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Breeding Rats?

danielle

danielle

New member
Some of you know I have a picky boa that will only eat live no matter what- I've tried everything under the sun and still no f/t for him. So it occurred to me it may be a good idea to breed my own rats since an adult mouse is no longer a full meal for him and buying multiples is a pain in my tush every 10 days. However, I have some questions after searching here and on the web-
1. Some sites say do not keep multiple pregnant females together while others say go ahead- whats your experience?

2. I was planning on getting 2 females and 1 male and keeping them in a 40 gallon with a spare 30 gallon for breeding breaks and in case there's fighting going on- is this wise? How many spare cages will I need for weaned babies?

3. The extra rats will be culled and frozen for my neighbor and a few other local friends but I hear the upkeep is timely- how timely honestly?

4. The smell!!! I freaking hate the smell of rodent pee and poop hence why I don't keep rodents- is there a substrate that helps reduce smell better than others? I plan on spot cleaning daily and full cleaning weekly, but any other tips?

5. What is the best diet for these guys? I want my boas food to be as healthy as possible and I hear rodent blocks are NOT created equal so whats the best?

Thanks in advance:)
 
Danielle, I keep my rats in 1.2 groups and never break them up. They do very well together. If both females have litters at the same time it can get crowded when the babies are about weanling size.

Rats don’t smell too bad. Nothing like mice. I won’t say they are odor free but not too bad. I use pine shavings for bedding.

I feed mine Lab Blocks and I supplement with a variety of grains. At 4 weeks of age rats weigh around 80 grams, mice weigh around 20.
 
Thanks Wadeypoo I hate even having to do this, but racing through traffic with two kids for two mice is a real pain. I had had hopes he'd switch back as the weather warmed, but apparently he's content to scare me eating live instead.
 
My rats average about 15 pups every 4 to 5 weeks. Do you think your snake can eat them all before they grow too big?
 
1. Some sites say do not keep multiple pregnant females together while others say go ahead- whats your experience?

Keep them together; they will help each other take care of the babies.


2. I was planning on getting 2 females and 1 male and keeping them in a 40 gallon with a spare 30 gallon for breeding breaks and in case there's fighting going on- is this wise? How many spare cages will I need for weaned babies?

For one snake? A male and female will likely be more than enough.
Also, do not separate the pair unless you are getting too many pups; reintroducing may be difficult.
You will need probably two spare cages; one for each gender. Rats, even if they are siblings, will breed with each other.


3. The extra rats will be culled and frozen for my neighbor and a few other local friends but I hear the upkeep is timely- how timely honestly?

First of all, if the extras are being culled and frozen, why do you need an extra tank? Also, no idea how to answer that question. Is worded weird.


4. The smell!!! I freaking hate the smell of rodent pee and poop hence why I don't keep rodents- is there a substrate that helps reduce smell better than others? I plan on spot cleaning daily and full cleaning weekly, but any other tips?

Rats don't smell too bad, but Carefresh bedding may be a good investment if you'll die otherwise from the smell.


5. What is the best diet for these guys? I want my boas food to be as healthy as possible and I hear rodent blocks are NOT created equal so whats the best?

Trust me, you have no need to get so finicky. A simple lab block food at Petco ( http://www.petco.com/product/108411...Mouse-Rat-and-Hamster.aspx?CoreCat=MiceHPFood ) is well enough (and buying that online at Petco.com is cheaper than in-store). However, some rodent food can get expensive, and a cheap dog food with no red dye gets the job done just as good as an expensive rodent food, and supplements could never hurt.
 
I will be culling the extras at various stages of growth hence the extra tanks. My neighbor also has BP's, corns, and kings and will buy f/t adult rats from me for her BP's along with a few other local friends. My only snake that will be getting rats is the one boa everyone else eats f/t with gusto, but he will need smaller rats since he is only a yearling and a dwarf boa at that.
 
If he's small, why don't you go to Petco and buy some small rats they have? They're the same thing, just a smaller type of rat. I know one Petco near me has small female rats, but I think breeding small females with a medium male would still get you some nice sized rats for your boa.
 
I have a tower unit with 5 mice and 21 rat colonies that keep me nicely in feeders. I generally keep 1 male to 4 females per tub, and clean the tower once a week. I spend about 21/2 to 3 hours total cleaning/feeding/filling water tanks on a weekly basis.
More time is taken up getting babies sorted and fed off, with the surplus going in the freezer than in the actual upkeep. Cleaning weekly keeps the smell to a minimum. I agree with Wade the mice smell far far worse.
As you can see I have about 300 snakes who are permanent stock. We raised about 8000 babies last year in every size from pinky to 4 weeks of age. Unless I am keeping them for breeding stock rarely do rats live beyond 6 weeks here. Hope this helps.
 
1. Some sites say do not keep multiple pregnant females together while others say go ahead- whats your experience?

Rats are awesome... I would keep them together unless you see them fighting..

2. I was planning on getting 2 females and 1 male and keeping them in a 40 gallon with a spare 30 gallon for breeding breaks and in case there's fighting going on- is this wise? How many spare cages will I need for weaned babies?

I would guess 2 cages would never hurt. Rats are very social critters and usually get along together when younger. I would only worry about space as they grow. I also would learn how to sex rat pinkies/pups. Feed males off first saving 1 here and there for replacement stock...

3. The extra rats will be culled and frozen for my neighbor and a few other local friends but I hear the upkeep is timely- how timely honestly?

1 cage of rats... 10 mins a day(if you dont play with them. Check water,check food, cleaning day may take you 20 mins.... Like Dragon boy I have 12 mice colonies and now 3 rat colonies an 1 ASF colony, so my time is closer to his on cleaning day....

4. The smell!!! I freaking hate the smell of rodent pee and poop hence why I don't keep rodents- is there a substrate that helps reduce smell better than others? I plan on spot cleaning daily and full cleaning weekly, but any other tips?

Tractor supply is your friend. They make a horse pellet bedding. Its made of hay,straw and processed(cooked) pine compressed into pellet form. It is the best thing ever. It cost 5.99 for a 40lb bag. It does break down after its pee-ed upon and stompped on enough. Makes cleaning easy and the smell is less (not to say there is no smell). I also put a handful of Aspen in for bedding material.

5. What is the best diet for these guys? I want my boas food to be as healthy as possible and I hear rodent blocks are NOT created equal so whats the best?

Lab block food, Harlan, Mazuri. If you feel funky you could add leftover to there diet, noodles, rice veggies, things like that.
 
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