Anyone feed rats?

[ShenziSixaxis]

Simple as that.

I was thinking, Lotem is NEVER satisfied with what I feed her, and only until I accidentally fed a way too big of an item did I notice this, as well as last time I fed when I gave her three hoppers instead of one. Unless she looks funny in shed, she also finally seems to be growing with the extra food. And ever since I had fed them both bad fuzzies, Apotos has either regurged or had somewhat odd looking stools (somewhat loose or with a color unlike her previous BLACK), and they were looking better when I fed her a couple legs from a rat I tried feeding one of the BPs.


So, does anyone feed rats? Either because of size of corn/item, availability, corn preference, or a reason like mine.


Let's also not deal with the "rats are fatty, mice aren't" thing. I think that would deter from the original discussion in less than a page.

[sinisterserpents1]

We save our rats for the ball pythons. Never fed them to the corns before.

[medusacoils]

I do. I don't have anything big enough to eat adult rats, but 4 week old rats are about the same size as adult mice. I really use them right before breeding too.

Wayne

[Nanci]

I have three corns that eat rats- they don't seem any different than the ones that eat mice. I feed rats to the kings occasionally.

[insomniac101]

I have one old corn that is huge, and I feed him small rats, or a couple of jumbo mice. He seems healthy, and I haven't noticed any difference in his stools. I try to vary the mouse/rat feedings, and he is doing well on that schedule.

Kathy

[dickdeuel]

I always have a supply of small and medium rats for the larger snakes including corn snakes.

[wendhend]

I feed rat pinkies and fuzzies to my subadult corns quite often. Several of them seem to prefer the rats, and I think maybe they grow faster on a rat diet, but I don't weigh and measure them regularly to know for sure.

[ShenziSixaxis]

Wendy, that gives me a good experiment for someone to try out with a couple clutches of corns. :laugh:

[wendhend]

Wendy, that gives me a good experiment for someone to try out with a couple clutches of corns. :laugh:


Sounds like a good experiment if you have the extra time to put in to all the weighing, measuring and record-keeping that would be necessary. Corns usually need to be about a year old before they are big enough to be able eat one-day-old rat pinkies.

[ShenziSixaxis]

That's where cutting them would be useful. :P

Also, I figured feeding a group mice, one group rats, and one group a mix would be a better idea. Some people think varied diets are important, and I can understand why.

[Nanci]

Sounds like a good experiment if you have the extra time to put in to all the weighing, measuring and record-keeping that would be necessary. Corns usually need to be about a year old before they are big enough to be able eat one-day-old rat pinkies.

I (respectfully) disagree. I have one yearling on adult mice and four on weanlings. All others that I have had in my care for the entire year are on hoppers. A rat pink is roughly large fuzzy/small hopper size.

[ShenziSixaxis]

Some rat pinks I've seen are actually more the size of large mouse pinks or peach fuzzies. I've probably seen day old rat pinks though, and I'm not sure what size the parents were since they were frozen things.

[wilomn]

I've been feeding rats of various sizes to my corns for years. Just as soon as they're big enough for rat pinks they get them. Then it's on to fuzzies and smalls and even mediums for some of the larger snakes. I think they do grow faster on rats but other than that I've noticed no differences between mouse eaters and rat eaters.

[wendhend]

I (respectfully) disagree. I have one yearling on adult mice and four on weanlings. All others that I have had in my care for the entire year are on hoppers. A rat pink is roughly large fuzzy/small hopper size.

Nanci, I agree with you on the size of them. The ones that my own rats give birth to look about the size of the small ones that I also buy from Rodentpro.com. I am guessing that you feed your snakes more frequently than I do. Mine only eat every seven days, and none of them are even close to being able to start on adult mice yet, but most of them can eat fuzzy mice and smaller rat pinks just fine.

[Nanci]

Nanci, I am guessing that you feed your snakes more frequently than I do.

You're right! I feed every five days until the snakes are on adults and about 200 grams. I also slit the mice until the snakes are on adults.

[wendhend]

You're right! I feed every five days until the snakes are on adults and about 200 grams. I also slit the mice until the snakes are on adults.

I also routinely slit my rodents on the head and on the back. I have nothing against an every-five-day feeding schedule, but I have to stick to a weekly schedule, so that my main feeding day always ends up on Saturday, which I always have off of work and can put in the time for feeding, spot-cleaning enclosures and changing out their water bowls.

[smerten]

I sometimes feed my corns rats, usually rat pups, which are about the same size as an XL mouse, but weigh more. The only difference is that some of my snooty snakes don't like them as much, but given enough time in the feed box will eat. :)

[wstphal]

I have one 2009 who prefers food WITHOUT fur. So rat pinks it is. I offer them occasionally to others for whom that's the right size food, and they are always eagerly accepted. Only one cornsnake is a rat eater, the guy that likes hairless food, and he seems to be growing well but not fat on the rat pinks. The rat pinks seem to be well tolerated as an occasional item by others though. If I had lots of sizes of rats, I might offer rat meals to more snakes, but not as an every meal thing but more as a once in a while thing.

[wilomn]

I wonder if there's a reason these were originally called Red Ratsnakes instead of Red Mousesnakes?

I wonder what could have caused that, have lead the pioneers in herpetology to think that these silly snakes ate rats, that is .

Heh, you just never know, eh?

[azhketh]

I also routinely slit my rodents on the head and on the back. I have nothing against an every-five-day feeding schedule, but I have to stick to a weekly schedule, so that my main feeding day always ends up on Saturday, which I always have off of work and can put in the time for feeding, spot-cleaning enclosures and changing out their water bowls.

Question unrelated to the thread...why cut slits into the prey? I've heard of doing so to the head to entice the snake to feed, but what is the purpose of cutting on the head and back?


Interesting thread, there doesn't seem to be a right or wrong choice, just more personal preference. Last feeding, I accidentally gave my corn a rat weaning because they look so similar to the adult mice. Spyro took it with no problem, thankfully, as I hate wasting rodents and it wasn't feeding day for the bp yet.

[mjdglobal]

Some people cut slits in prey items for easier digestion.