Nutritional Value of Feeder Choices

[valleysnakeguy]

Please advise;

Feeding rats vs feeding mice

Not just for BP's but snakes in general, normally I will start very small offspring on pinky mice and convert them towards rats as soon as they are big enough to eat them. What's your take?!

[j_h_smith]

I think this will answer your question. This will also help for the larger boids/pythons that will eventually eat larger than rat prey.

HTH,
Jim Smith


http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp

[RR - Mackenzie]

Every circumstance is different.

My ball python just started eating after not eating since November, and all he will take for me is mice. So he will be getting two or three mice at each feeding until he is up to weight.

But I would like him to be eating small to medium rats. It would be much easier on me, the snake (at least I think?) and my pocket if he would just eat rats, I have heard they are more nutritional, as well.

But, as long as he is steadily feeding, I am fine with buying ten frozen mice every few weeks, and once he is steadily feeding and gains weight, then we'll try the irritating task of getting him to eats rat. But for now, I am just glad that he is eating for me at all!

[rabernet]

In order to properly assess the nutritional VALUE to any species of snake, you'd need to know the nutritional REQUIREMENTS of that species of snake.

To my knowledge there has been no such study ever conducted.

So while a rat may appear to be the better choice nutritionally, what if all a ball python REQUIRES is that of a mouse and the rest is excreted as waste?

[WingedWolfPsion]

Well, obviously ball pythons grow faster on a diet of rats--this is probably LARGELY because rats are more massive, and many ball pythons refuse to eat more than a few mice in a single meal--not enough to make up for the mass of a single small or medium rat.

Apart from that, it's clear from the nutritional chart that rats are higher in fat, and this probably contributes to the higher weight gain in rat-fed ball pythons as well.

Since ball pythons fed on rats, asfs, or mice all appear to be fine and healthy, I don't think any of these rodents is lacking in any necessary nutrition.

For breeders, getting the snakes on a diet that causes them to gain weight more quickly and grow larger would seem to be preferable. I have a couple of mousers in my collection, and no matter how many mice I try to offer them, they will only eat so many--as a result, they are hundreds of grams behind my ratters in weight and size, though they are the same age.

Cal/phos ratios in adult mice and rats are pretty similar. Cal/phos ratios in baby rats are significantly better than in baby mice.

Overall nutrient profiles--with the exception of protein content, rats would appear to be more nutritious than mice.

[kitedemon]

Here is an article on nutritional values of all kinds of vertebrate prey fed in zoos. Rats and mice are listed. If you can make sence of the figures that is...

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf

[WingedWolfPsion]

It appears to be the same chart as the one on Rodentpro's site.

[Oxylepy]

In order to properly assess the nutritional VALUE to any species of snake, you'd need to know the nutritional REQUIREMENTS of that species of snake.

To my knowledge there has been no such study ever conducted.

So while a rat may appear to be the better choice nutritionally, what if all a ball python REQUIRES is that of a mouse and the rest is excreted as waste?

We also need to get autopsies done on all our snakes after they die, regular bloodwork, genetic testing, etc. But there isnt enough scientific interest in them to actually do this, and most people arent going to fork over the money or time for bloodwork and autopsies.

However other animals have been studied heavily. Ferrets, for example, have listings for recommended % nutrient intake. Its pretty crazy.

One thing you have to remember about carnivores, though, is that by consuming other animals they get almost everything their bodies need, all the fats, all the essential amino acids, etc.

[Raptor]

The main problem with your statement is that not all snakes are capable of eating rats. If for example, a snake is only capable of eating rats the size of a large mouse, it's going to be difficult to get a rat the proper size. It'd just be easier to feed a mouse.