Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i only have one snake(i plan on getting one more) and i figured it would be cheaper and would take minimal effort to just breed my own feeder animals. do any of you do this? any tips?

I breed mice, and rats. I started breeding the mice at first to get into the genetics part a bit. I usually give the retired males to my Tarantulas though. I also give left overs to buds of mine for their corn snakes and such. I raise the rats for my ball, and burmese python though. Keeping/breeding rodents is really easy but you have to be careful and seperate the sexes or you will have 100s in no time.

I think alot of people would agree with me on this, it's not cheaper to breed your own for just 2 animals. To produce high quality feeders you need rat/mice chow not dog food, good bedding that needs to be changed weekly at the longest and to be watered daily. Even if you just had one colony of mice or rats you are looking at daily upkeep that is really not necessary when you are only spending at most $3-5 a week on feeders. However it is rewarding to breed anything and can be a fun project considering the amounts of genetic diversity there are with rodents. So basically what I'm saying is, if you think you will be saving money, think again. I feed 50'ish snakes and I spend roughly $100 a month on supplies to keep my 13 rat colonies and 6 mice colonies going and all the grow up feeders and it requires daily work in the rat room. Just something to think about.
Josh Hutto
JK Reptiles
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2.3 het pied (RDR, alan bosch x 2, BHB x 2)
1.1 het albino (ben siegel, gulf coast)
1.2 het citrus ghost(gulf coast line)
1.0 citrus ghost (gulf coast line)
0.1 graz pastel female
1.6 05 normal bp's
0.6 04 normal bp's
2.5 adult normal bp's (some need breeding to see if norm)
4 various corns
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (alan bosch)
1.0 american pit bull terrior
1.1 taco dogs (ankle biters)
1.0 grey cat
1.1 bearded dragons

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrior as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

For just a couple of snakes, I would find it more of a hassle. The savings really start to show when you have a large reptile collection.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Well, it works ok for me. I have 2 adult Balls and one corn snake in my classroom. I go through about 6 adult mice and 2-3 hoppers every 2-3 weeks which would cost me around $25.00 every 2-3 weeks. I breed my own mice in my garage and by far the worst part is the smell. They stink the place up. I clean the cages every Sat morning and usually water once a week(2 waterers per cage) I have 4-10 gal aquariums each with 3 female and 2 male (or so) depending on the week. Overcrowding happens often but now i found 2 pet stores in the area and i sell my extra mice to the stores for .50 a piece. I usually make $10 every 2 weeks. then i feed the mice a mixture of 1/3 dog food, 1/3 shelled corn, and 1/3 the cheapest birdseed i can find. I usually break even. it is fun, if i could just fix the smell, that is by far the worst. If you can find a pet store to sell to you may get a little extra cash once in a while.
FYI-It works ok for me

Marshall.. what type of bedding do you use? I have found that a product you can get at most local pet shops called Carefresh Ultra is really great for keeping odors down. It's white and fluffy they love to dig and hide in it as well. I used to work at my local Pet Supplies Plus as I would sell my left over rodents to customers there.

Imitation vanilla mixed in the water at a rate of about a teaspoon per gallon will help with the odor. So will sprinkling some baking soda in the bottom of the cage before you put the bedding in. Just another option you can try.

Michael