Posted by:
rainbowsrus
at Thu May 7 17:15:52 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by rainbowsrus ]
Agreed, except, I do keeep groups of males together with no problems. I have bred (actually culled is the better term) for calm handleable rats. Anyhting not calm is culled w/out breeding. As long as not overcrowded, food and water always available and cleaned as necessary, mine do just fine.
Also, for the growout racks, I divide into male and female tubs and try to feed off the females first. Males get larger quicker and are more econimical in the long run to produce the arger feeders. I do keep a tub of future female breeders growing up at all times to replace retiring breeders.
>>The thing with rats is that it is easier to breed a full rack than just one cage. Sure it takes a bit more time but in the end the cost per rat goes down. I spend about 45min a week in winter 90min in the summer caring for 10 tubs worth of rats. I keep mine 1.2 and the males rotate...
>>
>>Jumbo rats are just old breeder males of a large nature. Like people some rat gene pools get larger. Dumbo rats have a tendency to be larger than normal Norwegian rats though. There is a difference between Dumbo the trait and Jumbo as a size.
>>
>>Its good to have a baseline of what you want out of the colony.
>>
>>For example if you need pinks every week you need about 6 females, if you are feeding F/T than you can get by with less. It can take weeks to get large rats, months to get the jumbo sizes. Remember that you have to house these while they are growing and males don't house well together when they mature.
>>
>>Timing is everything and its way easier to over produce cull and freeze the excess. I'm super producing hopper through small rats atm...as when my females drop I'll need ever pinky I can muster...
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>>Always keep in mind that what you take from the clutch won't be there to grow up, inevitable its sometimes easier to simple buy frozen rats for the large animals.
>>
>>I maintain a snake room of 20 animals feeding on pinks - XXL rats...my 10 tubs works out just fine.
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>>I hope to add another 5 breeder and 10 grow out tubs this coming winter...
>>-----
>>Jeremy Payne
>>JB Reptile
>>
>>1.0 Snow "Kahl"
>>0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
>>0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
>>0.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow
>>1.0 Ghost
>>0.1 Possible Super Hypo
>>0.1 DH Ghost
>>1.1 "Kahl" Albino
>>1.0 Hypomelenistic
>>1.3 Pastel Hypo
>>0.1 Suriname/Columbian cross
>>0.1 Anerthrystic
>>
>>1.1 Morelia Clastolepis
-----
Thanks,
Dave Colling
www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)
LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders 
lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats  
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RE: Smaller collony - rainbowsrus, Thu May 7 17:15:52 2009