Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thank you Max for telling me about this forum. I am so happy to find a rodent forum that you can talk pet rodents and not get crapped on by "pet" rodent people. I have been breeding fancy rats and mice for over 17 years and love to help people achieve their own breeding colonies and help them with health and husbanry issues. Feeders need excellent and humane care the same as pets. 6 years ago when I lived in Baltimore I had a colony of 300 adult rats and supplied the area pet stores and herp breeders. I now only breed for fun, to feed my black rat snake and sav monitor, and I sell frozen small adult rats to a boa breeder friend here in Reno. Some of my rats go as pets. I specialize in satin mice and dumbo/nude/rex/satin/blue/dwarf rats. If anyone has any ?s please ask me, I love to help. And if you are in or around the Reno area I can hook you up with some beautiful rats and mice that are great breeders for food and pets

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

when you replied to my post in the pet rat forum, I was wondering why you had so many rats... now I know
At least the ones of yours that died in your heat/cooling problem didn't go to waste (assuming that you probably froze them and fed them off or sold them). I wish my snakes were large enough for that to have been the case with me. The only rat that could serve any purpose in its death was the pregnant female, which I removed the pinkies from and fed them off to the baby ball pythons.

Don't let pets only people get you bent out of shape. I used to be exactly like them. The problem is that when they think of rats being fed to snakes, all they can see is a sweet adorable rat being constricted alive by a personality-less animal. If you use humane methods to dispatch the rats and they aren't being fed live, I have no problem with you Most pets-only people wouldn't either.

I DO have a problem with the people who would come into the petstore I worked at, pick out the cutest rat (which they also felt was the cutest) and buy it, telling me, "we like to watch our snake kill the cute ones." That always really disturbed me.
I hate the idea of someone finding satisfaction in watching a snake or large lizard kill another animal in closed quarters where that other animal has no possibility to escape. I hate being told, "it's natural", because it really ISN'T anywhere close to natural. It's just sadistic.

Frozen feeders are the way to go!

Sorry for my long rambling. I tend to do that a lot.
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~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids

Thanks. I try not to tell pet rat people that I breed to feed because they freak out. I hate to see anything suffer.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

wow, you have a lot of chickens too! Do you feed those off, or is it a show/egg hobby thing? I used to have a couple chickens and a baby turkey, but racoons killed the chickens and the turkey died of a complication relating to being attacked by the racoons.

Here are some piccies of them:

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~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids

Awww they are so cute. I do some showing but the last time I showed they caught mites. And there is nothing like treating 57 chickens for mites. I sell fresh eggs for $3 a dozen. They are all pets, I love them. I have 12 eggs with a broody hen right now. I am going to feed the fertilized one to my sav 2 days before they hatch. I would like to feed my sav chicks but I know if I let them hatch I will keep them and I DON'T need anymore chickens. The shell is good for them anyway.

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

If you showed them, I assume they are purebreds, what kind?

I had a rhode island red, a golden laced whynadotte, and a black sex link. God, I miss those babies
I'm not technically allowed to have chickens or any farm animals where I live, but I keep bringing them home and hoping nobody notices. So far so good in that respect.

Have you ever had any ducks? I had one that was an absolute sweetie. He protected me like a guard dog, I swear!

I still would have to say that I love rats more than poultry, but they are still one of my great likes.

Cute chickies by the way

Below are the chickies and turkey. The Turkey (Squeeky) has paint on him from walking under a board that had just been painted, silly

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~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids

Here is a list of breeds I have:
cochins
rhode island red
orpington
ameracaunas
silkies
silie/cochin crosses
cochin/RIR crosses
phoenix
delawares
red star
leghorns
bramah
japanese bantams
old english game hens
austalorp
coocoo marans
i think thats it.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

More

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

And some more

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

Are your pheonix very long-tailed, or just a little longer than normal? I've always wanted a pheonix rooster. They are so beautiful!
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~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids

Mine ia a hen. They have long tails for a hen but nothing that hangs.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

I love living with no humidity. And that is another reason why hoppers are so good. They can get full ventilation and can have full/secure nests. I like the pet rat forums but I hate to have to tip toe around and lie. This forum seems pretty busy so maybe I will stick to this. I just really love help people with their rats. There is so much to learn that takes a lot of time to learn it and I would rather share my knowledge instead of people having to learn from their own mistakes.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

do you mean food hoppers? hopper mice? I'm confused.
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~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids

Sorry, finger slip. I meant toppers with a T.
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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

like in the background of this pic.

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Shannon in Reno
1.0 savannah monitor (Pombe-means "beer" in Swahili)
2.4 dogs
1.0 cat
5.32 rats
6.44 mice
7.50 chickens
1.2 beardies
0.1 black rat snake
~500 hissers
1 giant millipede
0.1 Chissel tooth kangaroo rat
1.1 rabbits
1.0 wonderful husband

That would be a good way to go. It would let air in and keep bedding in. I need to buy a new rat cage really soon, and I think I'll keep tank toppers in mind when I do.
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~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids