feeder rats

curious what your opinions are on rats vs mice?
nutritional value is my main concern.

and then also your opinion on giving the snake a twitching half dead rat or giving him a frozen/thawed rat.
which is the snake going to prefer.?

and then finally,
Im having troubles finding the right size rat on the day i need to feed.
so i was curious if i could buy 4-5 rats of the correct size when i come across them. Then as far as killing them so they dont keep growing.
can i just take the 5 rats and throw them in a gallon zip lock bag and then press all the air out and close it? and they will suffocate?
I dont have a co2 cage to kill them off in. and i rather have them dead before i throw them in the freezer ( tho im sure a few hours in the cold would do the same trick ). and wacking em works but sometimes they get bloody.. and then its just more mess.

any info is appreciated.
and if you happen to be local to the bay area CA and you breed rats, please contact me.

Originally Posted by jk.mrdck

twitching half dead rat or giving him a frozen/thawed rat.
which is the snake going to prefer.?

All of my boas from newborns to adults have readily taken frozen/thawed mice and rats without hesitation.

Originally Posted by jk.mrdck

can i just take the 5 rats and throw them in a gallon zip lock bag and then press all the air out and close it? and they will suffocate?

NO no no that is not humane please do not do that

Originally Posted by jk.mrdck

I dont have a co2 cage to kill them off in. and i rather have them dead before i throw them in the freezer

NO no no do not put live rats in the freezer to kill them! please do not do that!

"The only humane way to euthanize a rat at home without veterinary help is with carbon dioxide (CO2). Euthanasia with CO2 is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)."
http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html

You can get Co2 pretty easily, make sure to read how to do it correctly. Also 'whacking' while not considered humane by the AVMA is also usually a very quick death if done correctly.

Easier to buy frozen thawed.

Originally Posted by jk.mrdck

and if you happen to be local to the bay area CA and you breed rats, please contact me.

I have gotten my rats the last year from a local source - I use rodents4u.com they do local deliveries all over the bay area every week. Not sure how close he gets to your area, but it might be worth checking. Also taylorreptiles.com. If you buy frozen, you can buy a small bulk that will last for months.

Please try to treat feeders with respect and humanely, they are animals too.

For your nutritional inquiry
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/Who...nal02May29.pdf

Buying in bulk is cheaper,gas chambers aren't feasible for 1-5-10 snake collection
unless you also run your own rat colony.

This might be helpful

Cervical dislocation, dislocation of the neck, is a simple and humane method of killing mice and small rats. In the case of mice and small rats, the animal is held by its tail and placed on a surface that it can grip, then it will stretch itself out so that a pencil or similar object can be placed firmly across the back of the neck. A sharp pull on the base of the tail will then dislocate the neck. (copied from the web and edited by me)