Can a rats diet effect my BP?

[jwill226]

I buy live and then pre-kill my rats because its easier for me in my situation when it comes to feeding my BP. Sometimes I may buy smaller rats then I need and grow them out to feeding size (aprox 140-160g rats for a 900g BP). I feed the rats a mixture of pellets and a mix of dried seeds that look like bird seed a little. Both are meant for rats that are kept as pets. Their water is extremely pure well water that's free of all chemicals so I'm not worried about that.

Is their anything I need to careful about feeding the rats during this time? Are their certain foods in a rats diet that can be bad for my BP?

Keep in mind that I allow my rats to free feed right up until the moment they become food so their will be undigested food in their stomachs.

Before any one asks my BP seems very healthy and is shedding about once a month (2012, female)

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

I'd assume,common sense says,what you feed your rats go into your snakes..so what do you think?

[Trackstrong83]

I'd assume,common sense says,what you feed your rats go into your snakes..so what do you think?

Well let's not try to be rude or anything.

Feeding them rat food you're fine. I've heard, not 100% sure, but feeding rats dog food will cause kidney damage in snakes. So I've heard. Just keep doing what you're doing.

[Naom9Anne]

I don't think there is anything to worry about as such, a snake could eat prey in the wild that had just eaten and probably suffer no adverse effects. Sounds like you're being very cautious already. If your BP seems happy it is likely she is!

There are literally no silly questions here and I agree that the first response to your query seemed a bit rude (if that was not the intention then I apologise but it's the way it comes across)

[jason_ladouceur]

Snakes are whole food predators. They digest the entire animal they feed on, gut contents and all. It has in fact been theorized that vitamins they snake needs to thrive come from the gut contents. So in short feed your feeders the best quality feed you can. It sounds like your already doing that so you shouldn't have a problem.

[Phantomtip]

If this was just a rat discussion then I would say what a rat eats does effect it's health. If you feed a poor quality diet it can hurt therat, if you feed high quality then longevity comes into play. Remember BPs in the wild eat anything and everything the appropriate size. What they eat isnt always healthy. You sound like you are feeding your rats a good quality diet. Just remember not to go overboard and make them little fatties. They will pig out on seeds lol.

[BrandiR]

Well let's not try to be rude or anything.

He can't help himself. He posts something like this about nine times a day. I'm actually pretty surprised it's gone unnoticed by most for so long.

[Marrissa]

This is the diet I have been using on my rat group. My Mazuri came in early due to an order error with someone else. I just haven't picked it up yet since I'm trying to study for a test in the early am tomorrow. Anyways this is the mix I've been feeding after reading that seed mixes aren't that great for rats. They seem to love the mix.
http://www.ratsrule.com/diet.html
Cost me under nine dollars to make about a gallon and a half of this stuff. I'll be switching to Mazuri though since it's easier and cheaper in the long run.

But yes try to feed your snakes the best fed rodents you can. Just like the quality of what the diet of the animals we eat determines how nutrient rich the meat is for us. Grass fed cattle are best opposed to the ones pumped for of hormones and fed on grain.

[Pythonfriend]

i have a source for rats and mice that usually services eagles, falcons, and other birds of prey.

and over there in falcon keeping, the food that goes into the rats is of highest importance, they say it has an effect on the color and quality of the feathers and on flight performance. they say you cannot maintain a top quality falcon unless feeder mice and rats are fed with highest quality food. they say that with cheap and/or improperly fed prey items, you can diminish the quality of the feathers, flight performance, and overall health.

falcons are really hard to keep and a premium pet, but for them it seems to be more than clear that whatever goes into the food item goes into the falcon. for reptiles, they say, if you source from breeders that service professional keepers of birds of prey and follow these high standards, it will also result in healthier and more colorful reptiles.

i dont know how true this is for snakes, but when falcon keepers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates go through the trouble of importing live mice and rats from Germany to feed their 20000 dollar falcons instead of sourcing locally, and when i can get the same stuff for my snakes, i just guess it makes a difference.

Its hard to tell for reptiles and more specifically ball pythons, but for falcons it appears to be a really solid case that food quality impacts the flight performance and appearance and quality of the feathers. i have no evidence, but my opinion tells me it will also hold true for reptiles to a degree.

oh, and, yes, the reason why ball pythons do not require UV light is because they get certain vitamins from the internal organs of the feeder rhodents, especially the liver.

[jwill226]

Thanks for the feedback.

I know the food I'm giving the rats is quality when it comes to keeping rats alive and healthy. Usually I only have a rat for about a week or two before it becomes dinner. I was mainly concerned with if their are certain minerals or additives commonly found in rat food that may not agree with a BPs digestive system.

I have 2 main local sources for my live rats. One of them the living conditions are not good. They way over populate the enclosures and I have seen open wounds on some of the feeders. Also they charge me pet price for the feeders (about $6-8 US). So I only go there as a last resort. My other source only has a few on hand at any time but replaces stock a couple times a week using a local breeder. They charge me $2 for small adults (around 75-90g). These rats always look healthy but are sometimes smaller then I want. I choose to buy from them and grow the rats out.

I have seen that in the last few months that when fed only the later mentioned rats that after shed my BP has a much stronger iridescence to her and it seems to last a lot longer before fading away when she starts her next shed cycle. Her colors seem to pop a little more too. She is just a normal but I'm starting to see some yellow come in low on her sides that wasn't there before. There are couple areas that before I thought was just white from her belly that are now starting to look more like flames between a couple of the alien heads. Also I see very small amount of blushing on her back and the top of her head that wasn't there when she was little.

The falcon comment makes me wonder if the food quality is whats doing that.