# Pet Rats/Snake Food



## Rainbow-Serpent (Jul 4, 2009)

Hello All!

I've been thinking lately, I wouldn't mind breeding my own snake food, it'd save me having to duck down to petcity all the time etc. And I've always wanted pet rats, but one problem - if theres one thing my mother hates more than snakes, it's rats. 

How could I convince her that this might be a good idea, and also, how to people put the baby rats to sleep, I used to know a woman who just shoved them in a box and put the box in the freezer, I want to do something humane as I don't think I could ever hurt an animal.


Thanks!

- Jordo


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## Andrais (Jul 4, 2009)

Say to her that it will save u money and petrol instead of going down there all the time


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## Southern_Forest_Drag (Jul 4, 2009)

just get them she wont exactly make u get rid of them.


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## grannieannie (Jul 4, 2009)

I've never killed an animal and I don't think I ever could, but the impression I get from others is that they get the rat/mouse by the tail and bang it's head on the edge of a table or something similar. I believe it's very quick and humane.....but personally, I'd rather pay the extra and get frozen ones from the shop....I couldn't cope with the trauma of killing something. Hope you get some more constructive advice from others...good luck.


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## Southern_Forest_Drag (Jul 4, 2009)

grannieannie said:


> I've never killed an animal and I don't think I ever could, but the impression I get from others is that they get the rat/mouse by the tail and bang it's head on the edge of a table or something similar. I believe it's very quick and humane.....but personally, I'd rather pay the extra and get frozen ones from the shop....I couldn't cope with the trauma of killing something. Hope you get some more constructive advice from others...good luck.



gas them with a soda stream. that method is messy,


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## Hooglabah (Jul 4, 2009)

just type soda streamers or co2 gas chamber in the search function and you will come up with the best most humane way to kill your ratties


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## wranga (Jul 4, 2009)

buy your food. you dont have enough snakes to make breeding worth while


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## Jackrabbit (Jul 4, 2009)

Rainbow-Serpent said:


> Hello All!
> 
> I want to do something humane as I don't think I could ever hurt an animal.


 
Um, last time I looked putting something down to feed to another animal is hurting them.

Making them suffer is another thing.


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## Hooglabah (Jul 4, 2009)

lol thats a point rainbow you only have one snake one breeding would last your little fella a couple of months realistically you want no less than 10 snakes before you should even consider breeding rats for food jmo tho


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## Hooglabah (Jul 4, 2009)

i should also add feeding the rats and housing them would be more expensive than just buying a couple of pinkies from you local supplier. so your not saveing money your spending more.


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## Southern_Forest_Drag (Jul 4, 2009)

Hooglabah said:


> i should also add feeding the rats and housing them would be more expensive than just buying a couple of pinkies from you local supplier. so your not saveing money your spending more.



but then you can sell your excess hence making money


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## Hooglabah (Jul 4, 2009)

i suppose
thats true.


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## rubysnake (Jul 4, 2009)

Rainbow-Serpent said:


> , but one problem - if theres one thing my mother hates more than snakes, it's rats.
> 
> How could I convince her that this might be a good idea



RS- my mother was exactly the same but i just got them behind her back as Southern_Forest_Drag suggested. She also hates mice/rats so much but when i brought them home she went out in the shed and came back inside claiming they were the cutest mice ever. she feel in love, even naming them haha my sister kicked up a stink because she said she always wanted a mouse and mum wouldn't let her- so mum promised they would keep one of the babies as a pet when i moved out.

also going behind her back was how i got my first snake. i claimed it was a christmas present and she didn't have a choice because everything was paid for. :lol::lol::lol::lol: now she loves he and asks to hold hurc


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## Rainbow-Serpent (Jul 5, 2009)

Hooglabah said:


> lol thats a point rainbow you only have one snake one breeding would last your little fella a couple of months realistically you want no less than 10 snakes before you should even consider breeding rats for food jmo tho


 Good point, I have 2 at the moment and another coming these hollies, maybe I could breed them and sell some as pets and feed some to the snakes??


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## diprotodon (Jul 5, 2009)

my oppinion is dont bother because the hole process sounds good but can be quite gruesome i started gassing and have to say it really takes a long time compared to clunking and remember the pinks dont gass so you will have to kull them not worth it if you only have 3 snakes and to say that seelling off excess animals is going to pay back what you outlay you better make sure there is a shop willing to take them before starting up :|


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## Bearded_Lady (Jul 5, 2009)

Freezing is a horrible, slow and painful death. Imagine all your body fluids crystallising. CO2 gassing via a soda stream seems to be a very common method.


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## Jacquie (Jul 5, 2009)

I have a soda stream set-up and sometimes it can take a few minutes for them to die, they gasp for air and it's quite horrible. I usually pump the gas in and go away for half an hour and come back when I know it's all over. Smacking them on the head is very quick but if you have a whole litter of pups to do it gets pretty depressing too. I have found the quickest way is dry ice. Just put them in a bucket with some dry ice in a container in the middle, pour a little water on the dry ice, shut the lid and it's all over in about 13 seconds. Just make sure that the water doesn't bubble over whatever container you put the dry ice in, as it freezes instantly to your rats and you have to pull them out of the ice when they are dead.


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## Hsut77 (Jul 6, 2009)

Jacquie said:


> I have a soda stream set-up and sometimes it can take a few minutes for them to die, they gasp for air and it's quite horrible. I usually pump the gas in and go away for half an hour and come back when I know it's all over. Smacking them on the head is very quick but if you have a whole litter of pups to do it gets pretty depressing too. I have found the quickest way is dry ice. Just put them in a bucket with some dry ice in a container in the middle, pour a little water on the dry ice, shut the lid and it's all over in about 13 seconds. Just make sure that the water doesn't bubble over whatever container you put the dry ice in, as it freezes instantly to your rats and you have to pull them out of the ice when they are dead.



You are not using enough co2. Any method can be quite horriable in the wrong hands. With a soda stream done correctly it's all over in a matter of seconds.


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## Noongato (Jul 6, 2009)

Good luck, i tried to do the whole idea once. Mice are fine, i just whack them and they die easy as. Rats on the other had i could never bring myself to kill. They just have too much personality. 
Tame a rat from a young age and theyre like little dogs, except they hoard stuff.. Hehehe
I have all these rats now and they are strictly pets only.


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## spud1 (Jul 6, 2009)

13 seconds is a long time in my opinion, i use soda stream method and it takes a matter of seconds.


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## macj81 (Jul 6, 2009)

Find someone near you who breeds them and buy enough for 6 mnths will save you money and time for mum and dad. If you are the same as my son, he doesn't want to kill them as he gets attached to them. If you do breed Co2 is the way to cull the desired food for your snakes I use soda stream, tubing into garbage bag (thick black type bag) in bucket, lined with breeders choice to catch you know what, put tubing into bag gather and close off around tubing add Co2 add slowly as this puts them off to sleep rather than irritating them, remove tubing and seal check in few min bag and freeze dinner is ready.


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