Multiple mice vs rat? and live vs f/t?

[kasmir]

Ok, here's my deal. When I got Kash I was told from the breeder he was eating a small to medium sized live rat weekly. Due to the fact I've had rats as pets in the past & I also feared for his safety against a live rat, I decided to instead feed him 3-4 mice instead until I could get him switched to f/t. Well I've been a bit lazy & never really got around to even trying a f/t mouse or rat with him. I also believed (whether rightly or wrongly) that it was best to keep him on live, so he could do his own 'hunting'. He's a pretty consistant eater & I'm just wondering if I should keep him on a few mice a week or should I switch to f/t rats? Is there any harm in doing this?

[Laxhitman316]

From what i hear you can do either only difference is money spent as 1 rat is cheaper then a couple mice

[T&C Exotics]

Only thing I would say is that feeding f/t is better for the snake as it prevents the rat or mouse from biting the snake and possibly killing it.

[ballpythonluvr]

I feed mutliple live mice to my snakes because for now that is all that they are accepting for me. My snakes are both growing and doing just fine on eating multiple mice. It is ultimately up to you to choose what to feed your snakes. I say feed whatever works for you and your snakes.

[Kaorte]

It might be worth your while to switch to rats, feeding 3-4 live mice in one sitting takes a lot of effort on the snakes part. They have to constrict and swallow up to 4 meals rather then one. It takes a lot of physical effort for them to kill their prey. Imagine flexing all the muscles in your body for up to 5 minutes. That is hard work!

If you want to try f/t, go for it. There really is no difference to the snake. If you offer the prey correctly, he should strike and coil just as if it were live prey. If I find my snakes getting lazy, I will hang on to the rodent and wiggle it for a minute to get them to constrict more.

[kasmir]

It might be worth your while to switch to rats, feeding 3-4 live mice in one sitting takes a lot of effort on the snakes part. They have to constrict and swallow up to 4 meals rather then one. It takes a lot of physical effort for them to kill their prey. Imagine flexing all the muscles in your body for up to 5 minutes. That is hard work!

If you want to try f/t, go for it. There really is no difference to the snake. If you offer the prey correctly, he should strike and coil just as if it were live prey. If I find my snakes getting lazy, I will hang on to the rodent and wiggle it for a minute to get them to constrict more.

Thanks, that's exactly what I'm afraid of, as far as him having to do all that work when feeding. I bought 2 small frozen rats (4.50 a pc at Petco?!), he was in his hunting mode for a long time..just wouldn't strike. Tried dancing it around a bit lol but he was too busy staring me down, I'm sure he was all 'wtf is she doing??!' haha. Not sure if I'll try again.

[toddmbecker1234]

The primary reason the snake would not strike when offered f/t is that it probably was not warm enough. If prey is cooler or the same temp as you then the snake is going to get confused a little by the different temperatures it is sensing.
Now as far as the original question, multiple mice or a rat. This is just my opinion and as far as I am aware a study has never been done. Every prey item has non usuable substances in them such as skin, hair, bone that offer little to no nutritional value. In my opinion the amount of non usable substances of 4 mice is greater then a rat of the same cumulative mass. Therefore in my mind 1 rat is better for the snake.
I do know this for a matter of fact from personal experience. A mouse eater, no matter how many mice it eats in a sitting or a week is always significantly smaller then a rat eater of the same age. I would personally say stay with the mice only if the snake refuses to switch or you simply can not obtain rats. Thanks for listening. Todd

[greghall]

safety a rat is no match for a ball python even my small 09s totally destroy them in a blink of a eye! if something does go wrong its rare.