Rats should be kept in large family groups, they're pack animals after all. As for the mice and whether giving them a rest in between breedings is necessary, unfortunately, that is a "personal preference." If you have the mindset that the animals are only bred for food and are going to die anyway, then no, a break is not necessary. You can just feed off the ones whose production starts to decline and replace them with new mice.

On the other hand, if you think like myself and believe that just because an animal is being bred for food doesn't mean they have to be mistreated, you would give them a break. Not because it's necessary but because being pregnant, giving birth, and nursing young (especially large litters) is extremely taxing on the body and incredibly stressful in general. I guess it depends on how you value the lives of the animals in your care.

As for my boa's feeding regimen, that's interesting. I learned about boas years ago and was taught to believe they should be fed bi-weekly. The boa I acquired just recently is a four year old, four foot animal. They were feeding it a rat a month or two to purposefully slow its growth. Of course, that's horrible. I've been feeding her F/T medium rats on a random schedule, two to four times per month. Now, getting into monitors, I'm rethinking how I care for my boa. Wondering if I should offer higher heat (as one forum member does for his snakes) and feed more often. What would you suggest?

As for feeding mice vs. rats, I'm breeding mice because I have a strong attachment to rats. I've been caring for them for over a decade and have even trained them to do tricks. To me, they are so much more than the disposable pet people think they are. They're incredibly intelligent and much more personable than mice. I guess it's like how some people can eat a cow but not a horse. I can feed F/T, but I don't think I could put a rat into a CO2 chamber. I already have trouble thinking about doing it with the damn mice.

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