Pics of my new colony

[OFRD_GRL]

Thanks.

[dc4teg]

Didn't know there were so many rat officinato's!

[suzuki4life]

little secret no one has mentioned yet....

megacolon is only spread if you breed for others....

if you are breeding and feeding these animals off, MC does not hurt your snake.

If you breed a trillion animals, and feed them all to your snakes...mc was not spread to another generation

and the red around your males eyes could have been caused by a number of things...

common issues...

dust...from the bedding

stress...from you being in his cage.

but yes...you need to have a shorted or a better vented cage.

[cobweb2000]

little secret no one has mentioned yet....



if you are breeding and feeding these animals off, MC does not hurt your snake.

It will not hurt the snake but it WILL hurt the rat affected with it. Why would you not try to discourage breedings that has a high risk of producing a painful defect for the rat? Who cares if they are being fed off, if it's early onset MC that rat is still suffering.

[stratus_020202]

How long do you keep the babies in there before removing them, or the mom? I have a first timer getting ready to pop in the next week. She's a gorgeous grey color, with a white tummy, and feet. It is so amazing how affectionate they are. Like miniature dogs.

[suzuki4life]

It will not hurt the snake but it WILL hurt the rat affected with it. Why would you not try to discourage breedings that has a high risk of producing a painful defect for the rat? Who cares if they are being fed off, if it's early onset MC that rat is still suffering.

people think high white are prone....doesn't mean it has it...it is speculation.

if the worry is about spreading a genetic "disease"...if all are fed off then nothing has been spread. I don't see the need to worry a new keeper over such an issue unless he plans to breed and extend his colony to outsiders.

[suzuki4life]

How long do you keep the babies in there before removing them, or the mom? I have a first timer getting ready to pop in the next week. She's a gorgeous grey color, with a white tummy, and feet. It is so amazing how affectionate they are. Like miniature dogs.

babies should basically be with their mom until their eyes open.

[cobweb2000]

people think high white are prone....doesn't mean it has it...it is speculation.

if the worry is about spreading a genetic "disease"...if all are fed off then nothing has been spread. I don't see the need to worry a new keeper over such an issue unless he plans to breed and extend his colony to outsiders.

High whites ARE prone. Yes her rats may not have it, but the worry I have is not about spreading genetic issues, it is that we not breed rats that have painful genetic defects. I certainly think the possibility of breeding animals that have a good chance of dying of malnutrition or septicemia before they are fed off is something worth worrying a new keeper over.

[littleindiangirl]

If you breed a trillion animals, and feed them all to your snakes...mc was not spread to another generation

But that would require starting over with a completely fresh source.

Does anyone really feed off a whole colony and start fresh when their first generation breeders are old?

That's about the only way to guarantee it.

Yes, and high white is very well associated with megacolon, or rather, vice versa.

It's due to the fact that in the embryo's development, the cells that develop the nerves that control the function of the colon travel along the very same route that the pigment cells travel. When the migration of the pigment cells is halted, the nerve cells are often stopped as well. Resulting in a colon that does not function properly, or at all.

It's not just a crazy myth, it's science. When we advise to stay away from high white rats, it's not just for kicks and giggles. I have always said that not all high white rats carry the necessary genes for megacolon, and megacolon does not always show up in only high white rats, but the risk is higher due to my explanation above.

The only way to prove a line does not carry megacolon is through controlled line and inbreeding. It's very possible to do so, but most feeder breeders are not interested in genetics.