Pinky Rats???

[Jake Dubz]

Hey, My buddy keeps a buncha Male rats as pets, they got rid of the female bc they were constantly trying to impbreed... point being he said that he'd get another female and let me have her babies for feeders, I was just wondering if this is possible. I imagine their probably a bit larger, or so i'm guessing- so could i just use the newborns or something (even tho i think a pinkie is a newborn... right?) Thanx allot guys!

[GarterGuy]

Sure, as long as your snakes will take them. I know a lot of people who use pinky rats for their snakes and really like them. On the other hand, some snakes can be picky and only take mice. I know this sounds stupid, but I have a 5ft. kingsnake that refuses to take rats. She'll eat like two to three big mice, but put a rat in and she just turns her nose up at it.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I can't get my mice to breed....I hve rats that pop out babies left and right! I freeze different sizes for different snakes. I cut legs off for the tinier snakes and feed whole ones to the ones big enough to take them.

[adamanteus]

I've always found that pinky rat parts, if scented in the usual way, are quite acceptable to Garters. To be fair though I've never really used them extensively.

[Snaky]

I've also fed them to mine and there where no problems... Some, if given the choice prefer pick them over other food

But the same remark as with pinkie mice, add extra calcium to them...

edit: new borns are the easiest, but you can give them to any size that your garter accepts, so it's not necessary that they're just born.

[Stefan-A]

I've heard about people having a bit of trouble getting garters to take rats instead of mice. Somebody said it might have something to do with rats being one of garters snakes' predators in the wild..?

[ssssnakeluvr]

that could be...however I use babies and have had no problem.....I could see where they would have problems with the adults..

[Jake Dubz]

Thanx allot guys- Looks like i'm buyin my buddy a female rat then

[infernalis]

I have 2 garters that eat rat pups. Anyone else?

[Loren]

All of my garters that are large enough eat unscented rats- live or thawed. This includes my Mount Diablo aquatic, Coast terrestrial, Mountain terrestrial, and my Sierra garter.
It took scenting to get some of them onto mice- but they then took to rats without a problem.
I do however, have other snakes that will not eat rats, but love mice, including some kings, like Roy said.
For those snakes, I have found a trick too though- scent your rats with mice. Rince the rat- and then soak in in some soiled mouse bedding and water. Pat it dry with paper towels- and you now have a "mouse". Works with many of them anyhow- and then of coarse, through reduced rinsing and scenting, you can eventually get them onto naturally scented rats.