switch from mice to rat pups

[DSGB]

so im thinking about switching to rat pups because i want my snake to be use to rats so when he's bigger i wont have to switch him.

? #1. Is it better to feed rats than mice? any nutritional value for the snake?

? #2. Is it easier to switch now than later?

thanks peeps.

[Brett89]

To answer your questions, yes and yes. Rats are much more nutritional for your bp as well as any snake...you will notice faster and better growth also.
And it is easier to switch when younger because once they get established on mice they may not switch ever though very rarely. BP's can be very picky eaters. If even at this age or if you choose to wait and you have a problem switching try rubbing the rat on a mouse and the scent may get the BP to take it. I feed all of my BP's and RTB's rats from neonates( rat pinkys), sub-adults (rat pups or weanlings), and adults small to medium rats.

[DSGB]

aight well im gonna try this today. so should i ask my petstore to put like some of the mouse bedding with the pup? im guessing i should feed mine a pup, he is about 90 grams.

[SatanicIntention]

Either is fine, just so your snake is eating consistently and maintaining normal weight. If mice are easier for you to obtain in your area, keep on feeding them(2-3 per week is all he/she will need when adult size). If rats are easier to find in your area, feed those(a 45-55g rat is all an adult Ball will need, equals out to a 3.5-4week old rat).

I feed all of mine mice because they are easier for me to obtain and if someone doesn't eat that week, the mice aren't going to get any larger(just fatter). I have around 40 Ball Pythons right now(minus a few that have gone to new homes) and I feed off around 65-70 mice per week. I get mice for $0.45 apiece from a large breeder(Big Cheese Rodents in Dallas, TX). If I buy enough to last 3-4 weeks, the cost isn't much at all.

[Brett89]

Satanic is right...if you can get teh mice easier year round go with them but if you have a constant supply of rats i would go with the rats. and yes a rat pup should be just right for you're bp. You might not even need the mouse bedding. Some of my BP's were fed live mice when i got them and i switched them strait over to F/T rats. But just in case see if you can get some mouse bedding in a seperate box.

[SatanicIntention]

There is no nutritional difference between feeding mice or feeding rats. Since we don't know the nutritional requirements of Ball Pythons, it's a moot point to say that one is better than the other. Balls do equally well on either.

I like the fact that if I have an adult mouse that doesn't get eaten one week, I can keep it(and it's 150 other mouse friends) for another week and it won't die or get too big. If you buy a live rat pup, which won't be weaned, won't even be eating solid food or drinking from a water bottle, or even have its eyes open, you'll have to euthanize it or take it back to the store if your snake doesn't want to eat it. If your snake eats f/t, great. If it doesn't, then you're stuck throwing money away as well as wasting that rat's life.

Just my view on these things Why fix what ain't broke.

[DSGB]

aight i think ill stick with mice.

[frankykeno]

Another issue to consider with a 90 gram snake is this is just a baby, still setting down good feeding patterns. Switching things and possible triggering a refusal in a snake under 100 grams is to me just not worth the risk.

As well, the rat equivalent for an adult mouse is a small rat pup, one that is still nursing and dependent on the female rat as Becky said. Rat pups can very, very quickly outgrow a 90 gram snakes ability to eat them. In other words it's a very specific size (age) of pup you'd be needing every single week and unless you have a very good live supplier, this might not be so easy to get. A 15 or 16 day old rat pup for instance is half the size of one that's closer to weaning (huge growth is seen during this time as pups continue to nurse but also start to eat from their mother's food dish).

Once the snake is a bit bigger so that it's prey size isn't so very specific and it's also got the body weight to withstand a bit of a fast if it refuses a few weeks is probably the better time to try to switch.