that odd rat

[themeyers]

So I have retics. And they are quite typical. Meaning they will pound almost any food source. But every now and then I have a rat that for some reason none will eat. They will eat all the others thawing in the same bucket but they will all refuse that one rat. Im just wondering a. If this happens to anyone else. And b. If anyone knows why. I get mine from rodent pro.

[RAD House]

I wonder if they can't sense something about the rat that humans can't. In the way that some dogs can smell cancerous tumors.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I'd also guess maybe they could sense there's something wrong with it. Only thing I can come up with.

[millertime89]

Interesting, I've never experienced this. I've had a snake refuse one rat and take another but a different snake took that rat that the first snake refused.

[themeyers]

Ive been keeping snakes for almost 20yrs. And this is relatively new to me. I mean I will offer it to one snake and its refused then the rest will refuse that one rat but they will all eat whatever is next. I too thought they could tell it was a little ****y.

[SSSSnakes]

Ive been keeping snakes for almost 20yrs. And this is relatively new to me. I mean I will offer it to one snake and its refused then the rest will refuse that one rat but they will all eat whatever is next. I too thought they could tell it was a little ****y.

Snakes normally will eat disgusting rotting rats if offered to hem and they are hungry.

I've had it happen to me, but eventually one of the snakes would take it. I'd say you need to get more snakes.

[Jim Smith]

I have this happen with frozen thawed mice as well. I have a couple fo garbage disposal snakes that will always eat even in the deepest blue. Occasionally, I have a mouse that none on the snakes will eat. If I offer them a different mouse, they gobble it right up. I suspect that there is something wrong with the "bad" mice so I just toss them out and chock it up to the cost of owning reptiles.

[prairiepanda]

I haven't experienced this myself, but I've heard of it a few times. Nobody can really figure out what's wrong with those rats, but it must be something. I wouldn't expect them to be rotten or contaminated, since they come from the same source as the "good" ones, but maybe they have some internal congenital defect? Not sure what kind of defect would turn away a snake, though. Perhaps something affecting the scent of the rat.

[Albert Clark]

This was brought up previously and part of the consensus was the euthanizing procedure of different companies may have something to do with it. The co2 and or chemical concentrations of gas used to dispatch these mice and rats. The effects of the gasses and how it is tolerated and absorbed by individual mice and rats.

[lukesreptiles]

I have had this experience as well, I've got rats from some venders that my retics just will not take!!! And I'm up to about 100 tics now. I may try and perform an autops on a rat or two the next time that happens.

[lady_bug87]

Yea I want to say you're crazy but nope! Its happened to me as well.

Usually my Pit will eat it.

[Jim Smith]

I asked a similar question a while back and a person who actually breeds their own rats and mice had experienced the thing on occasion as well. It makes me think that perhaps the animals in question have cancer, which is not at all unheard of when breeding rats and mice. Even though there is no external signs of illness, perhaps the snakes can detect it similar to how dogs can smell cancer in patients that show no outward signs as well. Just a thought as I thaw out breakfast for my girls and boy.

[prairiepanda]

I asked a similar question a while back and a person who actually breeds their own rats and mice had experienced the thing on occasion as well. It makes me think that perhaps the animals in question have cancer, which is not at all unheard of when breeding rats and mice. Even though there is no external signs of illness, perhaps the snakes can detect it similar to how dogs can smell cancer in patients that show no outward signs as well. Just a thought as I thaw out breakfast for my girls and boy.

It may be possible for snakes to detect such a thing, but cancer wouldn't make the prey inedible. It's not contagious.

[Jim Smith]

Yes, that is true that the mice would not be contagious, but they may emit a smell or taste that is unpleasant to the snakes, causing them to reject them as food items. On another note, there was actually a case where cancer was being passed from one animal to another in Tasmania. The local population of Tasmanian Devils were getting tumors in their mouths and faces. It was spreading from one animal to another across one of the local populations of these animals and the population was being decimated. The local authorities/scientists checked all the potential environmental issues and could not find any correlation. It turned out that Tasmanian Devils are VERY aggressive feeders and often get into vicious fights over food and territory. Due to the attempted extermination of this animal in the 1800s and early 1900s, the population in this part of Tasmania was almost totally wiped out The remaining animals in this part of Tasmania repopulated, but they were so closely related to each other that when they fought, they would exchange blood and bits of tissue which ended up “grafting” onto the other animals, resulting in the spreading of cancerous tumors from one animal to another. It was like they were transplanting tumorous tissue from one animal to another. Once they figured this out, they went about trapping other Tasmanian Devils from different parts of Tasmania and from zoos etc. and released them to this part of Tasmania to diversify the genetics in the area. This seems to have solved the problem of cancer being contagious. Relative useless facts from an animal planet junkie;)