Posted by Sasheena on March 25, 2002 at 12:29:34:
In Reply to: Age Old Question(Rats vs Mice) posted by Jake K on March 25, 2002 at 00:38:45:
1. I don't think that a corn snake could eat an ex-breeder adult rat. Breeding makes em bigger and meatier, and I've seen adult corn snakes and adult rats... I wouldn't try it. This is what keeps me from breeding rats. I do, however, have a Rosy Boa who may never convert to frozen/thawed, and at the time I give up on converting him, I will probably start raising rats for his consumption, so I can feed him live fuzzy rats that won't harm him. But I wouldn't have anyplace for the adult rats to go when I am done. I have, however, heard that momma rats are good foster mommies, even for mice babies, so I might find it useful. I raise mice to feed my three kings and one rosy.
2. Nutritional value. If you've ever seen a rat pink versus a mouse pink, you will agree with most people who say they are more nutritioius. There is more to them. They are a slightly more complex animal than mice, IMO, and therefore more nutritious. But does your snake need rats in order to get a fully nutritious meal? Nope. I don't think so. I've fed rats, gerbils and mice to my snakes, and the animals do fine with them all, but I don't think the difference is large enough.
Rats or mice, it's your choice. Rats take more space, they smell less, the males are less agressive, but I've heard that you can't have a large colony of females to every male due to dominance issues amongst the female rats. They eat more, and you can't feed their offspring to newly hatched corn snakes. When I breed my Kingsnakes in 2003 or 2004 I will need to have a high production of MOUSE pinkies for the newborn, just shed, hatchlings.
Anyway... that's my opinion on stuff.
~Sasheena
