Feeder mice VS rats

[blackpastelball]

I would like to start feeding my ball python rats because from what I have read they seem more nutritious and have less fat than mice. I am currently feeding my ball python 2 hopper mice and I was told i should be feeding him rat pups. The problem is both reptile pet shops near me only carry small rats and up, which are too large for him. Should I just keep feeding him mice till he is large enough or should I try to order rat pups online? How much of a difference does it make feeding mice vs rats?

Thanks for the advice in advance!

[Mr. Misha]

Feed whatever is easiest for you to get. If your BP eats two hoppers, great! Why fix it if it ain't broken? Once your BP is big enough for small rats then feed him small rats.

In regards to the nutritional factor with mice vs rats, there's no hard data going one way or the other. If you feed the same weigh to your snake, your BP will grow healthy whether you feed him mice or rats.

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[Stewart_Reptiles]

While the nutrition value is slightly different the nutrition requirement of BP have not been studied and basically gram per gram it's all the same, the difference is when your BP reaches adulthood you are looking at multiple mice versus a single rat.


Once is not better than the other, what matter is to feed what works.

[Billy29]

How many mice would an adult female need compared to a medium rat?


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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Depends on the size of the mice but about 4

[Lizardlicks]

Is your snake feeding f/t or live? If it's already on f/t, you can order frozen feeders online, or if you have a reptile show that happens near you, you can usually pickup a pack of frozen feeder without worrying about shipping. You'll see a HUGE difference in price compared to the feeders you buy from a pet shop and the ones you can get from online rodent supply companies, so it's a big money saver no matter if they're eating rats or mice, but rat pups are generally easier to get a hold of when purchasing f/t feeders online versus trying to hunt them down in stores.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Always love these debates because the rat is always better.
Why?
A 50g small rat IS better than a 20g lg mouse.
Now 3 20g mice are better than the 50g small. LoL

Its a convenience to us and not your snake. Feed your snake what it will eat. If they switch to rats cool. If they switch to ft even better for you. Just feed them.

[blackpastelball]

Yeah I am feeding him live right now (with close supervision) and he is a pig! He has such a great feeding response! The breeder i got him from was feeding live so I wanted to make sure he was eating before i switched to f/t. I've experimented with pre killing the mouse and he's been eating those so I think next meal I'll try f/t, but I think feeding f/t AND a rat would be too much change, that's why I wanted to find live rat pups to try. BUT like everyone says it's not my preference it's his, at least he's feeding and growing!