Myth or factual?

[Vypyrz]

That debate has been held for many, many years, and I have never seen any data that suggests that one rodent is more nutritious. However, it has been proven that mice are leaner. If you can supply some documentation of this please do so, as I have been looking for information on the subject for a long time, and always enjoy adding to the articles that I have read. The common argument for getting a ball python onto rats, is that it is much easier to feed an adult BP rats, since a rat gets larger than an adult BP can eat, it makes it much easier to select one food item that is appropriately sized, versus having to feed a large adult female 9 mice a week. Switching babies to rats is easier than attempting to switch a 2 year old animal that has only eaten one type of food item it's entire life.

Rodent Pro has the charts posted from a 2002 USDA study of the Nutrient Composition of Whole Vertebrate Prey Fed in Zoos, in which Protien, Fat, Calorie/Gram, Vitamin, and Mineral content is listed.

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp

The U.S. Department of Agriculture report can be viewed here in PDF.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf

Hope this helps...

[JLC]

Rodent Pro has the charts posted from a 2002 USDA study of the Nutrient Composition of Whole Vertebrate Prey Fed in Zoos, in which Protien, Fat, Calorie/Gram, Vitamin, and Mineral content is listed.

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp

The U.S. Department of Agriculture report can be viewed here in PDF.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf

Hope this helps...

The fact that that sort of nutritional content is available for feeder rodents is pretty amazing! What will be even more astonishing is when someone does a study that shows what ball pythons (or any other species, because I'm sure they vary a lot) actually NEED, nutritionally speaking. That's the part that is still completely unknown. Mostly people just make vague assumptions based on our own completely alien human dietary requirements.

[workingdawgs]

I guess I don't understand why a study would need to be done about what the nutritional requirements of snakes is. In my opinion, that study has already been done by nature. Malnourished snakes would not survive. Simply observing what each species of snake eats in their native environment should be all the study needed. Coming from a background in dogs, I firmly believe that the best diet for an animal is one which it would be eating if it were in a native environment, and that variety should be provided.

When I was feeding my dogs a prey model diet, they rarely got whole prey, but I always tried to keep variety in protein and organ sources for them, and in approximate proper percentages. I watched my dogs and knew when they needed more bone/organ/fat/protein, and did my best to provide that for them in the form of "frankenprey" aka, a mishmash of different sources that provide roughly the right amounts of each. As a result, my dogs were very healthy and robust, with good energy (not hyper uncontrolled energy, but focused energy and an off switch so they could relax). There were no problems with parasites, smelly skin/coat, chewing/licking... Their coats were shiny and their breath was fresh (for a dog, lol)

I would be interested in gathering more information about what ball pythons would eat in their native environment, and in what the availability (on average) would be for those prey animals. How does a ball python, in their native environment, hunt for food? Do they wait for the prey to come to them, or do they actively hunt? If they actively hunt for prey, do they range far to find prey?

Anyone have any of this information? I will be researching as well, but the more information that can be gathered, the better informed choices I can make for my BP

Thanks in advance.....
Michelle

[muddoc]

Rodent Pro has the charts posted from a 2002 USDA study of the Nutrient Composition of Whole Vertebrate Prey Fed in Zoos, in which Protien, Fat, Calorie/Gram, Vitamin, and Mineral content is listed.

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp

The U.S. Department of Agriculture report can be viewed here in PDF.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf

Hope this helps...

Thanks a bunch. I have actually seen the USDoA report before, but am always looking for other info. I will definitely look at the rodentpro stuff. My main point of my post was thet we hear this generalization often in the industry, but very little data is ever presented with the theory.

[Vypyrz]

Thanks a bunch. I have actually seen the USDoA report before, but am always looking for other info. I will definitely look at the rodentpro stuff. My main point of my post was thet we hear this generalization often in the industry, but very little data is ever presented with the theory.

The Rodent Pro posting is just the charts from the USDA report. I know what you mean about the lack of hard data. I have been looking also and The USDA report is the only thing I can find. Everything else is just opinions and observations based on reptile keepers experience. I can only imagine the time, money, and facilities that are required to conduct such studies...