Anyone know the REAL difference?

[jsmorphs2]

Here is some information from the RodentPro website.

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

[Lferg]

She would strike and constrict mice. I have to just leave rats in over night. Doesn't seem healthy. F/t btw

[Egapal]

She would strike and constrict mice. I have to just leave rats in over night. Doesn't seem healthy. F/t btw

How long have you been feeding F/T rats? If it hasn't been too long I would say keep at it. If its been awhile and you can get ASF's reliably that might be a good way to go.

[JLC]

The "real" difference between rats, mice, asf's, gerbils, hamsters, chicks, etc....all boils down to this:

1. What will the snake eat?
2. What does the keeper have readily available?
3. How much does each option cost?
4. How much is the keeper willing/able to spend?

And all of this varies SO much from one snake to another...from one keeper to another...that everyone will give you different reasons for why they feed what they do. It all boils down to what works for you. I've never heard of a single instance of a snake becoming unhealthy because it was eating the "wrong" type of prey. So long as they're eating, and it is reasonably good quality whole prey food (not filled with parasites or pesticides), it's all good.

[JLC]

She would strike and constrict mice. I have to just leave rats in over night. Doesn't seem healthy. F/t btw

Oh...and nothing wrong with leaving a f/t prey item overnight. If the snake eats it, it's all good.

[Skittles1101]

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

[Sugarbone]

Great, I'd never heard of ASFs, and this thread has made me spend the last hour watching videos about them on youtube

Sorry to derail, but how do people who keep their own mouse/rat/ASF colonies balance age of rodents with amount? Like, making sure they have enough of the right size each week, and what do you do when the rats outgrow your demand (for example, not enough adult snakes to eat the rat pups for your juvies that aged into adults). Aim higher than you need and sell excess?

The idea of one day breeding my own food appeals to me, I think I just like breeding things

[Egapal]

Great, I'd never heard of ASFs, and this thread has made me spend the last hour watching videos about them on youtube

Sorry to derail, but how do people who keep their own mouse/rat/ASF colonies balance age of rodents with amount? Like, making sure they have enough of the right size each week, and what do you do when the rats outgrow your demand (for example, not enough adult snakes to eat the rat pups for your juvies that aged into adults). Aim higher than you need and sell excess?

The idea of one day breeding my own food appeals to me, I think I just like breeding things

I of course can't speak for others but if your snakes will take F/t you just freeze them at the correct size. If you feed live you have three options depending on your circumstance. If you have a way to sell the excess or wrong sized rodents you can exceed your own needs. If you can't sell but you can buy you can produce less than you need and then buy enough to make up the difference. If you can neither buy nor sell or don't want to you pretty much have to feed something that will never get to big for your snake. That's why I breed Gerbils, and because I cannot get ASFs easily. The one big plus about feeding live and breeding your own is minimizing the suffering of the prey. My snake had a 260 day fast this year. If I were feeding F/T and refreezing once and offering on a 10 day schedule I would have had 26 refusals and 13 rodents in the garbage. Feeding live allowed me to just put them back in the tub and shut off my production for a while. Breeding my own I can keep my rodents in very spacious tubs, max of 4 adults to a 20"x26"x"6 tub which is more floor space than a 20 gallon breeder. I know my animals are getting quality food and are just generally well cared for.

[Redneck_Crow]

I feed rats because gram for gram they are the most economical option. It's also a pain in the butt to get a snake that will only eat mice and you have to do the dead rat boogie with the tongs multiple times to provide him with a good dinner.

[spitzu]

how do people who keep their own mouse/rat/ASF colonies balance age of rodents with amount? Like, making sure they have enough of the right size each week

We kind of do this with ASFs but it's not as big of a deal to have a mix of sizes since they don't get very big.

And yes I like to sell excess. I put the money in a coffee can and it helps pay for their food/bedding bill each month.