Thinking about starting to breed rats

[Rakk101]

Hey all,

I have looked at a ton of the post in here and breeding rats is something I never thought I would do but it seems it may be better than buying F/T at this point.

I have a few questions if you would not mind answering them.

1.) I have 10 boas now and plan on breeding for the first time this fall, I am buying about 4 different rat sizes all the time from pups to large to feed them all. Is breeding rats a money and time saver with 10 snakes or in your opinion is it still better to order F/T? Also the ten snakes will probably be 15-20 next year at this time

2.) How bad is the smell? My snake room is in our basement and I have room to set up a rat rack with tubs, I am just wondering if my house will smell from this or if I clean 2-3 times a week if the smell will not be noticeable.

3.) Where do you get breeders to start your colonies? Do you just go to petsmart and ask for 1.2 rats or is there another way to do it?

4.) what is the best diet for a colony? I have plenty of horse/farm feed stores around my house so bedding and stuff is not a problem, I also have 4 dogs and I read that some high protein senior dog food could work.

Thanks for taking any time you have on this and it is much appreciated.

[tonkatoyman]

I would not put rats in my basement for anything the amonia smell just before cleaning day can be bad. On the food lab blocks like Harlan or Mazuri 6F are the best. Get breeders from someone who has rats like the pet store or anouther snake owner.

[Jenn]

You're just about there. I think I started breeding rats and mice when I hit a dozen or so. It's really nice having any size rodent to choose from at any time if you have young snakes. However, smell is a real concern. I don't like the smell of rats. I can smell them even in a freshly cleaned cage. I would avoid a basement if it's at all humid which most basements are. The humidity really brings out the smell.

It's unfortunate that snakes and rodents like the exactly opposite environments. Snakes need warm and humid and rodents need cool and dry. So it makes it somewhat of a challange to keep them in the same room.

My first word of caution would be that it's a ton of work. I spend about 99% of my time with rodents and 1% with snakes!

[littleindiangirl]

LOW protein senior dog food. Rats do well with 16-18% protein. Most dog feed is significantly higher.

Using dog food (like we've had to do for the past two weeks ) will make your rats stink quite a significant amount more. I can't WAIT for our Mazuri order to get back in, the smell is about twice as bad on dog food, even one made with very little meat products. I think it's the animal digest they spray on the food (or just crappy ingredients).

Most feed stores can order Purina, check out Mazuri products.

I'd keep them in a basement over a garage or room in the house ANY DAY. Cool (not freezing) rats produce better than hot ones. Rats also like humidity, for health and skin care. They do live in underground burrows you know.

Using a good bedding will help, so will good ventilation and exhaust fans. Think about setting up some exhaust system, it will help, A LOT.

[Rakk101]

I have read all of your great charts and such on here and I think I am going to go ahead and pick up 1.4 breeders this weekend and see how it goes. The problem is I need some bigger rats for the boas so it is going to take a bit to get them to size and in the meantime I will need to pick out some of the pups/weanlings for my smaller guys.

Thanks to everybody on this forum for some great advice on getting started in this Rat section.

Since I need some medium and large rats do I need to seperate them as they grow up?

[suzuki4life]

I have read all of your great charts and such on here and I think I am going to go ahead and pick up 1.4 breeders this weekend and see how it goes. The problem is I need some bigger rats for the boas so it is going to take a bit to get them to size and in the meantime I will need to pick out some of the pups/weanlings for my smaller guys.

Thanks to everybody on this forum for some great advice on getting started in this Rat section.

Since I need some medium and large rats do I need to seperate them as they grow up?

I breed a ton of rats...very few see my boas. An adult boa will require a rat in excess of 8 months of age...and may require multiple rats.

I breed rats and boas...aged breeders do become boa food however there is not enough to fill the bill. SO I buy live or frozen guinea pigs. Local guys buy my rats...I use the cash to buy food bedding and guinea pigs. I pay anywhere between 75 cents to 3 bucks for guinea pigs from my local livestock auction.

I currently have 12 boas (all ranging 6-10 feet respectively)

[Rakk101]

Ah ok so it I am probably better off not even doing this since I only need boa feeders and it will take to long. Thanks alot, some more food for thought before I jump into this

[Shadera]

My rat colony is in the basement, and I've had no issues. It's been there over a year. As long as you keep tubs reasonably clean and feed a quality diet they don't stink up the rest of the house. When people walk in upstairs, they don't say, "oh, you have animals!" here.

I think for the younger boas, breeding your own rats might be a good bet. I've got a few young'uns and for now they do just fine on rats. When they get bigger, I may add guinea pigs or rabbits to the feeders I'm breeding.

[suzuki4life]

My rat colony is in the basement, and I've had no issues. It's been there over a year. As long as you keep tubs reasonably clean and feed a quality diet they don't stink up the rest of the house. When people walk in upstairs, they don't say, "oh, you have animals!" here.

I think for the younger boas, breeding your own rats might be a good bet. I've got a few young'uns and for now they do just fine on rats. When they get bigger, I may add guinea pigs or rabbits to the feeders I'm breeding.

I have a larger boas...and honestly...price of rabbits versus guinea pigs (and I see tons of rabbits go off at auction weekly)..guinea pigs seem to be the winner $/lb.

[th3jok3r]

the amonia smeellll is horrible!!! idk what im going to do i need to ventilate asap!!!!!!