Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So has anybody ever put a pencil to it to see if it is actually cheaper to raise your own vs. buying frozen ??? I hate shelling out 400 or 500 bucks for a frozen order when a 1/4 of the order or so is just for shipping. However after thinking about the $50 here and $100 dollars there for food,bedding,electicity for the rodent room etc.,etc not to mention time to clean them I begin to wonder. I currently have about 52 mouse pans and about ten rat colonies at any one time but still I somehow feel like a slave to the rodent colonies know what I mean???? So what are everyone else's thoughts on this ????
Thanks,
Tom

This is how I look at it.
I heat the room for my herps, which is my hobby and a reason to enjoy life. I raise the rodents to feed said herps. I sell surplus rodents and make back enough to feed and bed the feeders. So I am essentially feeding my herps for free. I know where the animals are coming from and all. I have what I need, when I need.
If you don't like rodents, don't do it.
If your time is hugely valuable, don't.
Personally I find it rewarding.
-----
Sonya

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

i 100% agree Sonya, and well written as well, i too find it rewarding to see litters growing up, patterns,morphs etc. I also know where im getting them, whats going into them and don't have to worry about snakes looking pigment because of a feeder i got from somewhere else. i can rotate females and control the litters i produce, sell the excess and make other herpers happy as well, i vacuum pack mine and the only one doing it in my small community where there are alot of herpers. The closest pet store is 1 1/2hrs away, so again i win..
-----
1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Alibi,confessa,custody,Ms.Demeanor)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders

While I'm here. That questions has a lot of variables. Do you pay for shipping or live near a sow where someone has them cheap?

I'm not going to mention names, but I live near a city where a big "breeder" also does shows. Thier prices are insanely low. I have to presume they are buying hospitol breeding over flow too.

So, for me, adding these low prices, no shipping fees, it is clearly buying F/T. it's not even close.

Since I have never bought a large amount shipped so I have no experience to answer that part.
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com

mm

>>mm

I will try here. I get the shavings for 4 dollars a bag. 2 bags a month. I buy a food for around 12 dollars a bag. Three bags a month. So about 44 bucks a month. I sold 50 dollars worth last night. After feeding all of my snakes. I sold 150 dollars worth last month. Actually for a small colony. I have made more off my rats than my snakes. I had the one rack built for $180. It holds 12 trays of mice and nine of rats on one rack. I built the other one. Poorly but it is still standing for about 130.. SO I figured they have paid for themselves in the last few years. I understand the want to buy frozen. I did talk to a breeder about it along time ago. He said he breeds one rack of snakes and that pays for his food bill. He raises no rodents. Of course he had 1000 breeding snakes. I would have no time for rats wither. I think I spend more time working with the rats than the snakes some weeks. Todd

Well, I've never bought frozen so don't know how much comes in a $400 - $500 order. I can help with the math on how much it costs to produce rodents.

In 2007, I spent almost $2000 on food and bedding to maintain my colony.

Can't say exactly what I took out as I didn't keep records on that but I came up with the following estimated numbers:

17 adult BRB's - 12 months (400 adult rats)
16 subadult BRB's - 12 months (600 small to medium rats)
6 yearling BRB's - 12 months (200 wean mice to small rats)
8 early 07 hatchling BRB's - 12 months (300 hopper to wean mice)
10 mid 07 hatchling BRB's - 6 months (200 hopper to wean mice)
14 mid 07 hatchling BRB's - 4 months (200 hopper to wean mice)
60 hatchling BRB's - 3 months (600 hopper mice)
50 hatchling BRB's - 1.5 months (250 hopper mice)

19 young adult and sub adult BCI - 12 months (500 adult rats)
10 yearling BCI - 12 months (400 small rats)
7 yearling BCI - 6 months (150 small rats)
2 hatchling BCI - 3 months (10 hopper rats)

Those estimates total up to...

2150 rats (estimating $1.50 average price = $3225)
1650 mice (estimating $0.50 average price = $825)

Total estimate = $4050 x 4/3 = $5400 shipped

So, spent $2000 plus my labor to produce $5400 worth of feeders.

And like Sonya already said, I know my feeders are healthy, well fed and fresh.

Plus - no freezer!!

Please feel free to point out any errors in my estimates, just pulled them off the top of my head.

My racks...

-----
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

Thanks for the input everyone, I did not mean to imply that my time was too valuable by any means,that is about the only thing I have alot of. And in a weird sort of way I actually do enjoy working with the critters.I just have never actually kept track of how much I spend a month or how many I produce, I pull what I need to feed and freeze off the excess. In the past I used to sell off excess to some local pet shops but they have all folded over the yrs so I ramp up production when the freezers get low and when I catch up I reduce the number of colonies.

Thanks,
Tom

>>Well, I've never bought frozen so don't know how much comes in a $400 - $500 order. I can help with the math on how much it costs to produce rodents.
>>
>>In 2007, I spent almost $2000 on food and bedding to maintain my colony.
>>
>>Can't say exactly what I took out as I didn't keep records on that but I came up with the following estimated numbers:
>>
>>
>>17 adult BRB's - 12 months (400 adult rats)
>>16 subadult BRB's - 12 months (600 small to medium rats)
>>6 yearling BRB's - 12 months (200 wean mice to small rats)
>>8 early 07 hatchling BRB's - 12 months (300 hopper to wean mice)
>>10 mid 07 hatchling BRB's - 6 months (200 hopper to wean mice)
>>14 mid 07 hatchling BRB's - 4 months (200 hopper to wean mice)
>>60 hatchling BRB's - 3 months (600 hopper mice)
>>50 hatchling BRB's - 1.5 months (250 hopper mice)
>>
>>19 young adult and sub adult BCI - 12 months (500 adult rats)
>>10 yearling BCI - 12 months (400 small rats)
>>7 yearling BCI - 6 months (150 small rats)
>>2 hatchling BCI - 3 months (10 hopper rats)
>>
>>Those estimates total up to...
>>
>>2150 rats (estimating $1.50 average price = $3225)
>>1650 mice (estimating $0.50 average price = $825)
>>
>>Total estimate = $4050 x 4/3 = $5400 shipped
>>
>>
>>So, spent $2000 plus my labor to produce $5400 worth of feeders.
>>
>>And like Sonya already said, I know my feeders are healthy, well fed and fresh.
>>
>>Plus - no freezer!!
>>
>>
>>Please feel free to point out any errors in my estimates, just pulled them off the top of my head.
>>
>>
>>My racks...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-----
>>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

I love the big rack using the cement tubs. Do you use those for grow ups. Or are they breeding tubs.

>>I love the big rack using the cement tubs. Do you use those for grow ups. Or are they breeding tubs.

The big rack is for growouts. Both feeders and future breeders.

I cycle breed all the rats so I can more precisely control the production.
-----
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