Rats versus Mice

What do you guys feed your snakes? What would make one better than the other for the ball python (not for your convenience)?



My apologies if this was already answered. Search button ignores two character words like "vs" or "or" when searching for "rats or mice", so nothing good comes up.

I feed rats. I have heard that they have a higher naturitional (sp) than mice. But I feed mice when young and rats when older..

like freaky says

i feed mice simply because its more convenient, the closest pet shop near me is about a half hour drive and they sell all sizes of mice and the only rats they sell are jumbo rats.

I feed rats because as the snake gets older you can feed it one appropriately sized prey item vs multiple mice.

Since the nutritional requirements of ball pythons are not known...you can't know which rodent is "more nutritious" for them. I'm unaware of any true scientific studies done on which might be better...but I've heard tons of anecdotal evidence that suggests proper feeding routines with either rodent provides the same growth potential.

It doesn't matter.

I've raised tons of animals from the same clutchs where one would decide to be a mouser and a sibling would decide to eat rats and they are all within a few grams of each other.

No speculation here, been there done that. ;)

-adam

I prefer to feed rats myself, but I have some snakes, like my thayeri that have to be on mice since they're so small :)

Rat's all the way here guy's love feeding mine one meal a week.

I'm currently a mouser and have been very happy with the growth that I've experienced. I'm soon going to be switching to rats, not because I feel they are better, but because I like breeding them better than mice. I'm sure I'll have a few kiddos that will insist on staying on mice, and I'm fine with that. Whatever THEY prefer and will eat consistently - it's all good with me!

I currently feed those that will take mice, mice simply because I can get them all sizes whereas rats I cannot find here that are less than 90 g. Rodentpro will be getting an order soon. If I were to breed my own food though, I think I would go with rats because you can feed them rats their whole lives whereas later on mice may get to be too small and you may need multiple items.

Mice, simply because I don't feel like paying $50 in shipping fees from Rodentpro or any other frozen feeders company.

Where is the button for 'Both' ? I feed them whatever they're willing to eat.

Mice only, and usually multiples where larger snakes are concerned. Baby balls get one adult or two smalls, and larger Balls get 2-5 depending on their size. I breed them, and since I have corn snakes too, it's helpful to get rid of excess pinks/fuzzies.

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Originally Posted by JasonGranger

Mice, simply because I don't feel like paying $50 in shipping fees from Rodentpro or any other frozen feeders company.

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Way I see it is I don't have to deal with the inconvenience of driving out of my way to go get rats or mice and hope they have the right size. I can just take a few out the freezer, not have to deal with any smell, let it thaw, throw it in for a few hours and go do my thing. If you order enough, it is actually cheaper than if you buy from an average store. My order for 40 small rats, 25 rat weanlings, and 25 rat pups cost me just over $100. If I bought rats here, they are $4.00 a piece. I would say I saved a bit.

My answer is both and this picture is the reason. Four 06's....2 eat nothing but mice, 2 eat nothing but rats. Tell me which and who are healthier on which prey type.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...Nov06forum.jpg

Small sampling but the fact is you can't tell which are which. They are all growing, all healthy, all within grams of each other in weight, within bare inches in length. Feed what the snake will eat, feed the correct volume of either heathy rats or mice on a consistent basis and your snake will do just fine.

I voted rats only because they was not a "both" option in this poll.

I feed both.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

My answer is both and this picture is the reason. Four 06's....2 eat nothing but mice, 2 eat nothing but rats. Tell me which and who are healthier on which prey type.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...Nov06forum.jpg

Small sampling but the fact is you can't tell which are which. They are all growing, all healthy, all within grams of each other in weight, within bare inches in length. Feed what the snake will eat, feed the correct volume of either heathy rats or mice on a consistent basis and your snake will do just fine.

I voted rats only because they was not a "both" option in this poll.

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Hmmmm, I think the one on the left and the one at the top right are your mousers....am I right? Do I get a cookie???:D

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Hmmmm, I think the one on the left and the one at the top right are your mousers....am I right? Do I get a cookie???:D

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LOL no you cheater! You can't "guess" because you know my collection as well as I do!

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

LOL no you cheater! You can't "guess" because you know my collection as well as I do!

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Drat!!! Can't blame a gal for trying!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Drat!!! Can't blame a gal for trying!

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You'll just do about anything for cookies won't ya! :P

rats if they'll take em if not mice

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Originally Posted by rabernet

I'm currently a mouser and have been very happy with the growth that I've experienced. I'm soon going to be switching to rats, not because I feel they are better, but because I like breeding them better than mice. I'm sure I'll have a few kiddos that will insist on staying on mice, and I'm fine with that. Whatever THEY prefer and will eat consistently - it's all good with me!

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I agree!!! I feed whatever they will feed on. I couldn't really vote because their is no option for a combination of both. ;)

Only have 1 ball but rats are more convenient for me. Its hard to feed a large boa on mice for life!! lol

Mice. That is what they eat, so that is what I go with. Plus I can fit more into the freezer in a smaller space (as my Dad would not like half the freezer to be full of rats).

we feed both rats and mice... depending on who eats what. we are starting to breed rats so our new balls from adam and our boas can eat rats. ;) that way we only have our corns on mice... and i may even eventually convert them over to ratties as well. but until my breeding of rats gets going well... i'll only feed what i have to, in order to stock up!

couldn't vote... no slot for "all of the above"

Mice for the young and rats for the adults. If there's any real nutritional difference it's probably due to the size difference (ie: you get more of this or that in a rat because it's bigger). My balls are size oriented anyhow. They might look at a mouse, but ya put a med. to lg. rat in there and they're on it like, well you know :-) Feeding mice to an adult ball just seems more expensive to me in the long run. Takes more to fill them up. Just my thoughts.

Quig

i feed mice, and i think i will stick to mice, something about rats that freaks me out a little

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Originally Posted by Kizerk

i feed mice, and i think i will stick to mice, something about rats that freaks me out a little

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yea they freaked me out too at first, i got over it after a few trips for live ones though

I like rats because you can feed smaller rats which are incapable of harming a snake while large mouse that is still smaller is smarter, can defend itself or run like the ****ens! Escapees suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mice for me. Mainly because my snake is only a few months old and has just moved up to adult mice. :)

I feed mice and rats.....does not matter....a rodent is a rodent.

I feed both - what ever the snake will take. I have some adults that won't take rats and some that turn their noses up at mice. I would love for them all to be on rats becasue I find raising them are much easier.


Has anyone (Adam?) deterined why some breeders say to raise babies on mice then switch to rats once they are about a year old? Is it easier to get babies to eat rats?

Alice

i feed most of my snakes rats just because i really dont want to get into breeding mice again . i have some snakes that are just plain to small to eat even a rat pink so they get mouse pinks . once they get big enough for rats thats what they will get too . i breed my own rats so thats really the main reason i use rats . if i had any that would only feed on mice then i would feed it mice . as long as they are eating something i'm happy .

No way am I breeding mice LOL. I put three darn adult mice in a my rodent room last month and they stunk it up in 1 day! 60 rats...no smell....60 rats plus 3 darn mice...BIG STINK! I'll just buy the little nippers until I have a basement!

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

60 rats...no smell....60 rats plus 3 darn mice...BIG STINK!

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Really rats don't smell? I was raising mice but got rid of them due to the smell. But never thought that rats wouldn't smell.

Went to a rat farm couple weeks ago. It was in some guys house. It wreaked but now that I think of it he also had mice too.

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Originally Posted by kplunk

Really rats don't smell? I was raising mice but got rid of them due to the smell. But never thought that rats wouldn't smell.

Went to a rat farm couple weeks ago. It was in some guys house. It wreaked but now that I think of it he also had mice too.

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Well I don't know about everybody's rats but mine have little to no smell. Maybe a bit if it's the day before bedding change but that's about it. I've asked visitors to our home if they can smell the rats and most say that one kitty litter box reeks more than all our rats do combined. We change out all their bedding once per week and do a mid-week partial change/freshening up. Seems to work nicely. Clean rats really do not smell like most rodents. Also don't overcrowd them, that helps a lot I've found.

I feed all my snakes rats unless the snake is small. If it has refused rats a few times I may try mice until it gets its appetite back.

I feed rats only. I don't mind their smell as opposed to mice, and i breed my own, so this matters.. I jsut like feeding one prey item to my adults, as opposed to multiples, also.
Now that I have these ratsnake hatchlings though, mouse pinkies are in my near future, bleh.

Mice smell 1000x worse IMO so I will be raising rats. I am doing f/t for now so I can save some money to build a rat colony. I am still figuring out expenses as compared to buying frozen from RP or another company. I heard once you get 3 or 4 snakes is when it can become cheaper to breed your own and I am soon to have 7 here to feed plus my big BCI at a friend's for breeding, so I would say I am a bit overdo.

ya you might have a better chance of giving them healthier food but rats can mess you snakes up that is why i choose to stick to mice.

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Originally Posted by victor

ya you might have a better chance of giving them healthier food but rats can mess you snakes up that is why i choose to stick to mice.

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Rats aren't healthier than mice. Rats don't pose anymore of a risk to your snake either if you are feeding appropriate sized ones (smaller is better). Feed what the snake will eat, feed responsibly and appropriately, learn the skills of live feeding and it's all good. :)

We have two bps almost the same exact age one takes rats and wont touch mice one takes mice and wont tuch rats ohh then we also have one about the same age that will take a mouse a rat in any order when you put it in its cage. So in the end as long as our snakes eat I am happy.

Mine will eat whichever I throw in front of her as long as it's alive.

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Originally Posted by victor

ya you might have a better chance of giving them healthier food but rats can mess you snakes up that is why i choose to stick to mice.

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I stopped feeding live a long time ago, now it is either p/k or f/t. I like being able to leave the room and give the snake some time and privacy and not have to worry about bites and scratches. As Joanna said, if they are appropriately sized, a 40 g rat is the same as a 40 g mouse.

rats and mice. it depends on which ball python i feed :D

I give rats , but my BP prefere's mice. :taz:

I feed both. My young balls either eat a couple small mice or a weanling rat every week. The adults eat rats. They don't seem to care as long as the food is provided regularly :)

Option 3 - African Soft Furred rats.

rat supposedly make them grow bigger faster than mice.
personally i use rats, the only problem with rats are they pee all the time compared to mice and i tried african soft furred rats and they all killed each other but the one i have left. right now i have 2 female mice left and 1 female asf left im thinking of just keeping them as pets since ive had them for a few months anyway and the one mouse seems to be very curious of what im doing around the room.