rat size question

[rex322]

ok, i no the hole girth thing. but i have a question about rat size anyways. i buy weaned rats for rex at a store and i measured them and there about 3in long. i looked on rodentpro.com and says that weaned is 3.5-4.5 so i think thier pups and not weaned. my question is, rex is about 20-23 in long, what size rat should he be on? thanks for the answers, i know, its a dumb question, but hey, im still somewhat new at this :wink:

[rex322]

i forgot i have a pic. this is the best pic of rexs girth. and the rat is the supposed "weaned" rat, altho i dont think it is

[emroul]

Well, you know the whole girth thing? That's what you have to go by. Not his length. The rat he is eating looks too small for him (judging by the picture). It looks like he could take the next size up easily. That rat he has is a rat pup (from the looks of it); which is a fuzzy rat, not weaned. My 23-inch ball pythons are feeding on small rats, which are weaned. You can tell the difference between weaned and fuzzy because weaned eyes are open, and they have bigger teeth. Pups (unweaned) do not have open eyes. That's the best I know how to explain it, lol.

Jennifer

[Jeanne]

Weaned means no longer nursing at all, eyes are open, hair is fully grown in, they are eating on thier own with no support from thier mothers. Rats or any other rodent... as babies can have thier eyes open and still be nursing. Fuzzy is just as the word says..meaning, they are growing in thier fur, eyes are not open. and they are still nursing. The term Rat pup basically covers any stage above/after them being a pinky (no hair, new born). It is a generic and a general term for a rat baby until it is weaned. After they are weaned, they are most often called juveniles or called by size decription. I have seen that alot of descriptions for the different stages of baby rathood, are often not accurate and very misleading. The only reason I know what I know about the different stages is b/c I have raised, bred and cared for over 300 rats during the running of my rattery. Hope this helps!

[JLC]

Very informative, Jeanne! Thanks!

[KraZeKelly]

Not all rats are equal !
It all depends on the breeder and how their raised(primarly fed)
One batch 3-4" weigh more then some in another batch 4-5"
Older ? nope ! Just better fed.
I would go with 4.5" for a snake that size,if he`s hungry he`ll eat it. After two feeds he should smash a 5"r
Our Big`Un is right at 37" and pounds 5.5"-6`rs like nothing.
Bottomline,
Always use a reliable source for feeders.