Rodents — The Staple Diet of Ball Pythons

Any snake enthusiast that maintains a collection of ball pythons has the necessity of having a good supply of feeder rodents available. Whether you choose to buy from a rodent supplier or choose to breed your own, both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.

Over time, we have become students of rodent culture, so that we may nourish our snakes with the highest quality feed.  Raising your own rodents is a quality control measure for providing your snake’s with the best nutrition. We choose to feed our rat colony a high quality lab block diet such as Mazuri 6F.  The best results are achieved when a rodent breeder utilizes a feed formulated specifically for rodents. Although the price of this lab block feed has risen over the years, our rodent colonies vigor thrives on this diet. We will not sacrifice price for quality, and believe in the philosophy of, “what you put in, is what you get out”. A nutritionally balanced fed rodent raised in a clean environment is the optimum food source for any ball python.  Your snakes will show excellent growth and health.  Some snake hobbyists and breeders have cut corners by electing to feed their rodent colony with economically cheaper alternatives such as dog food.

Rodent breeder racks blueprints are available online in many designs and can be easily constructed with tools and materials available at local hardware stores. Auto watering valves, tees joints, and waterlines can be found at most livestock specialty supply stores such as AgSelect.com (in the USA) and Grandview Commercial Rabbitry (in Canada).  Your rodent room should be a well ventilated and designed with good air flow because rodents such as rats produce plenty of body heat and can heat stress easily.  Above 80o° F (27o° C) they will slow down their reproductive cycle.  Below 32° F (0° C), they will also cease breeding. Breeding rodents during the winter months  in northern climates requires a temperature controlled heated room with good insulation for temperature stability. Keeping them a few degrees above the freezing point will ensure free flowing water lines and active reproduction.

There is a knack involved in the day-to-day maintenance routine that keeps a rodent breeder colony healthy and productive.  Rodent breeders chores include,

• checking the rodent colony daily to top off feed hoppers and keep fresh water in the reservoirs
• checking for stuck water valves to prevent floods which can drown rodents
• maintaining the right sized colony to fulfill seasonal needs
• culling the weak and diseased
• and raising surplus grow out females and males, ready to rotate into the breeding colony to replace older burnt out breeders.

Raising rodents to feed a ball python collection is economical and definitely a labour of love. When a proper breeding regimen is in place, a snake keeper will benefit by having rodents of all sizes available at all times to feed their collection. To help defray some the cost of rodent production, many rodent breeders sell surplus rodents to local snake keepers.

The disadvantages of rodent production include the weekly maintenance of breeding colony, costs of disposal of large quantities of soiled bedding, and the famous strong foul odour. Raising rodents is ideally performed in a rural setting.   In a subdivision community, most neighbours would not appreciate the odour associated with farming rodents.  Such complaints may have local by-law enforcement officers knocking on your door.

Buying feeders through a commercial rodent supplier is an alternative if you do not have the time, resources or desire to breed them. Most are more economical than local pet stores but price list variances among commercial suppliers are common. Remember you get what you pay for. Always ask questions about their feeding regimen.  You might be surprised that some do not use a high quality lab block as a staple. Always be on the look out for a local keeper who breeds his own rodents that may have surplus rodents available. These are great relationships to forge and a quality feeder might be sourced.  Inquiring for such sources at local herpetlogy societies, on-line reptile forums and reptile shows may pay dividends. Most commercial suppliers offer frozen feeders and the price gets better with higher volume orders.  Properly packaged frozen rodents are clean, normally vacuum packed and show no signs of temperature abuse such as thawing and refreezing or frost bite.  Some breeders will mail an order to a customer and the shipment is packed with dry ice to ensure the package remains frozen upon delivery. Always try to keep your feeders in the freezer no longer than six months as a rule for quality reasons. Vacuum packed feeders will last longer.

Some disadvantages of purchasing rodents through a commercial supplier may include unavailability to fill an order due to high demand and receiving improper sizing. Most breeders use different classifications of sizing their rodents. A rat pup size from supplier A may vary to supplier B. It is always safer to request a rodent by average weight for better clarification. Always try to plan your orders during the low demand times. Stock up early before the demand of hatching season and pinky requirements overwhelm the commercial breeders.

With the 2010 hatching season around the corner, don’t forget to stock up on some rodents to feed those new acquisitions. Whether you breed your own rodents or purchase from a commercial breeder, a hungry ball python will never turn down a nutritious meal.