rats are the second most nutritious meat on the planet.
Quail being number one.


And balls eat rodents in Africa so why mess with a sure thing. Surely all of the ball python breeders in the world are not doing it wrong ;)

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I have a couple picky eaters. Trying something new could work. Of course they eat rodents in the wild. I just listed a bunch of rodents. It's not like ball pythons in the wild eat white rats. If I want to switch my prey items for my picky eaters I have that right. I Never said it was wrong to just feed snakes rats. Goodness.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

In the wild, they nest in ASF burrows, eat the inhabitants, and move to a new ASF burrow. honestly why shell out extra cash for feeders when you can use it to buy another snake and feed them what they're born and bred to eat?

not to mention that getting a BP hooked on something like gerbils can end up in a much higher bill than i'd care to pay, seeing as they're mostly bred as pets. and it's a struggle and a half to get them back to rats, should you ever make that choice.

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Are ASF more appetizing do you think? I have a couple picky eaters that aren't eating for me since adopting them back in March. Honestly, I appreciate everyone trying to look out for me by telling me to do rats because it's the most effective and cheap. But rats aren't working and I will spend money on my snakes so they eat again. All my other snakes are on rats so I have nothing against feeding them rats. I just want to know which is the best prey items besides rats


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scirlygirl

Are ASF more appetizing do you think? I have a couple picky eaters that aren't eating for me since adopting them back in March. Honestly, I appreciate everyone trying to look out for me by telling me to do rats because it's the most effective and cheap. But rats aren't working and I will spend money on my snakes so they eat again. All my other snakes are on rats so I have nothing against feeding them rats. I just want to know which is the best prey items besides rats


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I've heard that ASF are like cocaine for BPs and once they're hooked on those, there's almost no going back to something else. I take it that they almost never refuse an ASF but will refuse everything else once they're started on them. Most people who feed them to their BPs will do so because they breed the ASF themselves and have an ample supply of them, instead of buying them so often for a higher price.

Hmmmm how would one aquire these ASF rodents? Sounds interesting.

Never mind for frozen ASF you can get them from americanrodent.com :)