When do u start breeding rats?

Hi, I respect all the knowledge here & I really enjoy owning & taking care of my ball python. Since its going so well I want to adopt 2 more bps as pets...

Approx how many bps would one need before seeing it necessary to breed rats for feeding?

I do have a bit of free time & find it very Rewarding to achieve a good feeding day!


Thanks all!

there's a thread here somewhere..
you calculate how much you pay for monthly feeding of the snakes, and then you calculate how much it takes to maintain and breed rats. if the costs of buying rats to feed a certain number of balls is way more expensive than the total maintenance(block food, bedding) of breeding the rats,then it's time to start breeding.

uh..did that make sense? sorry if it didnt. need to get some sleep.

I have 10 ball's and breed a small amount of rats, but I don't think it is worth the hassle really. Not sure if I can answer your questions or not. At this point atleast with me, I think it would be cheaper to use frozen, but kind of like having the rats around.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=52894

Well, I have 5 snakes, and with 5 adult females and a male I can keep them all fed, but it's really far more expensive to buy cages, rat food, rats, bedding, etc. than to just buy rats. I'm getting rid of my rats for that reason. It's just not economical for anything less than, I believe, 15-20 snakes. >.> Just my thoughts. Waay too much hassle and...well...stink.


Seriously underestimated the stink factor.

Here you go, posted twice just in case you missed the sticky's!

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=52894

Unless you need live rats or TONS of them I wouldn't breed.

I cannot find live rat pinks in my area to feed my hatchlings so I decided that I would breed my own.

I started breeding my own feeders when I reached 10 snakes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I started breeding my own feeders when I reached 10 snakes.

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Uh Huh, What she said! My local place for live feeders is outrageous with their feeder prices, so I decided the extra work was worth it! I haven't gotten the system going to feed the 27 I have now, but we are working on that. Once you have a breeding/cleaning system that works for you, it really isn't that bad, it says me atleast $100/week I would be feeding on feeders at the local petstore.

I think that's the main thing: if your snakes will take FT, then ordering in bulk online (and having a vacuum sealer) is much cheaper and easier. However, if all your snakes don't accept FT and the prices at the stores around you are too high, then breeding your own can be worth the work.

The mice at the store I frequent are well priced, but the rats (since they sell more, having more customers with large boas and pythons) are a bit pricey...at least for me. Now that I have three adult BPs, I realize that my original idea to feed multiple mice just isn't economical even though I've been breeding my own mice.

Also, if you (like me) can find really good deals on bulk bedding or food then it can cut costs. Using tubs instead of tanks or cages for the rodents is also much cheaper. :)

In the end, it comes down to: how many snakes you have to feed (I have 10), how much room you have for a rodent colony, budget restraints, whether your snakes will take FT or not (my corns will, my BPs will not...yet), and time to clean rodents as well as snakes. :)