Weaned Mouse vs Rat Fuzzy?

[Lyion]

So, every time I go to the petstore to get some weanling mice for my Xia, the owner of the store leads me to the fridge and tells me to pick out the size. She breeds feeder mice, but it is her husband who tells her when to freeze them. He's the one who knows the sizes. I couldn't just ask for a weanling, because she didn't know what it was and I was tired of saying 'A little bigger...' or 'a little smaller' over an over so I decided to try just find precise measurements.

Looking at a chart, ((http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/feeder/16801-mouse-rat-size-chart.html)) it said the equivalent of a weaned mouse was a rat fuzzy. So, I have questions, which I will number and I'd prefer if you guys numbered the answers ^^

1. Do you agree a weaned mouse is the same size as a rat fuzzy?

2. Which one would be better nutritionally?

3. Have you ever fed a corn snake a rat (small of course) and then they refused to go back to mice?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lyion]

Bumpity bump!

 

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

1. Do you agree a weaned mouse is the same size as a rat fuzzy? not really. normally a rat fuzzy will be about the size of a small mouse (age being about 2 months) weaned mice are 18-21 days old.

2. Which one would be better nutritionally? about the same but the rat is much fattier and bigger skull.

3. Have you ever fed a corn snake a rat (small of course) and then they refused to go back to mice? nope, never

The answers are only my opinion. I gave my best guesstimates tried to not get too complex with my answers... because a lot of the size stuff depends on the genetics of the rodents and the size of the snake.

 

[Nanci]

I have fed rat pinks/fuzzies and had a VERY DIFFICULT time getting snakes to go back. These are snakes that are already having feeding issues- off feed for whatever reason. I offer a rat pink or fuzzy, the snake is ecstatic, and won't eat a mouse without, if I'm LUCKY, rat brain scenting, rubbing a thawed rat on a mouse, braining the mouse and rubbing rat on it, etc.

The Dingo went from August till- I can't remember- a couple months ago refusing to take rat-scented mice, and me refusing to give in. Finally I gave him a couple rat fuzzies in a row, then offered a brained, rat-scented mouse, and he took it. Then he went blue and refused anything...Bacon, an adult I bought from Sean Niland as an adult, came to me as a rat-only feeder and I was never able to switch him. Yggdrasil was offered rat pinks when he went through the I won't eat anything with hair phase, and refused to switch back. He's just recently taken a few brained, rat-scented mice for me.

Now I've had other snakes that have been offered rat pinks for whatever reason, usually to break a fast, and they have gone right back to same-sized mice in a few weeks or months with no problem.

 

[Charlotte]

Loki used to eat live small rats and has transitioned over to jumbo f/t mice no problem. He's refused food once and there were several counts of errors on my part.

 

[beautifullywild77]

Geno, my adult ghost, is our garbage disposal. He will eat the rats the bp or boa refuses due to whatever reason. Same with Redrum, my adult normal. They switch back and forth no problem. But they were also rescues so not sure if that has something to do with it. When they were in the store, they were always offered a variety of food items, chicks, quail eggs, rats and mice. However, our spotted python, refuses rats now and will only eat mice.

 

[Fuzzoodle]

All of my corns switch back and forth between rats and mice without a fuss. They've never been picky eaters though.

We've got small rat fuzzies right now that are weaned weight, but "Rat fuzzy" is pretty vague. We just culled some tonight, their eyes weren't really open yet but they weighed 24-26 grams.

 

[Lyion]

Xia isn't a picky feeder. I guess instead of adult mice, she can start eating weaned rats once she gains a few more grams (Not sure what she weighs now, I'll go check)!

 

[Lyion]

Woah! 180 grams! Guess she doesn't need to gain a few more grams.

 

[Lyion]

Seriously, she gained 40 grams in about a month!

 

[Fuzzoodle]

That's pretty awesome I find once they're up to hoppers/weaned they take off growing like CRAZY!

 

[Lyion]

Wow! She's been on weaned for only 3 weeks and she's ready to move up lol.

 

[SnakeAround]

I have fed rat pinks/fuzzies and had a VERY DIFFICULT time getting snakes to go back. These are snakes that are already having feeding issues- off feed for whatever reason. I offer a rat pink or fuzzy, the snake is ecstatic, and won't eat a mouse without, if I'm LUCKY, rat brain scenting, rubbing a thawed rat on a mouse, braining the mouse and rubbing rat on it, etc.

The Dingo went from August till- I can't remember- a couple months ago refusing to take rat-scented mice, and me refusing to give in. Finally I gave him a couple rat fuzzies in a row, then offered a brained, rat-scented mouse, and he took it. Then he went blue and refused anything...Bacon, an adult I bought from Sean Niland as an adult, came to me as a rat-only feeder and I was never able to switch him. Yggdrasil was offered rat pinks when he went through the I won't eat anything with hair phase, and refused to switch back. He's just recently taken a few brained, rat-scented mice for me.

Now I've had other snakes that have been offered rat pinks for whatever reason, usually to break a fast, and they have gone right back to same-sized mice in a few weeks or months with no problem.

I have two mice refusing corns in my collection at the moment, one was fed rat pinks because of refusing to eat larger fuzzies, the other one because she only wanted to eat mice alive. I have not seriously tried to switch them back, but so far the just completely ignore mice (being 4 and 2 years old).