Mice vs. Rats for younger snakes

[Mikoh4792]

Many people start their snakes(that will be big enough to eat rats in their adult form) on rats so they don't have to make the switch later on.

I was just wondering, what is the difference in calcium between mice and rats of the same size? For example, do large fuzzy mice have more calcium than pinky rats? In this case wouldn't fuzzy mice be better for bone strength or growth than pinky rats?

I'm just speculating so i'm hoping someone knowledgeable on this topic can chime in.

[exwizard]

I have bred both mice and rats and have also fed my snakes both mice and rats. The biggest reason breeders start their snakes on mice is that for their size, you get more movement out of them. This is before any attempt is made to switch them over to f/t. The main purpose is to get them to start eating. For me, the only reason I have ever fed any of my snakes mice is that the snake in question is too small for a pinky rat. As soon as they were big enough, I switched them to rats. My most recent acquisition for example is a one month old baby Burm that the breeder was feeding mice to. From the very first feeding session I had with him, I gave him a Weaner rat and he took it, no hesitation. I know there are different opinions here and some will even cite websites to back up their opinions and I'm ok with that. I'm just speaking from my own experience, every time I upped their prey item to rats, they have been sizing up better and overall were more satisfied on rats than they otherwise would be on mice. Currently, of the 37 snakes I have, with the exception of Medusa who is now on rabbits, all my snakes are on rats and I prefer it that way.

As far as your question about calcium levels in fuzzy mice as opposed to pinky rats is concerned, I can see that for the short term but if your snake's needs are going to outgrow what the mice can offer, I would think about when the right time would be to make that switch. Personally for me, I don't have any more mouse eaters and I hope I never will.

[Mikoh4792]

exwizard

Thanks for the reply. Have you ever raised a baby snake up to full adult size on just rats? (from pinky rats on up)

[exwizard]

Poseidon, my yearling Burm was on hopper mice shortly after acquiring him at 2 months old and very quickly was switched to rats and more recently, Mars, my newest Burm acquisition I switched to rats immediately after gaining possession of him.

Venus, my other baby Burm (cbb April 2013) was already on rats when I got her, so I did not have to switch her.

I only produced one clutch of babies and those were Corns. They were obviously too small for rats so they got their start on mice but as soon as i could, I made that switch to rats as well as my September 2012 MBKs.

No, I have not had that opportunity to raise any snake from a hatchling to adult on strictly rats, but it's been my experience that switching them early in life has yielded better growth and a more satisfied snake.

[marvelfreak]

Thanks for the reply. Have you ever raised a baby snake up to full adult size on just rats? (from pinky rats on up)
I have! It took awhile to get my bredli python to eat but when he finally did it was a rat fuzzies. Him and my Borneo have only ever had rats. In the 11 years i had my Jungle Carpet she only ever ate rats. She is a monster that weighs 15.5 lbs and is right at 8.5 feet.

[Terranaut]

There is a thread on here about nutrient info.
I start jcp neonates on rat pinks right out of the egg. They can take it with no problem.