need an opinion

TeaNinja · 03-08-11, 03:14 AM

so my dumerils hasn't eatin for roughly 3 months, which isn't alarming at all, especially since mating season just came around. the rat i've had the last 3 months as his dinner is now the dad rat of my 2 breeders. i really don't want to feed him the dad rat, but i REALLY don't want to go buy another rat from the store and have the possibility of nigma not eating it and having to house a 3rd rat.

my rats are going to have their pups in about 2 weeks, then it will take at least another month or so for the babies to be big enough for a decent nigma meal.

my question is, can i safely wait until the rat pups grow up to feed nigma again? or should i feed the dad rat and use one of the pups as the new breeder rat when it grows up? or should i just buy another rat from the store and keep these 2? but like i said i hate the idea of possibly having to house another rat.

Sapphyr · 03-08-11, 03:17 AM

Well if the Dad rat thing is more of a morals sort of thing... You can rest easy 'cause they don't need Dad rat. If it's your breeder, then I don't know. I wouldn't think it'd be wise to let rats inbreed with one another, so I don't think feeding Dad rat would be a good idea if you're using him for breeding purposes. Don't want Mama rat having kids with her own kids.

TeaNinja · 03-08-11, 03:23 AM

i actually asked wayne and he said rat inbreeding is no big deal. they do it in the wild all the time.

and i do feel kind of bad, especially since the 2 rats bonded and totally love each other now lol.
i just took the male rat out, and the female is just climbing around the cage like, wtf?

TeaNinja · 03-08-11, 04:50 AM

i just reread that and it seems kind of confusing. let me clerify my question.

i would like to know if it is safe to not feed my dumerils for a total of 4-5 months. if not, should i feed my male rat and let a male pup be the new breeder, or should i go buy a new rat from the pet store. i hate the idea of housing another rat if nigma doesnt eat.

**Aaron_S** · 03-08-11, 10:03 AM

I have a snake who refuses to eat. He's been off for at least 4 months. He just likes to breed. A lot. His weight is still good so I don't mind. On the other hand, I have another snake who has lost weight so I've been feeding him. It is all dependent upon the individual snake and it's current health.

I would just go buy a new one.

infernalis · 03-08-11, 10:23 AM

Like I just said in my PM to you.

Personally I let my pair bonded couples stay together.

Inbreeding rodents takes several generations before the real problems start.

Jendee · 03-08-11, 02:14 PM

Im assuming he hasnt eaten by choice??? and if so its probably because of the season and i wouldnt worry about it. As long as he still looks in good body health.
Sometimes though if a snake has gone 3 months or more its hard to get them back on food. In this case I cut the tail off a large f/t rat feed the tailless rat to someone else and use the tail to give to the boa that's not eating gently get the tail a bit down its throat..the little morsel of food helps kick in those hunger pains and gets him going again. Boas dont normally have a problem getting back to food once they feel the season is over though.
As far as the rats Id go buy another one. But then again I buy frozen so I never have to worry about housing anything if it isn't disposed of lol