Feeding?

[DeadlyDesires]

OK so i dont see a "feeding" sub forum anywhere (which i think should be lol just saying...) anyways so i posted here since i have a boa lol..

a few days ago i was at the pet store. they were all out of rats and mice. and since my lil colony isnt big enough to breed yet i have to buy them. so because they were all out i asked about the gerbil and if i could feed it.. they said yes, but if you feed a gerbil you can never feed rats again because your snakes wont take them? is this true? btw. i drove to somewhere else to get my rats lol..

[Starbuck]

There is a whole forum section titled 'food for thought' (not boa specific) which deals in feeders/feeding etc.

As for an animal being prey-specific like that; i think it all depends on the snake. I think it would be unlikely that your snake would refuse a rat ever again; it may be equally likely that it would refuse the gerbil all together because it smells 'weird'. That being said, i've heard colloquial stories along those lines, but i think it is more prevalent in juvenile, highly prey specific snakes, i.e. baby garters or hognose that require prey scented with fish or frogs. Boas and other predominately mammal (mice and rat) eating snakes should be ok, but you know your snakes feeding history better than anyone else here :)

[DeadlyDesires]

There is a whole forum section titled 'food for thought' (not boa specific) which deals in feeders/feeding etc.

As for an animal being prey-specific like that; i think it all depends on the snake. I think it would be unlikely that your snake would refuse a rat ever again; it may be equally likely that it would refuse the gerbil all together because it smells 'weird'. That being said, i've heard colloquial stories along those lines, but i think it is more prevalent in juvenile, highly prey specific snakes, i.e. baby garters or hognose that require prey scented with fish or frogs. Boas and other predominately mammal (mice and rat) eating snakes should be ok, but you know your snakes feeding history better than anyone else here :)

aah ok..

also if someone would move this to that forum lol i have seen it but for some reason it didnt cross my mind :p my mistake..

[Mark Taylor]

Gerbils don't smell as bad as rats.
I do like the way you put the fact it might refuse the gerbil though, I would not think that a snake could tell the difference to be honest but ill stick to rats.

[Terranaut]

I have heard the same about soft furs but when the girl at the pet shop game me a bag of soft furs instead of small rats I had no choice but to use them. My snakes all ate rats again next meal including my royal. Sounds like a myth to me.

[Starbuck]

lol as a side note, I doubt my snakes would care what dinner smelled like either, as long at its fuzzy its fair game.... actually, if its even in their TANK its fair game, hands included :P But i have kings, the champion eaters :)

[DeadlyDesires]

lol as a side note, I doubt my snakes would care what dinner smelled like either, as long at its fuzzy its fair game.... actually, if its even in their TANK its fair game, hands included :P But i have kings, the champion eaters :)

lmfao thats great.. im glad i dont have any snakes like that ... maybe someday but for now ill stick to my docile ones.

[Chu'Wuti]

Gerbils don't smell as bad as rats.
I do like the way you put the fact it might refuse the gerbil though, I would not think that a snake could tell the difference to be honest but ill stick to rats.

I feel quite sure they can tell the difference--different body temp and heart rate if you're feeding live, definitely different smell even if you're feeding F/T.

I've heard some snakes can get "addicted" to one type of prey, but I've never had it happen myself. On the other hand, I've only switched between mice and rats and haven't tried gerbils, so what do I know? Not much about food preferences in this way!

[KORBIN5895]

I have fed my boas mice , rats, gerbils, degus, rabbits, chicks, hamsters and guinea hens. Never had a problem switching back and forth.

[DeadlyDesires]

I have fed my boas mice , rats, gerbils, degus, rabbits, chicks, hamsters and guinea hens. Never had a problem switching back and forth.


awesome thank you very much... once they get big enough we plan on breeding rabbits and guinea pigs (if we can) as well for feeding.

[KORBIN5895]

Don't bother with Guinea pigs as they have a four month gestation period. They are also really fatty too.

[rmfsnakes32]

I have used gerbils and hamsters with my boas they went back to rats just fine.

[DeadlyDesires]

Don't bother with Guinea pigs as they have a four month gestation period. They are also really fatty too.


ah ok thanks nice to know :D

[KORBIN5895]

ah ok thanks nice to know :D

Guinea pigs are good for putting weight on a skinny snake but they are too fatty as a staple, especially the way most people feed snakes.