Rats better than mice?

[lilmike227]

So I was watchig a vid of someone giving corn snske advice and he said itd best to switch to rats asap because they are better. Ive read that a few timed but ive also heard they are fatty and should be fed as a treat. What do you guys think about this?

 

[Zombiegirl]

I understand they are fatty, so I don't use 'em. Just my preference.

 

[P.Guttatus]

IMHO, a majority of people on CS.com would recommend sticking with mice for corn snakes. Rats do have move fat than mice, which can lead to weight problems, but also an adult mouse is the largest prey size your snake will ever need.

 

[Chip]

You simply can not do better than laboratory mice. Lord knows I've tried.

 

[Quixotic]

but ive also heard they are fatty and should be fed as a treat

I hardly ever hear about people feeding treats. It's usually all about the nutrition, and snakes really don't need "fat" since they're supposed to stay nice and svelte. I've only heard that you should move up to the rat food item if your snake gets exceptionally large, but you can also feed two mice instead of one rat, etc. By and large I've heard that mice are more nutritious for them than rats.

 

[lilmike227]

Well you guys have convinced me my snakes will be getting mice as its staple diet :eatpointe sorry for all the noob questions :dunce: but i want whats best for my snake thanks guys. Man i love smiles :dancer::flames::smash::bounce:

 

[P.Guttatus]

No need to feel bad, you are asking questions in order to do what is right for your snake. It's a good thing. :wavey:

 

[jessicashallperish]

i recently got a butter cream (looking) butter, that was fed a staple of small rats, she is over weight. shes a pudgey girl!

 

[Dale]

Thought about this recently as I used to breed rats and mice (and am trying to again). Rats were far easier for me to maintain, so I considered going that route again. Hopper rats are comparable in size to adult mice and don't show the proportion of body fat seen in the adults. While I don't anticipate going "all-rat" I do plan on offering a mix based on what I have available from my stock.

 

[dakota11]

I got a bunch of rat pups in exchange for corn snake. I had a group that I kept on mice fuzzies and the other was my hold backs therefore I wasn't worried about them imprinting. Rat pinks fed seemed to she'd more often and grew much quicker and have a thicker appearance, not fat but remember these are young snakes, just thick all around.