Raising rats?

Ginger has taken very well to eating live. I need to start feeding her small rats, as she'll eat 3-4 mice easily. U fortunately, the only pet store near me that sells rodents is Petco, and they have rats that are much too big for Ginger. I bought their smallest rat, and it was much too large for Ginny to eat. - it was twice as large as her girth at the widest point


So I am considering getting some baby rats and raising them....... Good idea or bad? It's so rural where I live, I can't think of any other solution. I'd really appreciate hearing what others think.

Many thanks,
Pamela




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With only one snake you may end up with more rats than you can use. If that happens, they'll outgrow what your snake can eat and you'll be stuck with them.

Yes, that's one thing that I'm worried about.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by pbyeerts

Yes, that's one thing that I'm worried about.


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Why don't you consider investing in a mini freezer and just keep a bag of small rats? Switching her over to f/t shouldn't take too long. She should be on rats and f/t is much safer. Just imo. Good luck. :gj:

You could switch to F/T and get them from rodent pro in bulk which would be your cheapest option.

But if you are inclined to breeding your own, then for one snake you really would only need 1 male and 1 female. Have 2 separate containers and pair them for 3 weeks, then remove. Once the female gives birth let her raise them for 3 weeks, and wean them.

With what I said above, you'd average about 8 - 16 rats each time, which would give you plenty so the momma could take a break before you breed her again. The only thing is you wouldnt have small size for more than 2 months because of the time it takes for pairing, breeding, and weanlings growing to small size. Another issue you might run into is the babies growing too large before you have a chance to feed them.

As others said, it just doesn't make all that sence to breed your own rats with only one snake, but it can be done.

Thanks for the great advice! Hopefully I can get her back on F/T soon.....


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What area of the world are you in?
You just might have a rodent breeder near you.

Another thing you could also consider is euthanizing the rats at the size your snake requires and freezing your own rodents (assuming your breed your own). This would allow you to have a variety of sizes for what you need but is also a lot more work. Breeding your own rodents also requires more time investment, so you have to weigh the pros and cons of each.

My vote would be to either find a local rodent breeder or buy F/T.

Greg

If you only have the one snake I wouldn't even consider it. Even with a single male and female, you're going to be spending much more time on your rat husbandry than with your snakes. You're also looking at annoying rat maintenance bills (rat food is oddly expensive if you don't buy bulk) and the hassle around having to euthanize them to prevent them outgrowing your snake. Basically you're going to be paying the same as buying bulk f/t but with a lot more work and weird smells.