Answered some of your questions in an earlier post but will answer again here..:
>could you tell me how much it cost's to feed and buy substrate for rats per month. (specify if canadain or american funds)>
Large bag of pine shavings (140L bag) $8 CDN
Food (homemade lasts a month for 4 adult rats) $20
Storebought food = $8 (mostly sunflowers, corn and pellets not eaten by rats and not as healthy for them)
Lab Blocks for rodents: $5 2 1/2 pound bag
>
1)how many breeder rats must you have in order to provide 3 subadult BP's their meals?? <
single female rat can produce a little of average size of 12, gestation of 25 days. Rat takes about 3 months to grow full sized.
Breeding colony should consist of 2 groups of 2 females and one male, alternating which group of females bred every other month (half the young should be allowed to grow to adult size in separate tank to ensure food is ready when snakes are big enough to eat adult rats)
(2)In the long run would you say it saves you money by breeding them or is it cheaper just to buy in bulk over the internet??
I would say it is cheaper than buying over the internet but involves more work on your part. Will still need to buy some bulk food till your colonies are producing well and have about 3 months of food in the freezer.
(3)if i had two pairs of breeding rats how many rats would be produced in a month??
female rats produce between 12 - 18 babies per litter with average 15. Some can produce more than 18 babies or less than 12.
(4)how long does it take for a rat to grow to a medium size?
about 4 months
(5) how long is the mother rat pregnant for b4 she gives birth?
Gestation is 21-23 days (average 22 days, but can be 25 days)
(6) when must i seperate the young from they're mothers or do I even have to? i'm just guessing that she'll eat her babies??
Most mothers won't eat their babies unless under extreme stress (over crowding, unclean conditions etc.) Rats are less likely to eat their young than mice. Male rats will eat young if they feel they are not the father of the babies (either remove the male and keep him separate till babies are weaned or leave him with the female during her entire pregnancy and birth).
Rats are weaned between 4 and 5 weeks of age. Males should be separated from the mother and sisters before 5 weeks old (but not before 4 weeks old) to prevent them from impragnating their mother or sisters. Males can be kept together without any worries they will fight like male mice do. The females can stay with their mother (providing the father isnt' there too, otherwise, separate the female babies into their own tank).
More details about the care and breeding of rats can be found at:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/helpinfo.html
Keep in mind that this site is for people who keep rats as pets and not as food for snakes.
