Rats vs. Mice?

minion

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Well, I'm a snake lover and I'm the member of a few snake forums. It seems to be a widespread fact that feeding your snakes rats over mice has much more of a nutritonous(sp?) value to them..It makes them grow faster(not saying it's a cheap way to make your snake big! but a growing snake is a healthy snake!) and overall keeps them healthier.

Now, I'm curious if the same stands for cats. I would think so and don't see why the nutrition value of the rat would change, I'm just curious.

I KNOW half you guys will comment back to this saying I need to ask my vet or breeder or whatever, but I'm looking for opinions/facts of people on HERE. No offence, but it's not very helpful when most of the comments on my threads are ppl telling me to ask someone else, in my eyes it kinda defeats the purpose of the forum! Again, not trying to sounds mean or mad or anything lol...just want some clear thoughts on the matter. I'm not too worried about the answer, I just like to hear what others think/experiences have to say. I'm a very curious person..^-^
 
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minion

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Thanks for the link!

I'm not looking for someone to tell me what is best for my cat, but some ground to make my own decision! =) Advice is always nice to have!
 

forensic

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Nutrition value of either will depend on what they've been feed, I'd think.


That said, EW! I love my rats! I can't even think about my kitty EATING them!
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by Minion

Well, I'm a snake lover and I'm the member of a few snake forums. It seems to be a widespread fact that feeding your snakes rats over mice has much more of a nutritonous(sp?) value to them..It makes them grow faster(not saying it's a cheap way to make your snake big! but a growing snake is a healthy snake!) and overall keeps them healthier.
As a snake breeder (owned for 7 years, bred for 5) who has done a substantial amount of research on the quality of prey, there are misconceptions in the above statement.

Now, I'm curious if the same stands for cats. I would think so and don't see why the nutrition value of the rat would change, I'm just curious.
I would think it would be the same for kitties, except...(this goes towards the first part of your statement)

when comparing a rat and mouse of equal size, rats have more fat than mice. And of course we all know that too much fat in anyone's diet (human, reptiles, animals) can be a bad thing.

I KNOW half you guys will comment back to this saying I need to ask my vet or breeder or whatever, but I'm looking for opinions/facts of people on HERE. No offence, but it's not very helpful when most of the comments on my threads are ppl telling me to ask someone else, in my eyes it kinda defeats the purpose of the forum! Again, not trying to sounds mean or mad or anything lol...just want some clear thoughts on the matter. I'm not too worried about the answer, I just like to hear what others think/experiences have to say. I'm a very curious person..^-^
The above is just my opinion, and the prey comparisson is based on fact

Here's a great link for comparing nutritional values of prey items (not limited to mice/rats)
http://rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp

Hope that helps
 
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minion

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Thanks for that post Forensic & Snake_Lady..

About the whole Rat vs. Mouse thing..Most snake hobbiests and breeders(mainly for BCC & BCI) I have ever met have told me that rats are better. I personally haven't done A LOT of research on the fact, but when a lot of experienced snake lovers/hobbiests all tell me the same thing I'm not one to disagree..I'm not saying that it's true and I'm not saying it isn't..I'm just saying that is what I've learned over the years and been told by a lot of people who keep snakes as major hobbiests.

I appreciate the information and the link though..

And I know this is major off topic, but what snakes do you have? =)
 

snake_lady

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Originally Posted by Minion

Thanks for that post Forensic & Snake_Lady..

About the whole Rat vs. Mouse thing..Most snake hobbiests and breeders(mainly for BCC & BCI) I have ever met have told me that rats are better. I personally haven't done A LOT of research on the fact, but when a lot of experienced snake lovers/hobbiests all tell me the same thing I'm not one to disagree..I'm not saying that it's true and I'm not saying it isn't..I'm just saying that is what I've learned over the years and been told by a lot of people who keep snakes as major hobbiests.

I appreciate the information and the link though..

And I know this is major off topic, but what snakes do you have? =)
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=182592


(definately rats for BCC/BCI, mainly due to size issues. Mice are wayyyy too small, except for when the snake is a juvie...under a year old.)

If you were to feed your cat a prey item, I would chose mouse over rat, simply because of the higher fat content in rats.
 

chris10

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snake_lady

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Originally Posted by chris10

Good link. That info came from this report http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf . The info listed on rodentpro is the published data but there also is some unpublished data done by zoo's listed in that report worth looking at.

I personally would go with mice.

I just scanned quickly but it seems that mice and rats of the same size have the same fat content or pretty close
Mice greater than 10g 23.6% fat.
Rat 10-50g 27.5% fat.

I've seen that report before....it is invaluable
 

goldenkitty45

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Sorry but I have no clue. The snake I owned was a Ribbon Snake and they eat mainly fish - not mice. I used to feed my snake feeder goldfish. Got so tamed I could offer the live fish to her and she would take it out of my hand instead of trying to catch it herself
 

kady05

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

I have pet mice and was thinking the same thing.
Same here! I have 4 pet rats, and 4 cats, and I could never imagine feeding rats to them! I suppose that's why I don't have snakes.

My rats would probably eat my cats before the cats could get to them.. the cats are scared of the rats
.
 

forensic

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Originally Posted by kady05

Same here! I have 4 pet rats, and 4 cats, and I could never imagine feeding rats to them! I suppose that's why I don't have snakes.

My rats would probably eat my cats before the cats could get to them.. the cats are scared of the rats
.
Agreed... Hennessy will not touch Jack... Jack taught him that lesson first time the paw went in the cage. Same with the dog.
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

I have pet mice and was thinking the same thing.
It is a matter of nature taking its course. Cats eat mice. Mice are eaten by cats. That is why humans welcomed cats into their homes in the first place--to protect their grain stores from the rodents.
 
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minion

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Ok Thanks! =D

I remember now why rats were prefered over mice..>.< I got my info mixed up a bit. It was because it was easier to start out with rats so that way you wouldn't have to go through the mouse/rat switch over, which some snakes are difficult to change diets for some are picky. =P I feel dumb!

Again..Thanks a lot of all the info! I appreciate it a lot!
 
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