Breeding ? Rats or Mice

[austcold]

On a small scale what is the easiest to maintain, Rats or Mice.

[snakes4me2]

We have just got a couple if rats to start breeding and they seem easy enough to keep.

[Krystal]

I think mice are easier as you can just pop them in a fish tank and they don't need as much space - however male mice stink! The female mice don't fight and they share the "mum" duties whereas female rats need to be separated as they can fight over babies which can mean the babies die.
I like my rats better though as they are my pets and I just think they are smarter and funner than the mice.

[austcold]

So do you think in general rats smell less than mice?

[Helikaon]

go rats, mice are annoying, they cant eat properly and they are constantly ******* and pooping, and they stink more , rats are the way to go, easy as pie to breed and look after to. pluss they are big so easier to grab if you need to move them and the likes. i just reduced my mice down to about 4 females and a male due to them annoying me, but i have a small colony of about 15 female rats and three males and i currently have a bit over 100 bubs between pinky and weaner on mums at the moment.

[first_time_owner]

So do you think in general rats smell less than mice?

NO WAY! i had a female and a male rat and my sis had a male mouse and the rat stunk out the house but the mouse still smelt

[beeman]

We run about 450 mice and and 250 rats and the rats are by far an easier animal
to look after, they are cleaner ,dont smell anywhere near what the mice do.
{and its the male mice that put out the most of the odour}

[Helikaon]

yeah i remember i separated all my weaners into sexes to grow them and the male cage stunk a lot.

[Wolfgang]

Go with quail instead, less smell and far more productive.

[VixenBabe]

I prefer my mice, however I breed both.

The smell of them doesnt seem to bother me as much as the rats, plus rats bite more/harder, take up more space, and always pee on me Hand reared rats are a totally different story though

[Allies_snakes]

Hi,

I have a 16mth old spotted python in my collection. In the last couple of days I have notice she has been blowing her throat up like blowing a bubble, but in her throat? She appears normal and happy, but keeps doing this when ever someone goes near her enclosure. I last fed her a week ago and was normal as well as her passing it.

Its not swollen like this permanently, as it goes down. Just looks like she has a sore throat or a cough?

Any ideas? Will take her to the vet tomorrow if no one can help. I am fear ing she is sick.

Ali..

[Helikaon]

this has come up quite a few times, some snakes seem to get this due to the size of the food offered. i believe some snakes just inflate it as well for no real reason, but i have also seen it due to protazoan infections causing the animal to produce a tonne of saliva which sits in teh throat causing the pouch. this can be confirmed with a fresh feacal sample. whether it all just depends on finding the cause and this would best be done by a good reptile vet.

[Allies_snakes]

Thanks mate,

will take her to the vet to be on the safe side.

kind regards,

Ali.

[willia6]

my old school had male rats in 1 class and 1 male had a few kids and the other class got 1 female and the males just smelt like rats, but they did smell a tiny but worse than the female, but only if you breathed through your nose looking for it.
but it does hurt more when they bite.
sometimes it's a huge shock and you just pull back real fast and they just clip you.
they do draw some nasty blood though.
if you'fe been bite by a snake it's like the blooud comparrisone is like grassing your knee just a tiny bit.

thats my info on rats from personal expirience
ohh and don't put the adult male rats together coz they fight
I THINK
not sure though

Will
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[Elapid_Boy]

i was reading a mice care sheet and it said that if you put some vanilla essence in their water they smell alot less. anyone tried it?