breeding rats (at what stage)

[ashley_morris22]

at what stage do you think its better to breed you own rats ?
how many snakes do u need to have before you think its worth wile?

 

[herptrader]

I find it worth my while to breed my own because I know exactly what I am feeding my snakes.

My rodents, on top of their staple GR2 pellets, get selected food scraps like bones to chew on and are provided with wheels and other toys.

The beding material, once composted, makes excellent garden mulch.

 

[ashley_morris22]

thanks herptrader, i didn't think of it that way.

 

[dee4]

If I have any left over then I will freeze or if there is to many in the freezer I will sell to the pet shop and get a little cash return

 

[Guest]

Do you reckon i could breed rats on my balcony in sydney? Would i need a heat mat for the tub? I dont want to be cruel and have them shivering their little hides off, they are doomed in the end so i would want them happy while they last. And how many weeks do they take to have babies, how many in a litter usually and does the mothers usually eat them like mice mothers do? or will most healthy babies survive?

Im just side tracking a bit as im curious to see if it is feasible for me to breed some for my snakes.

Any rat breeder experts instead of answering here id be happy with a pm answer if that suits you better. I dont mind but i sought of dont want to hijack the thread any more than this.

Cheers, Alan.

 

[ashley_morris22]

its cool teamsherman,

ha how much would 3 rats cost to feed a week?

 

[dee4]

Not much, I feed dog dry food( 25kg bag @ $20), Breed and grow Horse pallets( 15kg bag @ $13) which last a fair while. I have all this myself due to my dogs and Horses. Table scraps as Herpterdaer suggest and water. Very little cost, but as I said earlier, breed some more then sell them yourself, this will give you some return so it wont cost at all.

 

[rodentrancher]

Hmm?? Sorry as we have lots of racks full of breeding boxes, we can't provide toys etc for the rats n mice. But, my two pet ratties(both girls) have a huge rat run we were given by a local animal rescue lady, and they have a ferris wheel(LOL!), well its big enough when compared with the rats, it also has sloping platforms, and tunnels to run along and through. They have a good life I can tell you. Spoilt rotten. Our grow out rats get lots of fruit and vegie scraps too.

 

[Skorpious]

I was the one who put it wasn't worth it but that was my opinion when I only had 1 snake. The local pet shop didn't want my extras and the pair was breeding quicker then i needed them. Then the female died and the babies ate her :? Now I am up to five snakes I will probably have to try again but I need to find room for them. In the long run its alot cheaper then buying frozens from pet shops IMO. Of course buying in bulk from breeders is also cheaper then pet shops.

 

[lutzd]

You CAN breed them, but remember the smell! I used to breed them on my balcony but tyhe smell got too bad (even with cleaning every three or four days). I Moved them to the garage, but the smell started invading my car! :-( That was the last straw! I now buy frozen. Much more expensive, but a hell of a lot more convenient.

 

[Magpie]

The cold will not bother them, but the heat in summer will.
Rats breed best at temps of 5-15C

 

[Guest]

Re: RE: breeding rats (at what stage)

Rats breed best at temps of 5-15C

I guess they have to do something to stay warm!!!! LOL

 

[ashley_morris22]

RE: Re: RE: breeding rats (at what stage)

is the smell real bad?

i have never had rats or mice

 

[BROWNS]

RE: Re: RE: breeding rats (at what stage)

The smell plus extra work is the reason i buy bulk frozen....when you have quite a few animals the rodent work becomes more work than the snakes your feeding them to.That's just me tho!

 

[rodentrancher]

RE: Re: RE: breeding rats (at what stage)

They piddle heaps, and the amonia smell is something that burns your eyes, even if you clean once a week, twice a week or more , please believe me! It can be very bad. We do not have the time to clean any more that twice a week, that's for sure.

 

[childreni_440]

RE: Re: RE: breeding rats (at what stage)

I breed my own rats and it is much cheaper then buying frozen. I keep mine in those old school lockers laid on thier backs elevated of the ground. I made a couple of small alterations and thats it. In thier 'run' they have couple bits of pvc, food, water and thier set. I find that the rats dont smell, thier in my shed and i clean once a week and the floor covering i use is hay. I recently got 2 mice and they stink so Im probably not going to breed them.