OK I keep getting flack for keeping my snakes in a rack system

[satomi325]

There are plenty of other things keepers should also do, like vary the diet of their animals. So many people just consistently feed their snakes the same old mice, mice, mice, mice. I mix it up, dependent on species obviously, but I use every food source available to me; chicks; mice; rats; quails, gerbils, lizards etc.

I do this for my ferrets. I offer them a variety of prey - mice, rats, rabbits, chicks, quail, ducklings, and so on.

But my balls refuse other types of prey and only take rats and possibly mice. I've tried rabbits and chicks. I even scented them with their normal food. But no go. Balls are a lot more picky than other species. And you have to be careful about them getting hooked to an unwanted prey source like gerbils or hamsters(at least here in the states). Certain individuals can get 'addicted' to gerbils(example) and never take another prey item without great efforts to get them switched back. Feeding a gerbil isn't really economical in the long run and can be difficult to find(illegal in certain states).
If I had a boa or a more vigorous feeding species, I would probably mix it up. I wouldn't have to worry about them being picky ... But for my balls, I think I will stick with rats.



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