Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well i have my female ball python about to lay eggs in 18 days. I have not yet started breeding rats but i plan on doing so to feed the hatchlings. My question is at what age (or size) can you take a baby rat from its mother? I want to raise them up from a young age so they are tame. Also at about what age and size are they breedable how long after she becomes pregnant will she drop her litter? Do yous think its too late to buy young and still have time to have baby rats to feed to my hatchlings would i have to buy older rats at this point?
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B Sleeper

1.0 Chocolate Lab
0.1 ?? Normal Ball python (yet different)
1.0 04 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Pied
1.0 06 Pastel
0.? 07 Pos Het Albino (Momma has not laid the eggs yet)

>>Well i have my female ball python about to lay eggs in 18 days. I have not yet started breeding rats but i plan on doing so to feed the hatchlings. My question is at what age (or size) can you take a baby rat from its mother? I want to raise them up from a young age so they are tame. Also at about what age and size are they breedable how long after she becomes pregnant will she drop her litter? Do yous think its too late to buy young and still have time to have baby rats to feed to my hatchlings would i have to buy older rats at this point?

Rats wean at 4 weeks or so. I breed them first time at around 10 or 12 weeks depending on their size. If you want to breed them DO NOT get adult rats. Get mediums at best and raise them to breeding. Adults may be too far gone and or infertile and not work for you.
Since you have 55 days or so incubation time on top of the wait til they are even laid and the two or so weeks before hatchlings start eating.....I would say you have a good shot at starting a colony of breeding rats.
Note the thread below. Even TAME rats will defend pups and bite if you bug their babies.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Thanks for the help and i know they will protect thier pups im not worried about that im more worried about them being nasty on a regular basis. I would protect my pups too if i had them Thanks again
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B Sleeper

1.0 Chocolate Lab
0.1 ?? Normal Ball python (yet different)
1.0 04 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Albino
1.1 06 Het Pied
1.0 06 Pastel
0.? 07 Pos Het Albino (Momma has not laid the eggs yet)