Frozen Rat Pups/Newborns 5/12g

Package: 25 pcs

Rat Newborns, also known as rat pups, are highly valued in terrarium keeping for their nutritional value. They are larger and more caloric compared to mouse newborns, and the price of a rat of this size often makes rat pups a more economical option. Rat newborns are a popular choice for feeding snakes, reptile and bird of prey prey, as well as dog and cat food as part of a whole prey diet.

Prey for Reptiles, Amphibians, and Cats with Wide Application

Rat pups, sometimes called rat newborns, are an excellent alternative to slightly larger mice, especially as prey for snakes or whole prey for cats, when animals are reluctant to accept food with fur. When, for example, a corn snake does not want to eat larger mice due to fur, bald rat pups can solve the problem. The lack of hair on rat newborns facilitates the adaptation of reptiles and cats to a new type of food.

Rat pups are not only food for snakes and cats, although they are most commonly associated with them. In fact, frozen rats of this size are also used in the diet of lizards and frogs, as vertebrates providing these animals with calcium, which is lacking in insects. According to the MSD Veterinary Manual, rodent pups have 171% to even 15900% more calcium than other types of prey, making rat pups suitable for the diet of some lizards and frogs during intense growth phases and breeding periods. Over other sizes of frozen rats, rat pups have the advantage of being fur-free, which could be a problem due to the potential harmful accumulation in the stomachs of those reptiles and amphibians whose digestive systems are not adapted to digesting hair.

Superiority of Frozen Rodents over Live Prey

There are endless reasons to feed frozen rat pups as prey for reptiles. Let's start with the fact that Raw Pet-Food, as a shop with whole prey for cats and food for snakes and other reptiles and amphibians, primarily focuses on the quality of the offered food. This also applies to the ethical aspects concerning the pain and fear experienced by feed animals. By offering frozen food for snakes and other animals, we limit the exposure of feed rodents to unnecessary stress and suffering in contact with the predator.

From a practical point of view, frozen rats and mice offer significant benefits in terms of storage and preservation. Live rodents require considerable space, expenses, and time for their care, which can lead to environmental and health problems if not managed properly. Meanwhile, frozen rodents are easy to store in the freezer, significantly reducing the risk of unpleasant odors and responsibilities, with minimal effort needed to feed a snake or maintain a stock of cat food.

It should also be noted that many captive reptiles are reluctant to feed on live prey. This often happens, especially in confined spaces, where the movements of live prey can frighten the snake. Therefore, a live rat newborn may discourage the animal from eating, while thawed and warmed rat pups will constitute a better, less stressful food for the snake.

Rat Pups as Food for Snakes, Lizards, Cats, Dogs, Turtles, Hedgehogs, and Spiders

The rat newborn, due to its size and nutritional values, is valuable food for a remarkable spectrum of animals raised in our homes. Here are some of them:

• Elaphe dione (Dione's Rat Snake)
• Elaphe climacophora (Japanese Rat Snake)
• Elaphe carinata (King Rat Snake)
• Thamnophis sirtalis (Common Garter Snake)
• Calabaria reinhardtii (Reinhardt's Ground Python)
• Hemitheconyx caudicinctus (African Fat-tailed Gecko) – during breeding
• Pogona vitticeps (Bearded Dragon) – occasionally as adult lizard food, as an addition to the diet
• Hydrosaurus pustulatus (Philippine Sailfin Lizard) – occasionally as adult lizard food, as an addition to the diet
• Hydrosaurus amboinensis (Sailfin Dragon)
• Gonocephalus grandis (Great Anglehead Lizard) – as a dietary variety
• Physignathus cocincinus (Chinese Water Dragon) – lizard food, important part of the diet due to high calcium content
• Intellagama (Physignathus) lesueurii (Eastern Water Dragon) – occasionally as an addition
• Varanus exanthematicus (Savannah Monitor)
• Varanus melinus
• Varanus beccarii (Black Tree Monitor)
• Varanus bengalensis (Bengal Monitor) – as vertebrates, a valuable source of calcium for young
• Varanus panoptes
• Varanus salvator (Water Monitor)
• Matobosaurus validus (Giant Plated Lizard) – occasionally as an addition
• Ctenosaura similis (Black Spiny-tailed Iguana)
• Anolis equestris (Cuban Knight Anole) – during intensive growth and for breeding females
• Lacerta trilineata (Balkan Green Lizard)
• Tupinambis rufescens (Red Tegu) – a valuable addition to the diet of the young
• Tupinambis merianae (Argentine Black and White Tegu) – due to calcium content for adults
• Ameiva ameiva (Giant Ameiva)
• Tupinambis teguixin (Colombian Black and White Tegu)
• Kinosternon baurii, Pelomedusa subrufa (African Helmeted Turtle)
• Chelydra serpentina (Snapping Turtle) – food for larger turtles, as an addition to the diet
• Brachypelma hamorii (Mexican Red-knee Tarantula)
• Tliltocatl (Brachypelma) albopilosus (Curly Hair Tarantula) – prey for larger-sized spiders
• Caiman crocodilus (Spectacled Caiman)
• Ceratophrys ornata (Ornate Horned Frog),
• Rhinella marina (Cane Toad)
• Pyxicephalus adspersus (African Bullfrog, Giant Bullfrog) – for some varieties
• Monodelphis domestica (Gray Short-tailed Opossum) – as a dietary variety for larger individuals
• Atelerix albiventris (White-bellied Hedgehog, African Pygmy Hedgehog),
• Hemiechinus auritus (Long-eared Hedgehog)
• Scolopendra gigantea (Giant Centipede) – as an addition to the diet

As food for snakes, rat pups are equally suitable as prey for emperors and other boas freshly after breeding, young pythons, and for grown but still young corn snakes or garter snakes.

The rat newborn is also a valuable addition to the diet of various lizards. As prey for geckos, rat pups are recognized among breeders of African fat-tailed geckos during breeding. Rat pups, as vertebrates, are also an invaluable source of calcium as prey for sailfin dragons, water dragons, young monitors of various varieties. Occasionally, frozen rodents of this size are also fed to other varieties of dragons, giant drakons, plated lizards, some iguanas. Rat newborns are used as food for pygmy hedgehogs, turtle food, frog food, and as prey for tarantulas.

Rat pups are also great for diversifying the whole prey diet for cats as part of their prey. Although too small to be the main food for dogs, rat newborns can be a healthy snack in a whole prey diet for dogs.

Analytical Composition of Rats:

• Moisture 79.2%
• Crude Ash 2.5%
• Protein 12.0%
• Crude Fat 4.9%
• Calcium: approx. 1.6%
• Phosphorus: approx. 1.8%
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: 0.88

***Deeply frozen product***