small animals

elliejellybelly · 07-23-17, 08:06 PM

can u keep a gopher snake cage near hamsters? or will it scare the hamsters? what if they can't see each other? is smell a factor?

akane · 07-25-17, 04:37 AM

The rodents don't seem to have a clue about snakes until they get bit. Release a small rodent near a big snake and it will run right over it. Rats or improper prey to snake size ratio have been known to result in severely rodent injured snakes but we aren't talking about them actually interacting. You are talking about just scent and sound so it's unlikely they'll even recognize a threat exists. Besides my cat sleeps on my rodent cages and they barely cared about her to start with before quickly not paying it any mind. Even though she actually stole a baby gerbil once while I was feeding and didn't see her in the room. Once they get used to it if it hasn't hurt them they don't usually care. If they are that sensitive I cull them from breeding because they are probably also freaking out about every little noise in the house or biting because you used a different soap on your hands so the smell changed and stupid things like that you get in poorly bred animals that overreact to things.

Scubadiver59 · 07-25-17, 04:56 AM

Welcome to sSNAKESs!

Welcome to you, your Gopher snake, and those delicious Hamsters!!!

Doug 351 · 07-26-17, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akane

The rodents don't seem to have a clue about snakes until they get bit. Release a small rodent near a big snake and it will run right over it. Rats or improper prey to snake size ratio have been known to result in severely rodent injured snakes but we aren't talking about them actually interacting. You are talking about just scent and sound so it's unlikely they'll even recognize a threat exists. Besides my cat sleeps on my rodent cages and they barely cared about her to start with before quickly not paying it any mind. Even though she actually stole a baby gerbil once while I was feeding and didn't see her in the room. Once they get used to it if it hasn't hurt them they don't usually care. If they are that sensitive I cull them from breeding because they are probably also freaking out about every little noise in the house or biting because you used a different soap on your hands so the smell changed and stupid things like that you get in poorly bred animals that overreact to things.

I tend to agree with this. ^ Might disagree slightly, but not worth getting into.

jjhill001 · 07-26-17, 12:08 PM

It might cause your snake to go into overactive feeding frenzy mode for a day or two, my rat snakes went crazy when we took in a rabbit for a few months, despite that the rabbit was easily 20lbs and could kill them. But hamsters smell differently than mice and if the room just constantly smells like hamster they'll get over it just like mine did with the rabbit. I still wouldn't hold the hamsters and then your snake right after.

Doug 351 · 07-26-17, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

I still wouldn't hold the hamsters and then your snake right after.

Jeeze!!! Where have we heard THIS before???

Ummmm...while I'm patting myself on the back... Can someone bring some BEN-Gay and a little experienced knowledge???.

akane · 07-26-17, 07:41 PM

One of my bulls was in my gerbil room since last fall. I had no odd feeding response. He didn't fully brumate over winter but was mostly inactive in the coolest cave with small meals and then had the typical spring activity and food, food, food stage the bulls go through. Breeding season over he chilled right back down again and was actually refusing gerbil for the new rats I added recently as the bulls get bigger. He outgrew the tank that fits in that room so it was going to get a corn snake but is temporarily empty as I moved the guinea pigs to make 1 rodent room and their previous room empty of other critters for a reptile room. I'm just redoing the wood floor before finishing enclosures in there so everything is still scattered downstairs among the chinchilla cages, a cockatiel, and some pairs of diamond doves. I don't know if chinchilla is recognized as food or evolved with much snake threat but they are rodents and again I see nothing in chinchilla or snake. They'll try to hide under the rosy boa stand who has been sitting next to their cages since July. The diamond doves are breeding across a small room from a corn snake and king snake.

dave himself · 07-27-17, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

It might cause your snake to go into overactive feeding frenzy mode for a day or two, my rat snakes went crazy when we took in a rabbit for a few months, despite that the rabbit was easily 20lbs and could kill them. But hamsters smell differently than mice and if the room just constantly smells like hamster they'll get over it just like mine did with the rabbit. I still wouldn't hold the hamsters and then your snake right after.

I have the same reaction as this with our lot, even if I'm heating a rat for our BP. Daisy is up at the glass looking fed, and she hasn't eaten a rat in 5 years or more

dannybgoode · 07-29-17, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave himself

I have the same reaction as this with our lot, even if I'm heating a rat for our BP. Daisy is up at the glass looking fed, and she hasn't eaten a rat in 5 years or more

My SD retic now he's settled in is up at the glass in expectation even if I don't have anything! With the merest whiff of food I have a very interested looking ATB, retic and a pair of olives! I'm sure the scrubs will join in also when they're in the reptile room.

akane · 07-29-17, 06:41 PM

My desert king wants food every 3 days. He appears at any commotion and checks if a rat fuzzy is thawing near his light. It doesn't have to be there first for him to check. Then he drinks and goes back into the mostly sand mix under a ledge he chose. I told him he's now on a feeding schedule because his growth in diameter was more looking more smooth fat with a greater tail taper than muscled.