Feeding a dead rat?

[Megz]

Hi there,

So I got my snake a live feeder rat that she decided not to eat so I kept it (I have kept rats before and try to offer them later). I set the rat up with food and water etc. and I will try offering it to my snake another day. Recently for the first time the rat has died. I noticed it didn't eat it's food but I know the rats eat it because all the previous ones did and they never died. Anyways, my question is, I think it has been dead for a day now maybe two. Can i still feed it to my snake? This is not a wild rat this was a feeder that I bought from a pet store, but i am still unsure about disease etc. Any thoughts?

Thanks

[Austi12234]

I wouldn't. A pre-killed is fed off fast so there is no time for bacteria to take hold. But if it has been dead the insides have most likely started to rot, even if the outside looks fine.

[SmoothScales]

No. Just no. And how do you miss a rat that's been dead for a day or maybe 2? That thing is starting to rot, not to mention I wouldn't feed off an animal that I didn't know the cause of death for anyway.

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[PitOnTheProwl]

I wouldn't but that's just me.

[AllThatInThemGenes]

dont do that lol.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

No way. Decomposition has already started to set in and the gut would be highly toxic. I'm very surprised it didn't make your whole house smell! I fed a mouse to my cornsnake last year. I watched him kill it and drag it into his hide. The next day after work i came home to the worst smell ever! I realized it was coming from the corns tank and i feared the worst. I found out that he was fine but he chose not to eat the mouse after killing it and dragging it into the hide (was not a regurge). Worst experience ever. Now i not only watch for kills but check in an hour later and makes sure the kill was eaten. lol.

[gaitedappy]

Don't do it it'll be toxic because of decomposition taking place already


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[Kokorobosoi]

No. Just no. Decomp aside, if it died suddenly I would worry about spreading disease. You can't know what killed it, and it's insides are already rotting. Who knows what it's harboring.

Did I see that right? Two days? Not to be gross but isn't it bloated and nasty by now? Just throw it out!

[AwBaillie]

Like the others have said, bad idea. Unless your snake is our western hognose, who won't touch it while it's warm, but is more than happy to eat it several hours to overnight, after.

[Megz]

I didn't feed it to her.

Thanks everyone