Did I get a bad rat?

[VooDooDoc]

My snake is usually a ravenous eater. Has never turned down food, till tonight. He wanted nothing to do with the thawed rat. The place I usually get him rats didn't have any the right size today so I went to a different pet store and got a different brand. As soon as I took it out of the package to put it in a ziplock back for thawing, I noticed it smelled really strong. I don't have much of a sense of smell and I've never noticed the rats smelling before. It also bled a lot more once thawed than his usual one.

Is it possible it was bad and he knew it that's why he wanted nothing to do with it? Maybe he's just picky? He acted interested at first, but never struck, I usually don't even have to wiggle it, just hold it in the cage and he's all over it.

Should I try again tomorrow, with his "brand"? They have smaller ones, I could just feed him two I guess.

[blushingball419]

If it smelled that strong then it could have been bad, and I know my normal girl is pretty picky about her rats too. She usually won't eat any that have been thawed and re-frozen either. He could just have decided he wasn't hungry for once, but if he seemed really interested, then I think you have the right idea. Try feeding him two of his favorite "brand" and then hopefully move him back up to the right size again next week.

[Andybill]

If it smelled that strong then it could have been bad, and I know my normal girl is pretty picky about her rats too. She usually won't eat any that have been thawed and re-frozen either. He could just have decided he wasn't hungry for once, but if he seemed really interested, then I think you have the right idea. Try feeding him two of his favorite "brand" and then hopefully move him back up to the right size again next week.

Yeah that. Sometimes they just decide they dont want to feed that day. But if the rat smelled that strongly its possible it was a bad one. When my wife cooks something that smells bad I dont eat it either! lol.

[VooDooDoc]

Went ahead and got the smaller versions of his favorite brand and he gulped it down. Made a point to smell this one and it was nothing like that bad one. I should have taken it back to the pet store and tried to return it. I'm sure they would refuse but it would be fun to watch them squirm.

I've bought rats there before and they come in these chincy plastic bags that are half the time ripped open at the seams, I even seen some with blood on the outside of the package. I usually took them out and give them to a clerk. Yes the looks are as you would imagine.

I checked this one carefully before buying and it looked intact. However, I have a feeling they are:
1. not careful cutting open the box and nick packages with a blade (I used to work in a Grocery store in high school, happens all the time when stocking shelves) 2. leaving them sit too long between coming into the store and getting into the freezer.

The ones I get from the other pet store come in a box and have the rats inside in a ziplock type bag, my wife will even go in and buy those ones. Guess I'll stick to feeding him smaller ones when they are out of the 100gram mediums.

Yes one of these Pet stores is a Co and the other is a Smart. Really not sure which is which.