When feeding snakes why are rat healther than mice?

Question

Why is feeding a small rat better than feeding multiplu mice.Why are rat healther,or Why is it better to feed one large prey item (mice,rat) than multplu smaller prey items.

Answer 1

its not better to feed one prey item but who ever told you this is dead wrong its better to feed multiple items.

Answer 2

not necicarily. rats are bigger in general so if ur sanake it big enough to handle the meal then the snake will b able to go longer without food but on nutritional bases it all depends on what the mouse/ rat was fed

Answer 3

Some snakes are very finicky about eating, especially about eating prekilled prey.  Our ball python is pretty picky about eating, so we always feed her larger food because it's sometimes hard to get her to eat one mouse, let alone multiples.  If you know that the snake will likely only eat one food item at a time, you want to get the most out of that one item.

Answer 4

Rats are likely to be less healthy because rats are more omnivorous. I guess it doesn't matter for a caged rat or mouse, both are about the same.

One large meal takes longer to digest. This is convenient for a snake owner who keeps snakes in a small enclosure and doesn't want an active snake. We (humans) sometimes feed our animals just enough to make them really easy for US to care for, regardless of what is healthier for the animal. You can feed frequent small meals or occasional large meals.

Answer 5

It isn't actually. It doesn't matter. It is the snakes personal preferance. In the wild, a snake will hunt a good sized prey, this way they don't have to hunt again for a while as they digest. So, many people feed one larger feeder out of convenience. You don't have to feed as often. But some snakes have trouble digesting a large rat, and would prefer a couple mice. Keep in mind that if you feed a full grown ball python a couple mice, they have less muscle mass and more bones than one medium or large sized rat. So, think about the nutrition value as well.

See what your snake prefers, some prefer bigger prey, some don't care!! It doesn't matter as long as your feeders are well taken care of and you use proper precautions when feeding live.