Can you feed off rats that have growths?

[MoshBalls]

I was looking at my male grow out tank and it looks like several males have growths around their necks. I think that the alpha in the tank bit them and they are infected but I am not sure. Are they safe to feed off? What can I do about it?

[Simple Man]

Sounds like food to me!

Regards,

B

[llovelace]

yes, you can

[Rhasputin]

It's safe.

[ogdentrece]

Alright, now, to add on to his question with my own, I'm being offered rats with cancer. Those actual lab rats for cancer tests and stuff like that. Before they get any form of testing done on them of course, except for the infecting it with cancer bit.

[Trogdorpheus]

Well... technically speaking cancer is a mutation of the DNA in various tissues that inhibits or no longer produces proteins or enzymes that prevent the over-stimulation of cell growth and division. Since cancer isn't contagious, I'd imagine its fine. Secondly, I'd say its probably fine because the rat mutation wouldn't be able to affect the snake DNA.

On the other hand... who knows what kinds of carcinogens were used to cause the rats to contract the disease in the first place. If it were a chemical injection (pretty common) then any lingering amount of it in the rat may be capable of stimulating the genetic mutations in your snake and cause it to develop its own cancer... I don't know if this could actually happen, because they may use something that's targeting something specific in the rat genome, but in my opinion I wouldn't use rats that had been "given" cancer. I would imagine it is probably be ok to feed rats that had contracted the disease on their own, however its still not something I would want to risk. $100 a year is well worth it for the peace of mind.

[AK907]

As Trogdorpheus said, if its a natural tumor or cancer, go for it. If its something man made, better play it safe.

I've fed off rats with natural tumors and none of my snakes have had any ill effects from it.

[mark and marley]

yeah if you want your snake to grow two heads or three eyes.jk
but i wouldnt for peace of mind.

[ogdentrece]

Yeah just what I was thinking.. Thanks

[kitedemon]

ogdentrece Aren't the androgenous breast cancer mice crazy expensive (they are after all basically clones aren't they? I seem to remember an article in the paper a number of year back about the 5000 dollar mice, I believe that was the cancer mouse. I think very sketchy here.