Do you keep snakes and Pet rats?

[littleindiangirl]

I am looking for responses from people that keep snakes, and also keep pet rats.

How do you do what many consider impossible?
Did you have any moral arguments with yourself?
What is the mind set that allows you to enjoy both hobbies? Or don't you? Maybe you feel guilty about feeding rats? (Or mice)
How did you come to terms with feeding a rat (or mouse) to a snake when you also enjoy working with them?

I am very interested in hearing the answers, and would love to use them on my website, since I intend to devote a whole page to those who keep both animals. I know it's a lonely road for people like myself that keep several pet rats, but also deal with feeding rats or mice to my snakes. I am keenly interested in how you've managed both hobbies, what steps did you take to be at peace within yourself, or maybe you haven't. Please share.


If you allow me to use your comment, please explicitly say so and I will contact you.

[littleindiangirl]

Sorry, I didn't put a choice for those that keep mice or ASF's as pets, I had wanted to really only focus on Norway rats as pets.

[blackcrystal22]

I love all animals and treat all of my animals with respect they fully deserve. Though I do not consider my ASF's pets (they do not enjoy being held very much) I still respect them as if they were my pets, and some will never be fed off.
I have kept rats and mice as pets before and have made attachments. When I became interested in reptiles such as snakes, I slowly was able to overcome attachments with my feeder animals because I accepted that it was part of the natural cycle. I often feed frozen, out of convenience, but feeding live is just the same to me. I naturally feel bad about taking part in killing the animal but I also know it is in the most natural and (IMO) quick and painless way possible.

I have chosen snakes and reptiles to become a serious hobby of mine that could eventually turn into a career involving herpetology, breeding, or exotic veterinary science. Snakes are my favorite because of their unusual characteristics and many other reasons that I can't quite explain. Feeding off another animal I care about is an unfortunate sacrifice that I make for my hobby, but I am willing to take life to give life under this circumstance.

Connie, my permission is yours.

[2kdime]

FWIW

I don't like feeding rats at all, or any feeder to my snakes. I cringe every time I have to gas live feeders when I run out of frozen. It makes me very sad. I feel your dilemma Connie.

BUT I love my snakes, and that's just what snakes eat, so I do what I have to to ensure they're survival.

[reaxion07]

I keep both - at first, the idea of feeding rats is what prevented me from getting a BP, even though I wanted one. I didn't know that most people feed frozen. Once I found out about that, I was okay. I still get a little pit in my stomach when I think about feeding live, but I don't get angry or anything with people that do. I understand, it's nature. Could I feed live? Only if it was NECESSARY, and I would probably feel like crap during and after. I always make sure to inquire what a snake I am interested is feeding on.

The real turning point for me was the whole nature - predator/prey thing.


You can use my opinion if you would like

[truthsdeceit]

Rats were always my pet of choice when I was a kid. Now snakes are my pet of choice and they eat rodents.

I breed mostly mice for my snakes feeding mostly live, sometimes p/k or frozen depending on what I have.
I also breed rats on a smaller scale, I always feed rats f/t. It used to be because I couldn't imagine feeding a sweet rattie live to a snake, now I do it more for the snakes sake. I've seen the damage a rat can inflict. And while I always feel a twinge when the baby rats are up to size and it's time to put them in the CO2 chamber, I know I can't keep all these babies, and I know my bp and red tail have to eat. Honestly I don't feel much guilt about it after the initial twinge. I treat my breeders very well, they are spoiled rotten pets. They get more handling than my snakes. The litters get the same treatment before the one way trip to the freezer. I kinda think that one of the best parts about owning snakes it the ability to own rodents too. I love watching the cycle of life, seeing the babies grow up, I'd have never bred rats if it wasn't for the snakes. I can justify having so many pets because one set provides for the other.

Snakes are beautiful to have and I would classify myself as a collector. It's their beauty and non-demanding care that makes them a collection. It's the rodents that get all the handling and love. Don't get me wrong, I handle my snakes but the rats beg for attention, the snakes don't care. Still at the end of the day I'd still choose the non-affectionate snakes over the rats who love me, hmmm.... does that make me a bad person. Nah!!

The rats only love me for the Yogis anyway.

[mainbutter]

I plan on raising rats some day when I have the ability to raise my own feeders.

I also look forward to keeping some as pets as well, which will never be fed off.

I have no moral qualms about feeding rats, and am 99% sure I won't have any moral qualms about it when I do have pet rats.

I fish for food, I love eating guinea pig, and I want to have livestock on a farm someday. Yet I certainly love the idea of fish, guinea pigs, and various farm animals for pets as well.

In the next few years I really hope I can raise chickens. You take care of them, they make eggs for you to eat, and then if they get to be too much work or you're headed out of town on vacation, or you just need some meat, well you can look forward to chicken dinner.

I definitely can look at an animal and think it looks cute AND delicious at the same time. I guess that's what separates hunters from gatherers.

[Michelle.C]

I keep (kept) Rats and Snakes as pets. I currently do not own any rats, for space reasons only. I feed f/t mice and rats to my snakes, I will not feed a live rat. I have had to feed live mice to a few snakes to get them started though.

When I did keep Rats as pets, they had the left side of the critter room and the reptiles had the right side. I never noticed a negative reaction from either sets of animals. I owned over 40 Pet Rats and 70 Reptiles at that that time. The only thing that ever worried me was one of the snakes escaping and getting into the Ferret Nation (Rat cages). I took extra precautions to make sure that would never happen.

As far as moral issues with feeding rodents, I never had much of an issue. My views are simple; as long as you respect a prey animal (throughout it's life and after) and make sure it's death is as painless as possible, I can accept that it is the circle of life and all things to need eat.

Personally, I do not like feeding f/t, but I do the best I can to make sure the animals death is as peaceful as I can possibly make it when I am forced to feed a live rodent.

I enjoy both hobbies, throughly. My mindset was, yes I am feeding f/t (or live) rodents, but..One set are my pets, the other are animals that were bred strictly for food and never shown any human emotion. To me, once an animal has bonded with a human, it's out of the question to feed it to another animal. It's weird logic, but..just my opinion.

If you want to use my comment on your site, you are more than welcome.

[cobweb2000]

I am breeding ASF's since they get a bit larger than mice specifically so I never have to feed rats to most of my snakes. I have joint custody of a boa with the ex that does eat frozen rats and when I need to feed him, I try very hard not to look at or think about the prey item. If I ever get to point with any of my snakes where it requires I feed live norway rats or that I pre-kill them myself, the snake will have to be rehomed.

I have kept pet rats for many more years than snakes. I don't have a moral issue with the snake needing to eat, what I have an issue with is thinking about the rat that has to be fed; most of my pet rats came from a feeder bin so but for the grace of God go they...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I raise rats, mice and ASF, the breeders are spoiled however I do not see them as pets, I take good care of them just like I would any animal except there is no emotional attachment even if I found the babies cute and very likable just like any other baby animals.

I grew up with pet hamsters and I am not sure why I do not get attached to rats or mice as I am an animal lover in general, or maybe it is the fact that un-consciously I do not let myself get attached to them because of the fact that if I did I could not deal with having to feed them off.

The only furry animal that I keep as a pet and that is considered to be a feeder by some is a rabbit and I know there is just NO WAY I could ever feed a rabbit to a snake, however it does not mean I don’t understand that yes for some they are food.