Rat pups or large adult mice?

[rabernet]

Doesnt rats in general have more nutrition than mice? So if you want more weight on your snake I would give rats. Plus you are going to have to give your snakes rats later on when they get bigger so yea.

While it may appear so by the numbers, the argument is really a moot point, since we don't know what the nutritional requirements of a ball python are. For example, a ball python may require 10 grams of protein less than what a rat provides, but a mouse might be exactly the requirement that they need. No one knows.

What a keeper feeds should not be based on some obscure "rats are better than mice" argument. A keeper should feed what is most convenient for them, and what their animal will eat.

For convenience sake, I do feed rats, because I raise them, and I don't have to feed them more than one prey item a feeding. But I raised up the bulk of my founding stock to adult hood on mice, and their growth was not hindered by their diet of mice.

[snake lab]

That is true. I have seen a study where mice have more calcium in them than rats which would be beneficial during the first 500 grams of the snakes life. As far as the nutritional requirements of a ball python thats true we dont know. Hell i had an oscar fish that lived forever and all he would eat was pizza and hot dogs lol go figure.

[Domepiece]

Just go to rodent pro and get a mix of a couple things you think might work. 1 bag of large mice, 1 bag of small rats, ect. I just picked up 160 mice, xxlarge mice, and small rats for 150 including shipping. They can fit alot in those boxes.

[szynk.reptiles]

enut... if u have some mice and rats take a rat and throw in with mice for a half hour or so it gets the scent of mice on it and ur super pastel may smell mice and take rat... if u do that enough times u can ween down time rat needs to be scented and eventually be converted.. just a thought

[Herpking]

They're dumb as a doorknob when they're being fed off. They don't have the slightest idea that they're in danger. I've always fed live, mice of all ages and rats of all ages. None have harmed any of my collection. And I've literally fed off thousands of them.

I would just say consider yourself lucky I have heard stories where rats have eaten snakes alive because the owner leaves the live rats in with the snakes.

[szynk.reptiles]

yea i always give my bigger rats a real good spinning to daze them before tossing in tubs and never leave un attended for periods of time... a larger rat can do serious damage!!! ive had a snake snatch a rat and not get the head and rat tried biting snake in neck.. luckily i have long needle nose pliers i use when feeding some testy snakes i was able to keep rat mouth away from snake till it was dead...

[Herpking]

yea i always give my bigger rats a real good spinning to daze them before tossing in tubs and never leave un attended for periods of time... a larger rat can do serious damage!!! ive had a snake snatch a rat and not get the head and rat tried biting snake in neck.. luckily i have long needle nose pliers i use when feeding some testy snakes i was able to keep rat mouth away from snake till it was dead...

Had to do that once.