is breeding your own rats really worth it?

[Snakeluvver2]

Depends on what animals you have.
For a few pythons then I think it's probably a waste of time.
When you have monitors and snakes with faster metabolism having a fresh supply of pinkies and fuzzies is great.

 

[JAS101]

thanks for all the replies guys!!
at the moment i only have one snake, but my mate is thinking of selling his jungle so im very interested in buying that from him!! i also am thinking a woma and bredli would be very nice and DEFINATELY an olive python. my list goes on and on, eventually, i would love a GTP if i ever win tattslotto haha. but im going to try get a few more snakes in the months to come so maybe breeding my own food would be good then, as i wouldnt want to end up with hundreds of rats id struggle to get rid of now.

if u sold the extra rats at a decent price then i have no doubt they would all sell fast

 

[nagini-baby]

im thinking of doing this aswell. i have quite a few dragons that go bonkers for pinkies but on top of the snakes food. its just to expensive to buy them some aswell. breeding could be the answer

 

[ilovemycoastal]

if i do go ahead with this, what would be a good price people would be willing to pay for pinkies, fuzzies, weaners etc? because i am quite keen to give it a go

 

[saximus]

Check out the for sale section. They are the main people on here you would be getting compared to

 

[congo_python]

Breeding your own rodent supply is rewarding, i have 85 breeding female rats and 3-5 males,40 female mice and in ea tub of ten females - two males.Their output of babies goes up and down with the seasons but all in all i tend too keep up with my 30 odd snakes and their hatchlings.
The best thing is.... i know what the feeders are fed on and what fat contents they would typically have at all the different sizes. They are kept in a insulated air-conditioned garden shed that will be extended very soon to help with space and maybe more breeders?.It cost me 4130 buck or so a month to feed and house these guys.

I would not be able too feed all the snakes i have if i did not breed my own,... as not many people are aware that rat meat is more expensive than beef so it actually is more expensive too feed your pets persay than yourself.

Pic of my rat shed

 

[beeman]

if i do go ahead with this, what would be a good price people would be willing to pay for pinkies, fuzzies, weaners etc? because i am quite keen to give it a go

If you are going set up and start to supply to the general public then you have to take into context ALL the costs of production.Eg set up cost, all labour costs, insurance, heating cooling, feed and bedding, council permits etc etc.
Then think about the things you cant do any more as you will need to tend the system daily.
After you have factored all these in then have a look at what you may want to sell them for and see whats left. You may then rethink the whole process!

 

[Ozzie Python]

i always think i should breed my own to save some cash and have considered doing it many, many times.

but i love the conveniance of rocking up to my supplier, having a chat, quick look at his animals, hand over the cash and go home to a full freezer load that lasts me a few months.

i regularly talk myself out of it when i remember a phrase i heard on here-"you can be a rodent breeder, or a snake breeder". (think it was troy k). not that breeders cant do both, but i like my spare time for my family and other hobbies.......

Then think about the things you cant do any more as you will need to tend the system daily.

Wise words beeman! and that is why we shouldn't bitch about prices, some make that sacrifice for us.

 

[solar 17]

Breeding your own rodent supply is rewarding, i have 85 breeding female rats and 3-5 males,40 female mice and in ea tub of ten females - two males.Their output of babies goes up and down with the seasons but all in all i tend too keep up with my 30 odd snakes and their hatchlings.
The best thing is.... i know what the feeders are fed on and what fat contents they would typically have at all the different sizes. They are kept in a insulated air-conditioned garden shed that will be extended very soon to help with space and maybe more breeders?.

I would not be able too feed all the snakes i have if i did not breed my own,... as not many people are aware that rat meat is more expensive than beef so it actually is more expensive too feed your pets persay than yourself.

Pic of my rat shed

l think congo_python got it right in his 1st. line do you find it rewarding ? if so great go ahead....but like beeman said there are a lot of set-up costs plus something that hasn't been mentioned "the rodent fragarance" especially with mice set-ups aren't cheap and remember in summer unless you have aircon. reproduction slows right up if not coming to a halt as like humans the ultimate temp for breeding is 23-24c and above 30c it virtually stops and at 35c plus "most" rodents come to a halt now l sell adult rats [280-300grams] for $7.00 now that rat is 10 weeks old so thats 70 cents a week or 10 cents per day now like beeman said all your set-up costs thats a lot of catching up to do.... so imo its like congo_python said do you get a buzz out of it well do it because it can be rewarding .....but its like a lot of things in life if it was a piece of cake everybody would be breeding ...baden [solar 17]

 

[dale1988]

hey ok so im a little bit confused with doing the gassing i want to give breeding them a try to supply my snakes and give left overs to friends (im a nice guy what can i say lol) but im just wondering this c02 how does this work like how is it administered to the rat and hw is the c02 obtained?

 

[saximus]

The easiest way to get it is from a soda stream. You just put the rats in a sealed container with a hose from the soda stream running into it

 

[dale1988]

where would i purchase the hose and the c02 cylinder? is there a easier or cheaper method than this?

 

[saximus]

Soda stream is pretty much the cheapest/easiest. It comes with the cylinder already and you just take the empty ones back and get a full one when it runs out (it's about $16 I think). You can get gas cylinders from companies like BOC but they are more expensive. You can just use aquarium hose or anything that is soft and rubbery. You just slide it onto the outlet on the soda stream. The bonus with that is you can still use it for soft drinks.
I reckon soda stream should advertise it as one of the uses. I reckon heaps of people buy them just for this

 

[ericrs]

cheaper method is blunt force trauma to the head. Ive done it before but much better with co2. just get 2 tubs and put the rats in one and sit the other container in it to create a small space then push a tube down inbetween them into the gap where the rats are and give a 3-4 second squirt with the gas. leave it for a min or 2 and done. they die in about 5-10 seconds but i leave it just to make sure. this method works works at a friends of mine and i will be doing the same in the not to distant future.
you can get the cylinder from a BOC or similar and they also deliver.

 

[dale1988]

where would you buy one of these this is a link that i found for a set up in no way am i advertising this is just a diagram and info on how to setup (just so i dnt get in trouble)
Building a Co2 Chamber

 

[saximus]

That sort of cylinder is one you'd have to get from BOC

 

[dale1988]

okwell again where would i actually purchase a soda stream and could someone possibly put a photo up of there setup? i dont think i could bring myself to knock them on the head

 

[-Katana-]

I've set up a Co2 chamber to attach to my soda stream....simply a medium sized click clack with a small hole melted in each end.
One hole to insert the aquarium hose into and the other to allow the displaced oxygen to escape.

 

[saximus]

okwell again where would i actually purchase a soda stream and could someone possibly put a photo up of there setup? i dont think i could bring myself to knock them on the head

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/diy-zone-5392/co2-gas-chamber-instructions-94534/
There's a picture of a full setup on the first page. You can get them from Big W. Don't remember how much they cost

 

[dale1988]

hey i just saw on you tube people using dry ice with water instead of thesegas cansiters thoughts?