breeding Rats,

[alilhayden]

Hi all ive decided id start to breed my own rats, instead of buying them. can anyone give me a few tips on how to make them healthy ect and the process of killing them.

all help appreciated thanks.

 

[saximus]

There are plenty of threads about this. How many snakes do you plan on feeding?

 

[xxMelissaxx]

If you don't have many animals to feed, it's not worth it. Rats are animals that must also be maintained and kept properly.

For any other advice on breeding, do a search as saximus suggested.

 

[saximus]

Yeah I was amazed how temperamental they can be. The climate where I live really works against me. In summer it's too hot and they die and in winter they have either not bred or let the babies die from the cold (hoping I've overcome the cold issue this year though). So when you have stock that needs to be replaced because they die prematurely or you are paying to feed animals that aren't giving anything back it can be frustrating and expensive.
Having said that though, it's really rewarding when everything is working and you get to see the little baby ratties scurrying around

 

[xxMelissaxx]

I've been quite lucky and never had a problem breeding rodents. With that being said however, I no longer do so and purchase them off a breeder instead - so much less hassle (bit more expensive but some breeders are very reasonably priced) and I always did hate having to knock off the poor little things..

 

[garthy]

I started with 1 male and 2 females (about 6 mths ago), I counted them today and I have 86 plus about 60 pinkies in the freezer as well as the fact that i have been feeding fresh killed to my snakes for the last 4 mths. If you are smart and use cages that have good air flow you will reduce odour and risk of overheating. In these cooler months I supply extra hay and they keep themselves warm. I found a cheap food source and recently found an even cheaper one to add. I also discovered that you can use juice pop-top bottles as watering bottles (inverted the vacuum formed will prevent loss of water until rat licks the bottle top) I attach it to the wire by making a harness from 1.5mm tie-wire (bigW). My rat population has exploded in recent weeks and I have been feeding my female snakes a little extra to fatten up for breeding season. I spend $21 per 6 weeks for their food (supplemented with kitchen food scraps)

 

[saximus]

Garthy what sort of hay do you use? Is it as absorbent as something like wood shavings or breeder's choice?