# weaner rats or large mice?



## Bengal (May 14, 2013)

It was mentioned in another thread that my male corn looks a bit under weight. I've been thinking this, myself.

His previous owner would go 4-8 weeks without feeding, a lot of the time.

I was giving him large mice and he wolfed them down with ease but he was always still hungry. So yesterday, I tried him out on a weener rat. I picked the smallest rat I could find, went to 2 different pet shops and measured them etc, as I didn't want something that was too big.

I offered the rat too him, unlike before, he didn't strike straight away, he had a good stiff but after a minute, he took it.

I did notice that he struggled with the head of the rat, for obvious reasons but once past that, he swallowed the rest, like it was water.

My thinking was that if I got him something bigger, he'd be more satisfied (although after reading some comments about snakes that would be happy to eat 24/7, pretty sure he'd eat more!) but also, that it would help him put on more weight?

I'm in 2 minds about feeding a weener rat, next week. If he ate it, would it be fine to carry on or should i stick to large mice?


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## Chance (Jun 14, 2008)

It depends on whether he manages it ok.

Some say that rats give them runny poop but I've yet to try them myself so don't know that for sure yet.

If he is underweight it may be better to keep him on his mice and increase the feeding frequency slightly to every 5-6 days as opposed to 7-10?

I'm doing much the same with Piper and its starting to show that she's putting on some weight eating every 6-7 days. 

I will be buying some rats and a couple of DOC's for the girls too because I think a little bit of variety will be good for them. 

He will have sniffed at it first because he's probably never had a rat before and they smell totally different to mice. And yeah snakes probably would be happy to eat 24/7 or at least I know my Dixie would. :lol2:


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## Bengal (May 14, 2013)

:lol2: thank you.

Think i'll mainly stick to large mice and chuck in a rat, once a month, then


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## jorge666 (Apr 6, 2012)

Snake that size can take a weaner easy, I'd be tempted with large weaners TBH


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## DWABrett72 (Jun 7, 2013)

Weaners


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## RLS (Feb 21, 2013)

Rats over mice any day, gram for gram rats are more nutritious!


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## Andysmith06 (Feb 24, 2013)

have you tried 2 mice? I know my king likes 2 every so often, don't know if corns are the same (I imagine so) I'm just moving my king onto small weaners as well as mice


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## Bengal (May 14, 2013)

Not tried 2 mice but he seems satisfied with weener rats, will give 2 mice a shot, next week, see if it makes a difference


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