Fedding Boids Degus

CHRISANDBOIDS14 · 12-04-03, 12:00 AM

I live in Alberta and it is illegal to breed rats here and i find it much cheaper to breed degus (these are like a gerbil crossed with a chinchilla) than to buy hampsters or big gerbils or rats all the time. They grow to the size of about a largish rat. I know that in the wild Ball Pythons eat gerboas and those are much different then the common snake foods but degus seem to just fit in to the whole group so i am wondering if it is ok to feed these to boids and if anybody has done this before with suscess.

vanderkm · 12-04-03, 12:14 AM

We offered them to our ball pythons (that were feeding on gerbils at the time) as well as to boas. The ball pythons consistently rejected them and boas were not enthusiastic but would accept them (they would eat anything). They just didn't seem to have the muscle mass of rats so we didn't bother continuing with them and went to buying frozen rats. The breeding rate for degus was also quite slow and they needed lots of cage space.

mary v.

mykee · 12-04-03, 01:02 AM

I would recommend a good frozen rat supplier. Why go through all the trouble?

Syco · 12-04-03, 04:45 PM

I think I would have to go with the frozen rats too. You must have a lot of Degus to produce enough to keep your snakes fed! I have a pair and at 4-6 babies every 90 days it wouldn't be enough to feed my snakes. I couldn't feed them off anyway, they are so cute and have such wonderful personalities. Then again so do rats.

Oh well. Around here Degus go for $15 or more each, why not sell the Degus and use the money to buy frozen rats, I would think they would have a lot more substance to them.

CHRISANDBOIDS14 · 12-04-03, 10:54 PM

Thank you to all. I am not sure what to do right now but after a couple of my females give birth i will probably sell them all. I also am just not too sure what to do right now as i am selling some of my snakes and going to be aquiring more. Thanks again.

Chris