# Snakes and rats.



## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

So how many of you here own both snakes and rats as pets? Seems almost contradictory to keep their food as pets  I own two snakes: a corn snake and a ball python. I bought my ball python his first rat yesterday and I felt sorry for the poor thing for the first time. :'( It was frozen though, so it wasn't too much of a blow. I dunno, seems kind of strange! But I love all my babies, snakes and their food alike 

Here's some pictures of my little darlings:









Here's Chili (Chilongola)









And Miss. Haya (Haya Tha'baan)









Here they are together with Miss. Haya in shed.










And a kiss for good measure.

So tell me: is it weird to have both snakes and rats for anyone else?


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## laughingrats (Apr 21, 2010)

I don't have a snake, but I always wanted one. I don't know if I could feed them a rat, or a mouse though. Snakes need to eat to though.


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## RatfanaticLady29 (Mar 2, 2010)

I love almost all animals. I own snakes and rats as pets. I also breed African soft fur rats for snake food. I don't find having snakes and rats as pets weird nor do I feel bad when I feed my snakes. It's nature. Everybody's gotta eat to live.

If anybody feels they might not be able to feed rodents to a snake then please don't get one (or get a garter or ribbon snake). I've rescued so many snakes from owners who starved them due to the fact that they don't like feeding them cute little rats and mice. I've even rescued a few from people who thought they could turn their snakes into vegetarians. Grrr!


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## leesha (Feb 15, 2010)

I have snakes as well as rats, I love my snakes just as much, they're my babies too. I don't think it's strange to have both. Your ball is beautiful!


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## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

Oh thank you  I couldn't starve my babies, as strange as it may seem (to me anyway). I'm always glad to see them eating. It irks me when they snub their food like a spoiled cat, hehe. My corn hasn't eaten for two weeks  Funny, the notoriously picky ball gobbles up his food no problem. I laid his (thawed) mice atop his viv to get him enticed by the smell a few nights ago, and he struck at the lid in no time ;D I love his fierce feeding response.


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## Soybean (Feb 11, 2009)

Your snakes are beautiful!  

I have both snakes and rats. I breed rats and mice as feeders for my snakes(who I also breed as a hobby). People often ask me how I can look at the "cute little baby rats" and feed them to my snakes and in the beginning it was a little hard but I have learned that my snakes have to eat as well. I make sure all my animals are well cared for and treated with respect. I always thank an animal for its life. I am attached to several of my breeding rats as pets. I know that many here are not happy with the fact that I do breed rats and mice as feeders, but hey, I'm here because I want to provide the best care for any animals in my care. 

I have 11 snakes that are my own. 8 ball pythons, 2 corn snakes, and a boa. I am also caring for two snakes that belong to a friend. She rescued them but she can't house them until she has her own place so I'm holding onto them for her. I breed snakes and hope to one day breed several different species of reptiles.


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## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

I imagine its healthier for you to breed your own rats/mice than to get it from a pet store. I work at a pet store and also get my frozens from there. One day when feeding the snakes, one guy told me to thaw out some pinkies for the corn snakes and what I didn't use I could just put back in the freezer. Yikes! Luckily they don't use the frozen adult which is what I get for my ball. I also have frozens from rodent pro for my corn, but now I have over 90 dead hoppers in my freezer. She'll never be able to finish those! I wish rodent pro would cater to those who have only one or two snakes to feed. :-\


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

People look at me weird when they find out I have rats and snakes. I personally don't see a problem with it. But I agree, feeding my ball python the frozen rats isn't easy.


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## Soybean (Feb 11, 2009)

Yes, breeding for my own feeder rats and mice is a lot healthier than buying from pet stores. The feeders I get from petstores tend to have been sick, injured, or malnourished. Not to mention their methods of killing the feeders are not always humane. I only use humane methods and my rats and mice are treated as pets up until the day they die. That is why I join forums like this, so I can learn how to better care for them and make their lives better. I don't believe that just because an animal is intended for consumption it means it doesn't not deserve care and respect.  

How old is your corn snake? I know that my corn Zim could really put away some mice. She's my little garbage disposal. She will eat anything you put in front of her. Of course, she's not eating right now because any day now she will be laying eggs!


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## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

My corn is going to be 2 in August. This is the third week she hasn't eaten. She's also been ridiculously active lately. I used to feed her in a hamper, but she started to get so concentrated on trying to get out that she would ignore the mouse. It seems like the same thing is happening here. :-\

P.S. congrats on your corn laying eggs soon


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## Soybean (Feb 11, 2009)

Feed her in her enclosure. People will tell you if you feed in the enclosure, the snakes will become cage aggressive and this is a myth. I feed ALL of my snakes inside their enclosure and I have never had an issue with cage aggression. My snakes have intense feeding responses though on feeding day.  If she is 2 years old, you could easily feed her 2 hoppers every 5 days if you want to get rid of them faster. 

A bit of news. She is laying her eggs as I type this!


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## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

I feed both my snakes in their enclosure. I'm going to try feeding her during the day when she isn't so wiley. 

Congrats once again!


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## noMoreFaith (Apr 28, 2010)

I like snakes but If I ever owned some, I'd never ever feed them live food-couldn't look at the poor rat fighting for its life 

BTW, most people (and I'm not talking about rat fans) who have snakes avoid doing so because rats can be dangerous to the snake. Take a look here:http://reptilesalonica.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=30&st=20

(it's in greek, if you scroll down you'll see what happened to a ball python when they put a rat in its cage) * may be graphic to some*


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## RatfanaticLady29 (Mar 2, 2010)

Yes, it's much better to feed f/t or pre-killed for the snake's safety. Most reptile owners know this and ALL responsible reptile owners know this.

On the subject of kissing snakes, or any reptile for that matter......you might want to read this: http://www.avma.org/public_health/salmonella/amphibians.asp. I don't allow my reptiles anywhere on my body other than my hands and arms unless I'm going to be taking a shower immediately after handling them. I have a weakened immune system, so getting Salmonella is no joke for me. Just thought I'd post this since I've noticed lots of reptile owners don't know the risks of kissing their scaly pets.


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## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

I'm so excited! I hear a lot about ball pythons here and there about how their finicky eaters and how it's hard to transition them from mice to rats. Not my baby! He has a fierce feeding response and he just took his first medium rat. *sniff* so proud. :'( Now I hope he can down it!

Also, I think my corn is a boy. It's been so restless and not eating. I think he's only got one thing on his mind since it's spring time  It's so weird. She's been my baby girl till now. I've called him Miss. Haya for about a year! Oh well. At least there's no need to worry (I hope.)

I know the risks of salmonella. I somehow doubt though that my snakes would wriggle their heads through their own poo. I have gotten sick before though poor handling hygiene (i.e. not washing my hands every time). It wasn't that bad and it was nice to not feel so hungry all the time. Haha, sounds weird but having a digestive illness is almost like a relief for me. Don't ask


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## flox (Apr 12, 2010)

I keep snakes and rats. I have a 4 year old male corn, Sticky McNosepoke, and a... probably 3 year old mexican black kingsnake, Fandangle, who is more than likely female, but I still call him a boy since it doesn't really matter 

They're both feeling the joys of Spring at the moment (the only time of the year I see much of them without having to dig them out to play!) but neither has, touch wood, gone off food yet. The corn usually does, the king will eat anything (including himself. Three times to date). Right after Sticky goes off food for Winter, Spring comes along and it's the same all over. I only get a few good months a year when I can stuff him with mice!

When I first contacted the breeder for my rats, I was really nervous in case he asked what other pets I had and got funny if I said snakes. But then he told me he hoped I wasn't scared of snakes, then I could meet the royal pythons he breeds!

I'd had lots of rats and mice, then a long time pet-free, then got the snakes. I coped in a fairly no-nonsense way with feeding them, but I admit the first time I fed them after getting the baby rats, it was a bit sad defrosting their mice. I'm over it again now, but I don't think I could ever breed my own to feed. A bag of frozen micicles from the store is a lot easier to detatch yourself from 

Sticky:









And Dangle:


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## Golden Girls (Apr 20, 2010)

Beautiful snakes! I love Sticky's face...and his name 

Yah, after the joy of seeing my ball eat his first rat, I'm kind of over the whole "oh poor thing" since I have pet rats. I play along with the jokes of my rats as snake or cat food with other people and sometimes I'll tease them by calling them yummy snacks, but I love all my babies


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## Sw0rd Raver (Apr 6, 2010)

awe, i love your snakes. my lilttle sister has one, rainbow boa her dad found outside after someone left it. meanie. i had a rough green snake i saved from being eaten by my cat and for a short time i owned a desert king snake who almost got hacked my the mower. i released both snakes (who were wild to begin with) on my friends dads ranch where they can be left alone. Ares (Desert King) took off while Argorok (Rough Green) had to be pulled out of my shirt and put into a bush twice. little guy kept following us.


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## ShadowHunter (Jun 14, 2010)

We have snakes and rats as pets  Although my last two pet rats died recently, and my mom let one of her snakes die :*( I'm an animal lover, but my snakes have to eat, and we've even fed them pet rats (mine got mixed in by accident...), so it's a good thing I seem to have a knack for shutting down any feelings when feeding my snakes, especially when they were on live. But to get away from the depressing, I love telling people about my pets, especially when I can freak them out > Um... I didn't pay attention, so I don't recall who originially posted this, but your ball looks like mine (pickiest eater I've ever seen), and your corn looks like my male corn. I also have a female corn (I've GOT to start memorizing what they are specifically) and have somewhat taken over my mom's remaining Jungle/Arian (spelling?) carpet mix since the female died.


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