# Colour of rodents. Does it matter?



## Bl69aze (Aug 23, 2017)

Thought I'd start a discussion as I haven't found any definitive answers.

So I bought some mice from a breeder to find out they were coloured and different from the flat white ones I'd get from somewhere like kellyville or pet barn 

Has anyone had different results feeding coloured mice compared to flat white mice?

I've seen that apparently some snakes will only eat one or the other.

What do you think?


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## kittycat17 (Aug 23, 2017)

Never had an issue at all with different coloured mice or rats for that matter 

My guys are way to food driven to care what colour there dinner is hahaa 


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## Pauls_Pythons (Aug 23, 2017)

Is this really a serious question?


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## Yellowtail (Aug 23, 2017)

If you are feeding a carpet python they rely more on scent and heat image, colour is irrelevant.
Black headed pythons and womas don't have heat pits and rely more on sight plus rodents are not their natural prey so they may get used to white mice.


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## Bl69aze (Aug 23, 2017)

Pauls_Pythons said:


> Is this really a serious question?


Sort of, yes.

I read a while ago that in the wild rodents are solid white or brown, and that other colours came in when people started breeding for pets such as black/white grey/white etc. So I wasn't sure if maybe they can pick up on it or If they smell different¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I also know that labs use pure white so there must be some difference whether physical or easier to "experiment" on.


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## Yellowtail (Aug 23, 2017)

I think you will find that "natural" rodents like most wild animals have evolved in colours that blend into their surroundings, pure white is usually an albino morph.
Lab rats and mice are special breeds probably based on albinos because white is more "acceptable" to view and handle and the main requirement for lab experiments is they be close to genetic clones so results are not affected by variations. I breed lab mice and they are albino.


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## dragonlover1 (Aug 23, 2017)

I sometimes buy white mice and sometimes buy coloured mice and my pythons don't care.


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## pythoninfinite (Aug 24, 2017)

Many snakes, and particularly pythons, are nocturnal when staking out for food. As pointed out above, they rely on scent and a heat profile as much or more than sight, so colour would have no bearing on food acceptability. I occasionally offer thawed rodents to wild pythons here at home (if I find them in my shed or around the house at night) and they don't hesitate to take white rodents, which they would never have seem previously. 

As for labs only using white rodents, this is not true. Rodents are bred for particular genetics, and some are black, brown, white or even naked, depending on what they are needed for, although white does seem to predominate.

Jamie


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