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Nutritional Value of Rats & Mice

Astrozombie

Astrozombie

New member
I am a new hatchling snake owner. My striped amel corn has been doing well eating pinkies and will soon be moving up to a larger size. In a few places on this forum people have said that fuzzy mice and hoppers are "more nutritious" than pinkies. Is there actual proof of this? Could there be any developmental harm in feeding pinkies for too long?

On a more bizarre note, I have the opportunity to use medical grade rat pinkies for free. The catch is that the heads have been removed for brain cell research. I know how creepy that is, but the rats are raised and killed under certified sterile conditions and have no contact with external pathogens. Is there any evidence that my snake will not get the nutrients he needs without the head?
 
In pinkies, I would say the most important thing you lose without the head would be fat content from the brain (which is mostly fat). Young pinks do not have a high fat content anyway, so the brain material is a nice energy boost. The rest of the head provides some calcium and protein for the most part, although pinks are mostly cartilagenous and a lot of the calcium from them comes from the milk bands (milk filled stomachs).

A link you may find interesting re: nutritional content of various prey animals...

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp
 
Headless pinks are messy. :) Organs don't tend to stay put when there's no head to keep them in.

-Kat
 
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