how much per month do you spend on your feeders?

[stangs13]

How much money do you spend on buying bedding, feed, etc per month? Also, how much are lab blocks.

[Argentra]

Heh, I'm the wrong one to ask those questions.

Adult mice at the Scales n Tails I go to are about $1.80 a piece. My max pickup per week would be 3 adults and one fuzzie(for the rescue), and I'm debating on seeing if I can get a good FT supply from a reliable source or just picking up live adults and doing the PK thing. So, I spend about $30 a month... give or take, since I hand them a $20 whenever my card runs out and they sometimes don't mark the mice off.

As for bedding and food... well I get those practically free since I'm friends with the new manager at my old Petsmart and she gives me her discount, and sometimes she just gives me items that were returned but still good, or the packaging was messed up, or just plain overstock. That's how I have so much surplus toys and such. Now I just wish this store carried thermostats.

However, I can tell you that a 4.0 cubic ft bag of aspen (which lasts quite a while since it's compacted) is $12 and a 2lb bag of Mazuri lab block is $6 at Petsmart and $5 at the Mazuri web site.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I pay about $19.99 for 50 lbs of Mazuri

Bedding cost me about $4.98 per week, this is for 6 large rat tubs, 6 small mice tubs and 2 medium holdback tubs.

A feeder cost me about $0.36 to produce (this is based on the past 6 months taking in consideration, the food, the bedding and the number of feeders that where produced)

In the past 6 months I spent $167,22 and I produced 465 feeders

[Argentra]

$0.35?? Woh...can I get my feeders from you??

[Stewart_Reptiles]

$0.35?? Woh...can I get my feeders from you??

If I was at the point where I had surplus I would happily help out anyone that was local to me, the problem is this year I barely met my needs (hopefully next year will be better)

[AdamJB]

In the past 6 months I spent $167,22 and I produced 465 feeders

did you mean $167.22? lol that coma is throwin me off!

[ivylea77]

I pay about $19.99 for 50 lbs of Mazuri

Bedding cost me about $4.98 per week, this is for 6 large rat tubs, 6 small mice tubs and 2 medium holdback tubs.

A feeder cost me about $0.36 to produce (this is based on the past 6 months taking in consideration, the food, the bedding and the number of feeders that where produced)

In the past 6 months I spent $167,22 and I produced 465 feeders

Wow, that's impressive. Not to mention tedious that you figured all that out. I'd rather not know what I spend

BTW, where are you getting your lab block from?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

did you mean $167.22? lol that coma is throwin me off!

I meant 167 dollars and 22 cents ($167.22) French use comma that's why I wrote it that way

Wow, that's impressive. Not to mention tedious that you figured all that out. I'd rather not know what I spend

BTW, where are you getting your lab block from?

I get the lab blocks from a local feed store.

I did this so I could compare the cost of producing my own feeders to the cost of buying them (which I used to do when I was feeding f/t) Of course this does not take in consideration the time but it is way worth it knowing that I providing quality feeders to my snakes

All you have to do is write down what you buy and what you produce, not really much more tedious than making a budget.

[stangs13]

Wow!! Thanks guys! Helps me get one step closer to getting some rats. I pay 180+ every 6 months for about 150 feeders. For 4-5 rats how long will 50lbs of lab blocks.

[SiscoReptiles]

I have 4 rat racks, each rack has 5 bins. Each bin has 1 male, 5 females. I use 100lbs of grain a week and two large bags of pine shavings a week. The food costs me $20.00 a week, the shavings are $10.00. I produce enough rodents to feed my 50 ball pythons and 20+ tegu lizards, with enough surplus that I can sell the excess. I have one local herper who generally purchases off me each week and he gives me $57 a week. The local petshop also buys surplus off me when they need some, but it's too sporadic to count as income.

The other cost I have is electricity (heating & venting fans) this time of year, which is $70.00 a month to keep the rodent building heated and ventilated. This cost may come down once I get switched over to propane fuel.

So..

My monthly costs for food/bedding: $190.00
My monthly income from the rodents: $228.00
My rodent costs for the rats I use: $0.00
Surplus Income: $38.00 (we use this to buy new stock, treats, chews, bottles, etc)

To me, breeding is the only solution. I hate using frozen rodents that I have no quality control over. Buying rodents locally from petshops would not be cost effective. (100+ rats a week at $3.95 to $5.95 each). Plus that don't always have the sizes I need.

Rick