Small rats???

[mango]

I asked for small rats at the petstore but they don't look that small. They look long for my bp. Not too big around just long. About how long is a "small" rat from head to butt?

[Infectrix]

You should go by weight rather than length.. If that rat is around 60 grams, it would be considered a small rat..

I have two bp's on small rats and sometimes the rats are long or short.. Just make sure the weight is straight..

[mykee]

Yes, I go by size, rather than length. People make fun of me ALL THE TIME when I describe rats by weight as opposed to length. I keep detailed records of all my balls activities (sheds, meals, WEIGHT of meals, snakes weight before meal, etc.) Just makes more sense to say I fed a 100g rat than a rat that is (however) long. Think about it, when you buy frozen rats, do you ask for a rat that is 4.5 inches long, no! You say 100-120 g.

[sapphire_moon]

It's just probably looks long because that is the way it was frozen.....I have a curled up F/T MED rat that looks like it's between a small and a med........and some mice look the size of small rats.......so go by weight.

[mango]

if she's 4 months old and perfectly capable of taking 2-3 adult mice a meal, how much would you say her first rat needs to weigh? Is there a certain percentage of her weight that it needs to be?? I'm in the process of getting some scales right now but I want to be armed with info when they get here.

[Infectrix]

I've made up a rule where I feed at least 1/5th of the snakes body weight (ex. 5lb meal for a 20 lb snake).. Sometimes I'll feed a little more which results in a fat snake for 2-3 days.. I'm not about power feeding or anything like that.. I just want to keep my snakes well fed..

Get a digital scale..

[mykee]

Infectrix, I mostly agree. For a 200g ball, which is an estimated size of a ball that age, I would try a 35-40g rat. I feed my 120g hatchlings a 20-25g fuzzy. I also tend to go more on the lower end of that estimate, about 20% of the snakes weight. This holds true for my bigger balls also, I feed my 1400g female a 200g rat, and will probably not go any larger than that. This is just my opinion, you'll hear others, from some people who try to make their balls look like stuffed sausages by filling them full of HUGE food items, and those who would rather feed a few small items (mice), than one larger one. Good luck.

[mango]

I got some digital scales and my snake currently weighs 216 grams. The rats we have are frozen already so we didn't thaw. The frozen rat weighed 86 grams. That's 1/3 of her body weight however the rat isn't bigger around than her it's just long. I'm feeling like I should wait a month or two. About how much heavier will a rat be when frozen instead of thawed. I'll have a weight on the same rat thawed on Tuesday night. That way I can just thaw a rat and her mice. Thanks!!

[mykee]

Mango, 86 grams for a 200 gram ball just doesn't seem right, you say that the rat is not as thick as the ball? Either way, I wouldn't try it for a while at least. I would feed that to one of my 500+g snakes. Again, just my opinion.

[mango]

No the rats aren't thick. Just long. I was thinking that it was a little too early also so I'm just going to save them. Thanks for everything. :D

[killaclown]

I fed my baby a small rat the other day and by the time he squeezez it down its allot smaller then it was