Rat Pups or Mice? Which do you prefer?

[stargazed85]

So I started off feeding my pastel baby a rat pup every 3 days when I first got her from the breeder. I have now upgraded her feedings to every 5 days. The problem is my local pet store, where I get my feeders do not always have large enough rat pups (sometimes their more like pinkies). So the past few weeks she has been getting mice.

Should I just find another pet store with rat pups or will mice be fine?

She is a huge piggy, should I still keep it on the 5 day cycle?

Thanks!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I prefer to feed rats (more convenient for me) however it is really about what my snake will eat if they will not eat rats then they will have mice, the advantage is that I breed my own rodents so both are always available to me.

In your case you might want to feed whatever is readily available in your area.

[771subliminal]

So I started off feeding my pastel baby a rat pup every 3 days when I first got her from the breeder. I have now upgraded her feedings to every 5 days. The problem is my local pet store, where I get my feeders do not always have large enough rat pups (sometimes their more like pinkies). So the past few weeks she has been getting mice.

Should I just find another pet store with rat pups or will mice be fine?

She is a huge piggy, should I still keep it on the 5 day cycle?

Thanks!

what area you in?

will she eat frozen?

you know her weight?

might have plan c for ya

[stargazed85]

I prefer to feed rats (more convenient for me) however it is really about what my snake will eat if they will not eat rats then they will have mice, the advantage is that I breed my own rodents so both are always available to me.

In your case you might want to feed whatever is readily available in your area.

She will eat both without hesitation. She's not a picky girl. If mice are fine I will continue since I know those are always available. They always have S, M, L, XL rats also. It's just the pups go from size to size. Maybe give her 2 pups? It just feels like I'm underfeeding her. She always seems hungry still afterward. So should I keep it at every 5 days?

what area you in?

will she eat frozen?

you know her weight?

might have plan c for ya

In Warren off of 14 mile between Dequindre & Ryan.

She eats live. I have never tried frozen with her.

I don't have a current weight, I need a scale.

[Lolo76]

I primarily feed (live) mice to mine, for a number of reasons - mostly availability, and the fact that one of mine ONLY eats mice. My babies, who range in weight from 170-270g, are now getting 2 adult mice per week if they want. So you could just offer double, and see if she takes them! But yeah, mice are fine... they can eat mice forever, really, as my 700g girl Delilah has proven.

[abuja]

I like to feed rats. I find that rats have a little more nutrition than mice.

[SnakeGirl3]

I like to feed rats. I find that rats have a little more nutrition than mice.

Agreed.

I fed mice to my babies until this past season, when I was able to find a local rat breeder in my area. You'd be amazed at the difference in growth. I have 4-month old babies that are almost on weaned rats. And I feed once per week--no power-feeding here! The growth rate on rat pups is much higher than with mice. Rat pups have larger bones and internal organs, which equals better nutrition to the snake IMHO.

[adam_degel]

i would stick with rats cause it just gets more and more expensive with mice cause you gotta feed larger amounts.. and try not to switch between them to much..cause they might not go back to eating one or the other

[takagari]

Rats offer a better nutrition value, and please realize you will need to feed a number of mice once the snake is full grown.

If larger rats sizes are availible, I would do my best to at least keep her on a rat/mouse diet untill you can secure a good reliable source for rats. and stick with them.

There are charts somewhere showing the work needed compared to the nutrition value. ASF are the best. but rats to beat out mice.

Shawn

[stargazed85]

I would love to keep her on rat pups. A small rat is still yet to big for her. It's just that the rat pups are fairly small majority of the time.

Could I offer her 2 rat pups per feeding? Or is that to much? She has a huge appetite. That way I don't have to keep her on mice.