Rabbits as main staple?

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Originally Posted by distaff

Well if you lived near me, you could just have some.
I am up to my knees in bunnies of all sizes (got WAY behind on the butchering).

I am sure there are sources near you. Rabbit keepers are fairly common, but for some reason (personality type attracted to work with that animal??) we tend to keep a low profile. If you are interested, check for local rabbit clubs and shows. Breeders of the meat types, such as New Zeelands (spell?) and Florida Whites are less likely to be upset about inquires re. snake food.

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Yeah, I've found 2 sources and the price isn't bad. I mean heck I was paying close to $10 for large live rats so even $5 rabbits are good for me not to mention since they are more meaty, means I can cut down on the feeding on my big girl. Still got the other 2 who eat rats though so wont be a clean sweep yet :) Now just have to run into a quail breeder one day although I'm not sure I want to feed my snake birds. Probably just stick to rats and rabbits and maybe a guinea pig here and there which I know a local shop that can get me those too :D

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Now just have to run into a quail breeder one day although I'm not sure I want to feed my snake birds.

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well, quail max out at about 250 grams. if you feed f/t, rodent pro has them at prices not much more than equivalent sized rats. but if you're feeding BC probably no need to go there. I do feed quail (rabbits too) to carpets/bloods/short tails occasionally. nothing wrong with feeding birds to the snakes that like them. rumors of horribly disgusting runny poops from bird eaters are inaccurate in my experience when feeding f/t. live chickens? well, my experience is that the rumors are true!

from the snake's well being point of view, rabbits as the primary food source is perfectly fine. as others have noted, it's more often more economically pleasing to just stick with rats.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Probably just stick to rats and rabbits and maybe a guinea pig here and there which I know a local shop that can get me those too :D

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Actually guinea pigs are a no-no for boas, they're very high in fat. Stick to rabbits and rats.

There's a Facebook group called "Backyard Meat Rabbits" with almost 30,000 members, most of whom are breeding their own feeders (for human consumption), so hopefully you can find a few folks close by. The rest of the members are looking for local breeders willing to save the stills and culls for our snakes.

Good to know about the guinea pigs. Guess i'll skip those then. There is a place by me called Rodents Plus which says they feed all their feeders high quality mazuri food with filtered water etc so i'll probably give them a try. They also got 1-1.4 lb rabbits for $3.49 which is even better. Figure i'll do a rabbit once a month for my big gal so next month, i'll probably buy another from the local place and weigh it when I get home so I know how large I need in weight as the first one I bought seems to be the perfect size for her but like I said, I forgot to weigh it lol. And with Rodent Plus being close to me, I can save on shipping too and just pick up my order :D This works great for my boas but i'm sure my BP will give me problems haha. If she isn't tearing her cage apart at night or trying to tip the water bowl, she is going through her hunger strike lol.

Don't even bother with trying a rabbit on a ball python. Just keep it on rats.

It is too bad about the guinea pigs. They are delightful critters to keep.

They don't climb much, and I've never had one dig. With those qualities, I'd keep a colony in the greenhouse if it was worthwhile. The Peruvians eat them, but the strain they raise is larger. The little piggies avail in the American pet trade really aren't worth the trouble to butcher. My understanding is that the hide is SO though, the skin has to be singed off.

Maybe for feeding a komodo dragon or something? (just kidding).
Would love an excuse to keep more piggies.

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Originally Posted by distaff

Would love an excuse to keep more piggies.

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Retics can eat them just fine, they can handle the higher-fat diet than boas can.