Mice and Rats

[Jen]

How many of you out there breed mice or rats for reptile food, either just your own or to sell? I am interested in reading about set ups, both for breeding and for killing and preserving, Cheers

 

[Tatelina]

Preserving I'd guess you just need a freezer.

 

[Jen]

Yeah, but to prevent freezer burn? I am using sappies, but is there a better way?

 

[wil]

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65113

 

[bitey]

I find sticking them into small sappies (one per bag) makes them easyier to defrost when you only need one or two rats.
As for killing them I just give them the old one, two, table technique, but there are good co2 setups people have made themselves.

 

[Jen]

I was planning on using co2. I put 25 pinkies to a smallinsh sappy and snap them off when i need them

 

[nuthn2do]

What is a sappy?

 

[Jen]

Small zip lock bag

 

[wil]

one of my rats just dropped 17 bubs, my record is 20

 

[Hetty]

rats are pets, not food!

 

[bitey]

one of my rats just dropped 17 bubs, my record is 20

WOW my record is only 14

 

[Jen]

No, I imagine it would take a few to make a meal for a human, but they are ideal for a snake. Are your snakes vegetarians?

 

[kandi]

breed my own, separate freddy rom the girls when i have a supply, i use a guinea pig cage for freddy and a large cage for the girls. the adults are pets and nice ones at that but there offspring are dinner for the reptiles.

 

[Lucas]

Does anyone on the sunshine coast breed rats? I know Craig and Gab do but they're an hours drive away from me.

 

[junglemad]

rats are pets, not food!

don't count on it

i breed my own suermice and rats. I have lab tubs for breeding and bunnings type ones for growing out, biomare cubes and $2 bags of old bread from a viet bakery for food, wood shavings with no sawdust as bedding, water bottles, a sharp edge to break their fall, chinese containers and a freezer

 

[falconboy]

Yeah, but to prevent freezer burn? I am using sappies, but is there a better way?

One other option is repacking them in vacuum bags. They get rid of all the air in the bags and food does keep much better, with less freezer burn. Problem is you can't then easily reseal the bag without rebagging and vacuuming it again. However, if someone was storing them for later resale, I think vacuuming is fantastic.

(NB: Not sure if I've been spelling vacuum right LOL).

 

[bitey]

don't count on it

i breed my own suermice and rats. I have lab tubs for breeding and bunnings type ones for growing out, biomare cubes and $2 bags of old bread from a viet bakery for food, wood shavings with no sawdust as bedding, water bottles, a sharp edge to break their fall, chinese containers and a freezer

:lol::lol:

 

[caustichumor]

The vacuum bags would be the way to go (a little pricey if that's all you use it for) but no freezer burn, if you position them separated then you can cut and extract how many you need and reseal. Good if you only need a few a week, but if you have 50 animals then the turnover wouldn't cause freezer burn and wouldn't warrant anything more then a freezer bag or ice-cream container.

 

[Lucas]

Does anyone on the sunshine coast breed rats? I know Craig and Gab do but they're an hours drive away from me.

what he said