Quote Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons View Post
Mice are closer related to ASF than rats. Rats arent even a natural food to them as they have distinct smell. Which is why a good portion of Ball pythons dont switch
From what I understand, they aren't in the same genus as either rats or mice. They smell nothing like either one. Rats and mice smell far more alike than either does like an ASF. (ASFs have a strange zoo-like, almost fruity smell that reminds me of fruit bat enclosures).

Out of around 80 animals, I have perhaps 2 that eat only mice. The rest eat rats...however, I should point out that I have more snakes that eat ONLY rats than I do snakes that eat only mice. Judging by the reactions of hatchlings each year, I'd give a coin toss as to whether they will be a mouser or a ratter exclusively. I always have a few animals that will start only on one type of rodent, and stick to it. Mice aren't any more likely to be that rodent, though. I've also started hatchlings on ASFs. None of the ones I started on ASF refused to convert to rats easily.
(This is why I stopped bothering to raise ASFs).

I do agree that snakes on rats tend to put on weight and grow more quickly, but it may be because the rats are proportionally heavier for their girth. An adult mouse and a crawler rat look similar in size, but the crawler is heavier.

As for young females going off feed...I think this is related to hormones, and I've never once had a female that went off feed at the beginning of the breeding season begin eating again before egg laying time, whether she was bred or not. I feel it's best to let the females go through this 'puberty' period without breeding them, as they tend to eat well the following year, and breed well after that.

From all that I've seen, I just cannot believe that breeding females under 1500 grams is healthy for them, or in their best interests at all, and I've seen much to suggest it's definitely not.
Your mileage may vary, but I don't think you're going to find any 1400 gram females laying 13 egg clutches, like the one I got from my big 3500 gram girl.
Nor will you find any female bred at 1200 grams reaching 3500 grams...their growth slows dramatically when they start breeding too young.