Dwarf rats?

[littleindiangirl]

I was reading about rat genetics and came across the dwarf rats, which apparently are about 1/3 the size of a regular rat. Has anyone tried breeding these as feeders? Wouldn't they be about the perfect size for a ball python, which would eliminate the problem of the rats "out growing" the snakes... Do they still grow at the same rate as regular rats, or is it slowed down to the point where it would take a dwarf rat just as long as a regular rat to reach its particular adult size?

[SatanicIntention]

Dwarf rats are not even practical for rat fanciers to breed. Their litter sizes range between 1 and 4... They have alot of problems with dystocia(difficult birthing), read my thread on MY dwarf rat who just had to have emergency surgery. Thank goodness she is still alive.

There aren't many people who even have dwarves, not to mention breed them. The breeder I got my 3 girls from is one of the very few who do. They have to be a certain age and a certain size before they can be bred, same goes with normal sized rats. My 3 girls are so miniscule, I knew there was a big risk of complications. And guess what, there were.

There isn't any breeder in the world(yes, I know breeders over in England) that would adopt out their rats for feeder purposes. They screen their adopters very closely to ensure this. These rats are registered and pedigreed and it just wouldn't happen.

Why not try mice or African soft furs? I use mice exclusively for the Ball Pythons and they do just wonderfully. At least with the mice/soft furs, they only get so big and you can still feed them off to at least Adult Balls.

[SarahMB]

I <3 Becky's dwarf rats, they are SO CUTE!!!