I raise rats and mice. Mice do smell worse. If you have only a couple of snakes and a good pair of breeder rats you will have an overabundance of rats. They breed back immediately upon delivery so you have to seperate them before delivery if you want to control the #'s. Unfortunately they take a lot longer than mice to get big. What I've learned to do is feed more smaller rats. My baby boa can eat rat pinkies or pups, my ball eats pups, my burm eats anything so depending on what is on hand he may have several weaned rats, a couple of mediums, etc. Trying to get them to large or jumbo size will take too much time, space, labor, and feed to be practical if you are keeping them in your room. If you can keep them in the garage it might work? As for dispatching them, the blunt object takes practice or you make a bloody mess, my husband tried. I usually hold them by the tail and snap them against something. Sounds cruel but I worked at the Bronx Zoo years ago and that's what I was taught. The technique also takes practice. Occasionally one will "come to" before being eaten so be sure to watch if you fresh feed and don't freeze. After awhile you will find what works best for you and know if the rat has been stunned or is truly dead or dying. Anyone near Roxboro, NC let me know if they need cheap rats or mice or if they just need support.

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