Reptile & Amphibian Forums

for those of you with african rats:

1. how much does an adult african rat weigh?
2. have you used them for picky eaters that are not wild caught, and if so, how did they work?
3. what is the ultimate goal with ARs? to get non-eating snakes eating in order to switch them back to normal rats? or will you continue to feed ARs to your picky eaters and WCs?

any info would be great. thanks!

Hi.

Do you mean african soft-furred rats?? I feed my B.P somtimes these rats.Don't forget they are the natural pray of ball pythons.

They grow just as big as a 4 week old rat.I don't know exectly what they weigh.Bud B.P feed just as easy on african rat as on normal rats.

I bought some F/t "medium size". Which are about the size of adult mice , Hoping to use them as a stepping stone to getting my confirmed mouser over to rats. No Dice.

I was advised previously that they are not the miracle cure to all feeding problems... In my case they were right. Definately worth a try, and are another tool that may or may not work. Glad they are helpful to some.
-----
"There is a fine line between a hobby and mental illness"
COLD BLOOD.........WARM HEART

I weighed some ex breeders before freezing and they weighed between 95 and 125 grammes. On average, adults that have been reared to feed weigh between 60 and 75 grammes at time of cull.
We have been breeding the African Soft Furred rat for about three years now, and use them as an 'in between' from mice to rats.
If you can graduate from feeding mice straight onto small rats, A/R's are not necessary. We keep them soley as as alternative prey item - and we tend to turn out a lot more of them than we do mice.
We find that the best way to get W/C Balls to feed, is to give them each a hide. Balls are 'ambush' feeders and tend to start feeding easier when hides are used.
Eric Davies (UK)

as for weights.....they are as big as a big gerbil......I would think they weighed in at around 250 grams 200??......

I have weighed mice and found they run alot of variables even if they look the same.....alot of my big mice weighed around 85 grams........I have had one go 111 grams fat and gravid......I weighed another pregnant one at around 95.......small mice run 35 grams even.........

......adult balls can eat any sized african rat.......and I plan on feeding one at a time usually.......maybe 2 on the fat girls.....they weigh at least 3500 to 4000 grams I think....

.......the plan would be to use them IF necessary only.......and once you start the ball may never switch back to anything else......

I have used chinese and russian hamsters and white footed mice(Peromyscus) and have had the balls never eat mice again except for maybe one goof feeding month a year........

I use what they want.......I breed everything.......too many species of mammals.........and feed them all.....

gerbils,chinese,russian,mice,rat,africans now...I have used spiny mice and syrian hamsters alot too......

......IF AT ALL POSSIBLE FEED MICE OR RATS AND NEVER SHOW THE OTHER STUFF TO ANY SNAKE........THEY WAY THEY WON'T EVER GET HOOKED........

I know guys that get rid of any snake that won't accept rats.......
-----
JYReptiles

Scales-N-Tails Reptiles ltd........Pa

it bad idea if you are selling a snake stuck on a not easily gotten food source/item. I have seen it in especially ball pythons, gray-banded kings, some milk snake species where the breeder or seller was not absolutely honest upon releasing this information to the perspective buyer !
-----
I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

and these were all noneaters. I wouldnt feed them to anything thats been eating rats.

i posted that last night out of frustration... we have a girl who we are trying to switch over to rats. she ate 2 rats a couple months ago, and then hasnt touched one since, and to top it off she wont eat mice anymore either. after posting last night i tried a weanling rat with her and when i checked 10 minutes later it was gone! hopefully this will last...

thanks for the replies, and it sounds like you shouldnt use african rats unless it's absolutely necessary since you risk having a BP getting "addicted"