Male or female food?

[Smash39]

Does it really matter, I've heard some people say they only feed females to their snakes. Is there any knowledge to this or is it just peoples preference? Another thing is that I plan on breeding mice but when I get males what do I do with them? That is assuming I only feed my snakes the females? I have been feeding my snakes all female just because I had heard some people prefer that. Just wondering if it really matters. Thanks -zach

[JuliusSqueezer]

Dude, That is sooo sexual descrimination. All rodents must die. Males don't get to live just for being males. Feed them all! Really, it doesn't matter. I've had some people swear their snakes had a preference, but more likely it's coincidence. In other words, the snake may have finally eaten due to any number of cosmic changes in his little universe and all the owner took note of was the gender difference of the food he was offering.

[jtrott]

The only time that I don't feed female rats to my balls is when I am going to replace breeders. Then I will hold all the females that I produce back to trade to someone else for their females. I make sure I feed all my males out of all my litters unless, again, I am replacing old breeders. In the case of males, I keep males that I produce, and trade the females with a buddy of mine for fresh blood.

I see no discrimination in my ball pythons when it comes to eating time. They eat males, females, white, black, brown, hooded, silkys, or dumbos....they don't care, they are not picky. They will not eat hairless rats though. Don't know why.

Jason

[wreckwriter]

I had a lady at a pet store, oddly a good one generally, tell me that only males could be fed because if a female were pregnant it would kill the snake (poison it). Never heard such a thing before or since.

It doesn't matter.

[jtrott]

Originally Posted by wreckwriter

I had a lady at a pet store, oddly a good one generally, tell me that only males could be fed because if a female were pregnant it would kill the snake (poison it). Never heard such a thing before or since.

It doesn't matter.

I have fed VERY pregnant rats to some of my bigger ball pythons with no problems. Sounds like a case of talking out of ones arse.

Jason

[wreckwriter]

Originally Posted by jtrott

I have fed VERY pregnant rats to some of my bigger ball pythons with no problems. Sounds like a case of talking out of ones arse.
Jason

Yup, it does

[JuliusSqueezer]

In fact, if you want to add some serious protien...feed pregnant rats or nursing rats have lots of extra calcium.

[Heidi]

My girl would descriminate against all white rats until recently. She started on mostly black and when it came down to only having mostly whites I had to find the ones that had the most black and so on until she would take the white ones. When given a pure white one in the middle of the "switch" she refused it. I don't know why she was like that but I guess that is just how I pulled them out to feed her, the blacks first and then got down to the whites.

She also did not like pinkies when she was smaller. She usually refused rats until she was old enough for pups. Every now and then I'd be out and have to feed her a fuzzy but she was always reluctant. Snakes can be picky.

[toker]

Snakes can be picky.

Well said