# Question about feeder rats



## Maltey (Jun 26, 2011)

Hi there,
I read a lot on the forum about people rescuing feeder rats. What exactly are they? I've never seen them in the UK. Any rats that are for feeding snakes are already dead and frozen- is this what they're for? Just live rats in a tank for people to buy and feed to their snakes?!


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

yes. live feeding is illegal in the uk, which is why you don't see them.


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## Maltey (Jun 26, 2011)

Wow. That must be heartbreaking. I'm glad it's illegal- I don't think my household could take that!


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I wish they would make it illegal here, too. I shatters me to walk into the pet store to get frozen pinkies for my snake, and see a person walk RIGHT PAST THE FREEZER to get live, suffering, more expensive mice or rats. Its so much safer for the snake to feed F/T, both because of parasites and bites, which can kill, and it's cheaper, and easier (open freezer, pull out food), and kinder to what is being eaten. Sadly, as a member of a snake site..many of the people who feed live enjoy seeing the rodent die, because it's "Nature right in my home!11!!". It's disgusting.

It's still nature in my home when Curses eats something that isn't suffering. I don't know how they can be that coldhearted, I always feel terrible even feeding dead things to my snake. I only do it because she needs it to live and I love her very much. I could never let her go hungry.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I am a snake owner, and feed Frozen thawed, there are some snakes that really will not touch anything but live. But it's so uncommon, and it's a poor excuse to resort to it.
When my snake refused food, I took her to the vet and she got a medicine to increase her appetite and she has eaten consistently since then, I did not lamely say "Well my snake refuses frozen time for live!"

Some people either don't know any better (which means that they did not research their snake before getting it), or just enjoy watching it die, in which case they are pretty much just sick foe enjoying animals dying.
I think someday it will be made illegal here, just a matter of time before it is. Until then I will continue being a frozen thawed advocate, and hope to educate people.


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## killybutt (Nov 22, 2010)

My boys happen to be rescues from a feeder bin. And they are the sweetest rats I've ever met <3
In the US people can typically purchase rats from $2-$5 a piece out of a feeder bin, to be fed to snakes. It's not recommended to feed live rats to a snake, since the rat can injure the snake, but I think some people do it anyway just for the thrill    The whole practice is really barbaric. I hate to think what happens to live feeder rats.


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## DameAbnormal (Oct 2, 2011)

I've always wondered what feeder rat ment too, that was a good question,

I'm in the uk also and so glad it's banned, the thought of it, a live rat, just gives me chills,

the poor rattie has no life stuffed in small cages, and then meets its end, in a horrific way


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## MystickWinds (Sep 15, 2011)

I wish they would make it illegal, but only time will tell. I have a fear of snakes and when I agreed to allow two snakes into my home (the face your fears type of thing), since my husband enjoys snakes, they were only fed frozen. I couldn't stand the idea of them being fed live. We don't have snakes now. That was years ago. Two of my ratties were feeder bin rats. It's sad. The store that sells them here, usually has them in 10-20gal aquariums (depending on the size of "feeders") and I've never seen less than 10 rats per tank. It's terrible!


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## Critter Aficionado (Jan 30, 2011)

I have to think anyone who actually enjoys seeing an animal kill another are sociopaths or at least borderline. Like dog fighters, that's just sick. I would love to see if become illegal here, then breeders would have to raise baby snakes on frozen; and of course it would have to be couple by a law regarding euthanizing feeders since some people do that incredibly cruelly as well.


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## glider11 (Sep 7, 2011)

It's so terrible. I can't imagine why people would actually want to feed live. They have miserable lives crammed in small tanks, without any proper treatment, and then, they are brutally killed. I rescued a feeder rat a few months ago and the thought that her life would have been that way makes me so sad. I kind of expected feeder rats to be more fidgety or nervous but she is absolutely the sweetest and she quickly learned to trust me. I really wish that live rats as feeders were illegal here!


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## MystickWinds (Sep 15, 2011)

glider11 said:


> I kind of expected feeder rats to be more fidgety or nervous but she is absolutely the sweetest and she quickly learned to trust me.


I think it depends on the rat. The two I have now that were feeder rats are opposites. Basil is super sweet and trusting; whereas, Mocha is the total opposite. She is very nervous and it is taking a lot longer to earn her trust. Neither have ever been biters, but Mocha will run and try to get as far away from you as possible as fast as her little legs will carry her.


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## junior_j (Jan 24, 2008)

I am also glad it is banned in the UK. Although I remember being 8 or 9 and my dads friend showed me his snake eating a live mouse and it scarred me. The poor mouse looked so scared and knew what was going to happen. I have kept rats for over 4 years now and still don't understand how or why people use them as feeders or keep them in poor conditions x


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## ratjes (Mar 26, 2011)

Petco has "advice" on its feeders' cages "_to only feed frozen mice or rats to snakes for safety of the snake_" but it is just a marketing tool to look good to the (often ignorant) public who might still care. 
I have bought several rats from them (pets for me) and they don't care what you do with them. They don't ask questions, you just point out which one you want and they stuff it in a box which is the last cramped quarter for her before I take her home to have a good and fun life.
Whenever I see mine free range, getting into trouble and cozy up together in their hammocks, I realize how they dodged the feeder bullet.


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I don't buy rats from Petco any more--at all, ever, even if I'd consider buying from a pet store again--because their rats are always so very sick and it's heartbreaking, and--get this--I pointed out that a hamster was very sick and they promptly treated it, but when I told the rodents department manager that their rats were sick, all she said was "Yeah, I know." Selective treatment :\


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## ratjes (Mar 26, 2011)

You could file a complaint to the main office from Petco. They do take this seriously. I once did this to address the situation of the feeder fish and things have improved. Petco in our town has healthy animals (the mammals). I have had two rats from them and they have been the longest lived and most social I have had. I think it depends how they are raised and treated in the breeding facilities.


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