Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I now have 20 snakes of various sizes. OC is not always the best place to get rats of appropriate sizes not to mention I'm forking out $40/week on rats and mice (on top of what I spend of F/t). Some of mine will take F/T really well, most will take P/K and a few stubborn ones will only take live. I find myself going to a couple different stores to acquire what I need. I've talked with several local breeders and it seems like they are all trying to get their stock back up and aren't selling now. So my quesiton is does 20 snakes make breeding a couple of rats worth while? Thoughts/suggestions?
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Tosha

8.10.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
7.9.5 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

You would begin to see savings the very 1 st month you started breeding rodents. The worst thing I hated about going to the petshop and getting live rodents was if the snake wouldn't eat it. That would piss me off. I had no where to put the damn rat or mice since it was still alive. Just think, you start breeding and you sell off the excess to fund the food cost and bedding.
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Greg Holland
G&M HERPS
www.gmherps.com
gmherps@sbcglobal.net

I breed my own for two main reasons:

1) I need access to and control of rat pups for hatchlings. I don't feed mice.
2) Pet stores rip you off.
3) Poor access to smaller rats, like rat pups.
4) Most of my animals eat live.

It's hard to say at what point, but with 20 mouths to feed, I'd be seriously considering breeding my own.
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Jay A. Martin

5) Quality!

Although my main reason would be to be able to feed more often and more than I can buy on a budget.

If you are starting a rodent colony from scratch consider using all new equipment and starting with Harlan lab stock. Their lab rodents are supposed to be parasite free and I believe they are considering how quick they die if you mix them with your run of the mill diseased rat colony. Apparently after many generations without selection pressure from disease/parasites they have lost much of their ability to fight them off. However, my hope is that by starting with all new equipment in a clean room that wild rodents and flies/mosquitoes can't get to I'll be able to keep the new colony clean and under those conditions the lab rodents produce phenomenal litters. My big question is how hard it will be to keep the colony clean but given what I've spent in years past fighting parasites in my snakes and how much better they will grow with more feeders than I can afford to buy I think I must do it.

Good point. The supplier to my local pet store used to be my supplier and the rats were quite healthy. I have not noticed very many issues with the health of the rats. I did recently have a breeder rat that developed tumor looking growth on her body. She continued living and having litters. She did eventually die but I believe it was from old age. I had her for quite a while. Also, I clean my rat cages twice per week - quite time consuming. I wish there were an easier way.
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Jay A. Martin

I am building racks know and i only have 9 snakes and one very large water monitor to feed.

i figure I will save about 125.00 per month.

thanks Paul

with 20 snakes, breeding is for sure the way to go. but if that is how you are going to feed all your snakes you are going to need more than a couple of rats. it can vary quite a bit but i use the ratio of one female rat to 1 snake.

I told myself that when I had over ten snakes I would start breeding so I did and I am very glad it is a good feeling to be able to feed your snakes whenever you choose with out dragging your self to the local pet store. As for prekilling a rat and the snake not eating, it is always a good idea to have a garbage disposal LOL I would suggest large monitors they are always willing to eat what others wont.

1989 my brother found an eastern milk.year old or so.beautiful...so I couldn't let it go.I kept it and so.I bred my own mice...2 tanks with 1 male and 10 females each.........yes I had alot of mice for one snake.....

since then it grew and grew.......kept adding snakes.......5.....10..30......80....200..........then 250 ...adding mice and rats ,,,then hamsters.........LOL........up to 56 mouse tanks..........10 gerbils tanks...10 Peromyscus mice (white footed)........and 30 pairs of dwarf hamsters.......plus odds and ends at times.rats.exotic rodents....

down under 200 snakes again and dropping.....I hope.........(still get 700 eggs a year or so)......

so..do it when you like..........it always pays.oh..you sell the extra..I use average 300 mice a week and sell at least that many to twice that many a week average.......
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I have beeen breeding rats and mice for a long time. I buy most of my rats and mice from a VERY LARGE BREEDER and get them at below wholesale prices, However I still like the convenience of getting 1-2 pinkies/Mice/Rats whenever I need them rather than waiting until I get them from my breeder. But then again I deal with 100's of snakes at a time, so you have several different times that they will eat due to shedding, etc. I would breed rats or mice no matter how many snakes I have and especially if I have baby snakes, Very easy to get live fuzzy's or pinkies when you are breeding your own. Hope this helps. thanks david
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1.0 Pied(04)(RDR)
1.0 Albino(04)(RDR)
0.1 Spider(04)(RDR)
3.2 Pastels(03's)(04's)(ASF,Graziani,Bell lines)
0.1 Yellow belly(unproven)(04)
1.3 Yellow belly(unproven)(02,03,04's)
2.0 100% HET CLOWN(04's)(MHMR)
3.3 100% het albinos(03's)(high contrast bell line)
0.1 poss Het Albino(03's)
2.0 100% het pieds(03's)(Vin Russo,CRE)
0.2 100% het pieds(03's)(04's)(RDR,TWL)
1.2 Poss het pieds(03's)(PETE KAHL)
2.1 Poss het pieds(00's)(01's) hoping to get PIEDS this year(Vin Russo, Pete Kahl)
25 Normal adult females
60 04 females
15 normal mixed 03's
20 Assorted weird ball pythons 04's