Send HALP! Stuck with feeder rat!

Well...long story short, Boots didn't eat. I only paid $1.48 for the rat because I had a coupon, so it's not worth it to drag it all the way back to the store. We have it set up in the old 29 Eden lived in with aspen, a cardboard box, and two bowls of food and water. Problem! She keeps kicking Aspen into the water. If I'm going to hold her until he eats, I can't keep cleaning that mess up ;) also, I need to find cheap rat food ASAP! She wants nothing to do with the bird seed. Oh, and I already think she's the cutest thing EVER. She let's me scratch her head and scoop her up for pets. I can't get my hopes up unless MIL says she likes her though ;) so, any advice? Here is setup
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...473ee26680.jpg

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

You're probably never going to be able to feed the rat to your snake. [emoji14] I have a gold fish I'm stuck with for the same reason.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

You're probably never going to be able to feed the rat to your snake. [emoji14] I have a gold fish I'm stuck with for the same reason.

---

A goldfish? O.o

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SCWood

A goldfish? O.o

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

---

If you put a goldfish in their water bowl (or a plastic bowl) it will help them with striking. Monty has problems striking. My advice is don't name the rat. Food doesn't have names. Pets do.

You need a water bottle feeder to hang on the interior of the tank. I have a few of them if you want to pm me we can work out a deal? :salute:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

You need a water bottle feeder to hang on the interior of the tank. I have a few of them if you want to pm me we can work out a deal? :salute:

---

Are you in Fla.? I honestly don't know how long she will be here. If he doesn't take her tomorrow, we are making a trip to Walmart for cheap food and water bottle supplies ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

If you put a goldfish in their water bowl (or a plastic bowl) it will help them with striking. Monty has problems striking. My advice is don't name the rat. Food doesn't have names. Pets do.

---

Omg, that's funny because our friend said he held onto a rat for 2 weeks before his snake ate it and he named it Snacks [emoji14] I didn't know balls liked goldfish!

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SCWood

Are you in Fla.? I honestly don't know how long she will be here. If he doesn't take her tomorrow, we are making a trip to Walmart for cheap food and water bottle supplies ;)

Omg, that's funny because our friend said he held onto a rat for 2 weeks before his snake ate it and he named it Snacks [emoji14] I didn't know balls liked goldfish!

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

---

Its not that they like gold fish, but they have a heat signature. Not a strong one but it's there. They focus on the heat signature and strike. My boyfriend taught me that trick, and it worked with the first gold fish, the second and third fish were in a fish bowl together, and the one we have left ate the other one (wtf?!). Lol. My boyfriend named it and confessed to me that he has a hard time using anything he names for food. For himself or his pets. That's when we started feeding f/t cause I knew some day we would have a collection of mice that he named. Lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SCWood

Well...long story short, Boots didn't eat. I only paid $1.48 for the rat because I had a coupon, so it's not worth it to drag it all the way back to the store. We have it set up in the old 29 Eden lived in with aspen, a cardboard box, and two bowls of food and water. Problem! She keeps kicking Aspen into the water. If I'm going to hold her until he eats, I can't keep cleaning that mess up ;) also, I need to find cheap rat food ASAP! She wants nothing to do with the bird seed. Oh, and I already think she's the cutest thing EVER. She let's me scratch her head and scoop her up for pets. I can't get my hopes up unless MIL says she likes her though ;) so, any advice? Here is setup

---

That's how I got my two pet rats. They can be very cute.

For advice on rats, I would say go to the rat forums.

http://www.ratforum.com/

You'll find everything you could possibly want to know there about keeping rats.

Game over. You have a pet rat. :P

Rats are extremely awesome pets .. I prefer them over a gerbil any day! You mind as well just get another one now, they are pretty social animals. Congrats LOL

You should never play with your food. :DOr your snakes food for that matter, once you hold them and play with them, it's to hard to feed them to your snake.So you are probably the new owner of a pet rat. It's easy to get attached to them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

Its not that they like gold fish, but they have a heat signature. Not a strong one but it's there. They focus on the heat signature and strike. My boyfriend taught me that trick, and it worked with the first gold fish, the second and third fish were in a fish bowl together, and the one we have left ate the other one (wtf?!). Lol. My boyfriend named it and confessed to me that he has a hard time using anything he names for food. For himself or his pets. That's when we started feeding f/t cause I knew some day we would have a collection of mice that he named. Lol.

---

Will they eat the fish?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 200xth

That's how I got my two pet rats. They can be very cute.

For advice on rats, I would say go to the rat forums.

http://www.ratforum.com/

You'll find everything you could possibly want to know there about keeping rats.

---

Don't try to suck me in ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by adizziedoll

Game over. You have a pet rat. [emoji14]

Rats are extremely awesome pets .. I prefer them over a gerbil any day! You mind as well just get another one now, they are pretty social animals. Congrats LOL

---

Never! Lol [emoji14] I'd die

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SCWood

Will they eat the fish?

Don't try to suck me in ;)

Never! Lol [emoji14] I'd die

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

---

They will eat the fish, but it's not much of a meal. More of like.. A snack. Like me eating one piece of popcorn. Lol.

Just throwing this out there, but you should never feed goldfish to snakes. They contain a chemical called Thiaminase that affects how snakes can break down vitamin B. It's usually not a problem if you don't do it all the time, but some snakes can be more sensitive than others and have serious neurological symptoms or even death after only a time or two.

This is a really common problem with garter snakes, as they are more commonly fed fish, but the Thiaminase problem can potentially affect any snake species.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

They will eat the fish, but it's not much of a meal. More of like.. A snack. Like me eating one piece of popcorn. Lol.

---

I see ^^

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Just throwing this out there, but you should never feed goldfish to snakes. They contain a chemical called Thiaminase that affects how snakes can break down vitamin B. It's usually not a problem if you don't do it all the time, but some snakes can be more sensitive than others and have serious neurological symptoms or even death after only a time or two.

This is a really common problem with garter snakes, as they are more commonly fed fish, but the Thiaminase problem can potentially affect any snake species.

---

Interesting o.o not planning on it anyway lol

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SCWood

I see ^^

Interesting o.o not planning on it anyway lol

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

---

Yeah, she pretty much struck it and spit it out. She didn't swallow it.

LOL I was feeding a boa at work a few days ago and it struck the hopper 4 times and coiled before FINALLY eating it :P

I must be weird, I named most of the rats I had at first even though I didn't have them for much longer than an hour or two. I ended up with Boodles the fourth, Bibbles the second, and a Bobert before I ended up with too many snakes to easily name the casual feeders. I still name my breeding rats, but if they don't work out I've come to accept what happens next.

To be honest it's usually a good idea to keep an emergency rodent setup on stand by just in case your snake refuses a meal. A water bottle and box of food from walmart might cost you around 6 dollars (don't try a bowl. If she isn't flicking aspen in it she'll be smearing it in poo before you notice what's going on, and rat poo is a pain to clean).

lmao i had this exact same problem, we now have a little rat pup named chester

Haha, I have the same issue... except somehow I ended up with six feeder rats that the pythons wouldn't eat and they're too big now. Dad wanted to buy them in bulk. I absolutely love rats, but guess what? I found out that I'm allergic to them! I am allergic to all fluffy things! Rats, cats, dogs, horses, rabbits... everything. Probably hamsters, mice and gerbils, too. *sigh* I really like two of them, too... a soft grey one and a nice looking spotted one... I want to keep them. I've always wanted rats, and I can't have them, apparently. Oh well. I have snakes. :snake:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

They will eat the fish, but it's not much of a meal. More of like.. A snack. Like me eating one piece of popcorn. Lol.

---

Not gonna lie, the fact that they strike and therefore kill the fish seems cruel to me, and it seems to be for no reason.

Also, this:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Just throwing this out there, but you should never feed goldfish to snakes. They contain a chemical called Thiaminase that affects how snakes can break down vitamin B. It's usually not a problem if you don't do it all the time, but some snakes can be more sensitive than others and have serious neurological symptoms or even death after only a time or two.

This is a really common problem with garter snakes, as they are more commonly fed fish, but the Thiaminase problem can potentially affect any snake species.

---

They are toxic. It's a no no.:colbert:

@OP You can just get a setup for when this happens, I have 1. But TBH naming or handling the food is a bad idea if you want it to end up as food.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anicatgirl

Not gonna lie, the fact that they strike and therefore kill the fish seems cruel to me, and it seems to be for no reason.

Also, this:



They are toxic. It's a no no.:colbert:

---

Well, I was unaware of this fact. She didn't eat the fish. I didn't know that eating it would have made her sick, otherwise I would have never even gotten them in the first place. And snakes strike and kill mice? That's not cruel, just the way things work. I don't really see it as cruel. No offense.

In case you haven't found a solution to this, I have about six pet rats right now and I have kept them for about ten years, which is odd because I also own a snake. Rats will eat virtually anything you want them to eat, you can put a mixture of things in their bowl. Or just biscuits. Or go down to your local pet store.. Good luck.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Atrox

In case you haven't found a solution to this, I have about six pet rats right now and I have kept them for about ten years, which is odd because I also own a snake. Rats will eat virtually anything you want them to eat, you can put a mixture of things in their bowl. Or just biscuits. Or go down to your local pet store.. Good luck.

---

Rats live 10 years!!?? I didn't know that. I figured they were like mice or hamsters and lives a few years and then kicked the bucket.

They probably meant they have kept a group of rats for 10 years. Typically they live 1.5 - 3 years older than that is highly unusual.

To the OP: Try cereals (unsweetened if you have it) dry pasta, raw veggies like carrots, oats (oatmeal), some people include dry rice in their diet. No dry beans though. They can also eat boiled or scrambled eggs (unsalted) and even meat.. although that makes their poo stink.

You might want to consider switching to f/t unless your snake won't take it. It's much easier to save uneaten food (or throw it away) than to care for a living rat if it is not eaten. I use f/t and if you order several months worth at a time (or order when there is a shipping sale going on) it is pretty inexpensive.. Usually much less per rat than buying live.

I have kept pet rats for about 2 years now and they are a lot of fun... But they smell.. and you have to change out bedding frequently. Other than that, they are great. Males smell worse than females for some reason.

Update: my fiancee broke down in tears. She has fallen in love. Nonetheless, the MIL says no so she is being given to a close friend who already has one rat. We will be sharing custody ;) looks like she got lucky!

As for f/t, he is 6 years old so I'm not sure how much I can do to get him to eat it. We HAVE tried to no avail. Bad enough he only wants food in his cage. I now have a bottle, food, and aspen set aside just in case we have this problem again...

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Meanwhile I have these cuties staring at me!http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...3c7c5c293e.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...342aeaf638.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...8e426317b6.jpg

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

Well, I was unaware of this fact. She didn't eat the fish. I didn't know that eating it would have made her sick, otherwise I would have never even gotten them in the first place. And snakes strike and kill mice? That's not cruel, just the way things work. I don't really see it as cruel. No offense.

---

I think they meant because the snake just strikes and kills the fish but generally won't eat it (and there's no reason to even give them fish in the first place... it's just not part of their diet). It's not cruel to feed snakes mice and rats because there's a reason for it and the snake benefits. Feeding them something just so they can kill it is like giving your cat a live mouse to play with.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SCWood

Update: my fiancee broke down in tears. She has fallen in love. Nonetheless, the MIL says no so she is being given to a close friend who already has one rat. We will be sharing custody ;) looks like she got lucky!

As for f/t, he is 6 years old so I'm not sure how much I can do to get him to eat it. We HAVE tried to no avail. Bad enough he only wants food in his cage. I now have a bottle, food, and aspen set aside just in case we have this problem again...

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

---

I'm surprised your boa is so picky. Both of mine would eat a paper towel tube during an earthquake if I rubbed it on a rat. My BP is even worse, she would eat in a shoebox on the way home from the store after buying the rat. Its good though that you found the rat a home, he just won the "life lottery" :P

Lol I thought this was the boa part of the forum, omg lol. Since that isn't the case, I can see a BP being picky about F/T, although like I said, mine eats anything...fresh killed, F/T, feeding tongs, my hand or fingers...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

I'm surprised your boa is so picky. Both of mine would eat a paper towel tube during an earthquake if I rubbed it on a rat. My BP is even worse, she would eat in a shoebox on the way home from the store after buying the rat. Its good though that you found the rat a home, he just won the "life lottery" [emoji14]

---

Actually, it's a rescue BP ;) the boas are garbage disposals!

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

I think they meant because the snake just strikes and kills the fish but generally won't eat it (and there's no reason to even give them fish in the first place... it's just not part of their diet). It's not cruel to feed snakes mice and rats because there's a reason for it and the snake benefits. Feeding them something just so they can kill it is like giving your cat a live mouse to play with.

---

From what I had heard, they would strike, kill and eat. She didn't eat it (which apparently was a blessing in disguise).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

From what I had heard, they would strike, kill and eat. She didn't eat it (which apparently was a blessing in disguise).

---

Yeah, outside the garter community (and even there knowledge of it is kind of spotty) I've found people just generally aren't aware of the Thiaminase issue. It's kind of surprising since the effects can be so serious, but I guess fish are only major feeders for a few species.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Yeah, outside the garter community (and even there knowledge of it is kind of spotty) I've found people just generally aren't aware of the Thiaminase issue. It's kind of surprising since the effects can be so serious, but I guess fish are only major feeders for a few species.

---

I didn't really think twice about it, but I'm glad she didn't eat the goldfish. I'm surprised she struck at it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

I didn't really think twice about it, but I'm glad she didn't eat the goldfish. I'm surprised she struck at it.

---

There's something about the movement of fish. I have a tank of guppies for the exact reason that I often get non-eating babies (usually garters, but still).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

I think they meant because the snake just strikes and kills the fish but generally won't eat it (and there's no reason to even give them fish in the first place... it's just not part of their diet). It's not cruel to feed snakes mice and rats because there's a reason for it and the snake benefits. Feeding them something just so they can kill it is like giving your cat a live mouse to play with.

---

Yeah, this is correct. It is the premise that it would die but not be for nutrition. I had to get over not wanting to feed live when my little girl went on strike, but I still hate to see pretty much anything suffer.

Update: Oh God, she has a name 😮 http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05...b5a54cd325.jpg
Meet Laney, short for Lois Lane lol my fiancee isn't letting me get rid of her now ;) she's convinced it's her old hamster reincarnated

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by adizziedoll

Game over. You have a pet rat. [emoji14]

Rats are extremely awesome pets .. I prefer them over a gerbil any day! You mind as well just get another one now, they are pretty social animals. Congrats LOL

---

Yeah, yeah I do 😮

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tigerhawk

You should never play with your food. :DOr your snakes food for that matter, once you hold them and play with them, it's to hard to feed them to your snake.So you are probably the new owner of a pet rat. It's easy to get attached to them.

---

Why must you all jinx me?!

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05...662a42907c.jpg
"Is a good morning for pets, no?"

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anicatgirl

Yeah, this is correct. It is the premise that it would die but not be for nutrition. I had to get over not wanting to feed live when my little girl went on strike, but I still hate to see pretty much anything suffer.

---

Monty didn't go on strike, she was missing when she struck. I took her to the vet to find out she is blind in one eye and her heat vents on one side were blocked with shed.

I had a pet rat in 05-06 before I moved to Alberta. She was so sweet. She liked to sit on my shoulder, play with my hair and rest her front paw on my ear while I washed the dishes. Sadly, we lost her, our hedgehog and our cat in a housefire just before moving to Alberta.

A better set up is nice but if you clean the water dish and change the aspen as your nose demands, it will be fine.

The mouse breeder that our store buys from feeds all their stock dry cat food.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

Monty didn't go on strike, she was missing when she struck. I took her to the vet to find out she is blind in one eye and her heat vents on one side were blocked with shed.

---

Yikes!!! I hope the shed issues are at least fixed. Sorry about the eye, but I'm sure he'll still be awesome :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anicatgirl

Yikes!!! I hope the shed issues are at least fixed. Sorry about the eye, but I'm sure he'll still be awesome :D

---

I was livid when I found out. The vet removed the stuck shed (luckily Monty isn't head shy) she's still blind in one eye, though.