Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Very sorry for the length...

I just want to get some opinions...

Among my collection, I have 2.0 CB '03 BPs at ~30" ea.

My source for feeder mice/rats only carries Adult Rats and Adult Mice when it comes to the larger rodents (No weanlings/small/med) This presents a problem... An adult mouse doesn't even make a dent in my BPs. You can't even tell they've eaten. At the same time, the rats seem too large for them. My source charges $3.20 a rat and $1.80 a mouse (a rip off... I know, but it's the only choice I know of)

A rat is by far more economical as they are more than twice the size of the adult mice and are less than the cost of 2 mice. Though...

My 36" BCI took her first rat yesterday (the smallest available) and has a tremendous lump in her belly... equivalent to say feeding a BRB neonate a hopper...

How do you guys that have small collections successfully feed your animals without the small/med rats available? I don't want to spend the money to feed multiple adult mice every week to my BPs. Can you feed them a very large prey item (ie: a rat) and let them sit on it for 2 weeks? I have no problem letting them sit on their meals for a while and not handling them if their digestive tracts can take the food.

I know in the wild they are animals of opportunity and will take whatever they can and in that case they could probably handle a rat. On the otherhand, there are in captivity where I control all of the variables, include feeding. I want to provide a safe and healthy lifestyle for my BP.

I don't have any freezer space available for ordering via the net. I would breed mice, but then I looked into what it would take to keep 10 adult mice ready every week and the figures scared me. It is hard to do these things in college and on a college budget. I feel that I must let you know the level that I care for my animals would lead me to miss a meal before I ever let them miss one!

Ultimately I have two options - paying for the convenience of not having a breeding group of feeders, in which case I must either buy multiple mice or try feeding adult rats - or, I can attempt to breed mice (have been very interested in it, but don't want to start anything without proper education.)

Just looking for any ideas on how some of you have overcome your feeder issues...

Another solution would be a new supplier - anyone in the New Orleans area breed mice or rats? Would a local zoo possibly be a good place to look for feeders? They are just down the street from me...

Thank you very much. You guys have always been very helpful to me with my issues. Let me know if there is anything I can do to repay the favors...
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-Iman

1.1 Sugar Gliders (Gizmo and Nema)
2.0 Ball Pythons (Spot and Speck)
0.1 Colombian BCI (Belle)
1.0 Colombian Rainbow (Rex)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow (Just arrived!!!)

Loving to Learn
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Please be nice always.

Future Project Wishlist:
0.2 BP
1.0 BCI
0.1 CRB
1.0 BRB
1.1 ARB, GRB, DB & JCP

I have a small collection and some eat rats while others eat mice...Does your supplier carry jumbo mice?...If not when you are there just ask for small rats or the smallest rats they have available...If a bp will eat it, there system will handle it....2 of my females are rat eaters and are about 500 grams, they each get 1-2 sm. rats each week...the other 4 females just eat jumbo mice every 4 days...after eating both rats they look like they are going to pop, but with in a day or two you can't even tell that they ate...I just make sure not to disturb them until their stomach swelling looks normal size again....hope this helps

I know that it might seem like alot of work, but breeding rats is really not that hard. I have done it for about a month now, after receiving two pregnant female rats from a pet store. I fed off what babies my snakes could take while the rats were small, and froze the rest of the ratlets so I can thaw them in the coming weeks to feed my smaller 2 BPs and bci. Your main problem would be that the babies grow very quickly and need to be euchanized/frozen when they are the right size for your particular BPs. Is there definately no way you can obtain a tiny spot in the freezer for baby rats? That'd make things a lot easier.
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2.2 Python regis, 1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator, and the frogs.