Is it posable to breed rats without smell/touching them

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

You may consider african soft-furred rats

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You're like a drug dealer for ASFs...

I keed, I keed! :D

Regular rats all the way!!!

Just buy them weekly.

Breeding takes up a lot of time and space, and does smell if you aren't on top of the husbandry of the rodents.

But they are sooo fun to breed!! I love making different color combos.

It is my sub-hobby while still loving my herps.

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Regular rats all the way!!!

Just buy them weekly.

Breeding takes up a lot of time and space, and does smell if you aren't on top of the husbandry of the rodents.

But they are sooo fun to breed!! I love making different color combos.

It is my sub-hobby while still loving my herps.

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Rock on Heather!! :rockon:

I LOVE my rats and yes like said above they take a lot of time and I know I spend more money on them then I do on my snakes. I also like breeding them and seeing what different colors and such I get when pairing them up.

They don't smell unless you let their cages go then they start to stink. You will have to handle them from time to time to clean cages and such. Also I find it a lot more easier when cleaning day comes or I have to remove babies from mom's when I have that rats trust. I make sure that I spend time handling my momma rats a lot. It pays off in the end with me not loosing any blood by being bitten.

Also by handling them you will be able to learn each one of their personalities and will be able to tell their moods. I know when it's okay to stick my hand in the tank when that rat is sitting on her babies or if she gives me "the look" or shows any kind of body language to back off I know she means business. 99% of the time my female rats are very mellow and don't have a problem with me. I don't spend that much time working with the males since I only have them for one reason and that is only to make more babies.

I have 9 snakes and have 15 breeder rats. I rotate them so I have a constant supply of baby rats that are perfect feeding size for my snakes.


If you don't want smell or interaction with them then I suggest you just find a local breeder or pet store and just buy weekly rats that way.

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

Regular rats all the way!!!

Just buy them weekly.

Breeding takes up a lot of time and space, and does smell if you aren't on top of the husbandry of the rodents.

But they are sooo fun to breed!! I love making different color combos.

It is my sub-hobby while still loving my herps.

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For the money it costs once the collection gets bigger, the benefits of breeding outweigh the downsides.

As for making combos, I bred 2 albinos that I got from the pet store and out of 14 babies, 2 were beige hooded and 2 were brown with beige hoods. Talk about a surprise!

Thanks for the input guys. I have a good source for f/t im just thinking into the future when the 5 start to breed. I dont hate rats i just dont wont to be bit by them lol. Also dont want my house smelling.

if you handle them regularly, from when they are small, they have no reason to bite... although an eager rattie looking at a treat in your hand CAN be a nip waiting to happen LOL or a tug with her paws LOL

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Originally Posted by Tony25

Thanks for the input guys. I have a good source for f/t im just thinking into the future when the 5 start to breed. I dont hate rats i just dont wont to be bit by them lol. Also dont want my house smelling.

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I've got you covered Tony ... no worries. ;)

-adam

Not much I can add to these great posts Tony other than to say that keeping any breeding colony of mammals is work, there is some smell involved though good care reduces that and rats are one of the least smelly of the rodent group (mice stink!). Bites are not terribly common but do occur. I don't usually get bitten as my breeders are hand tamed but the feeders aren't and they will nip occasionally. Females on litters are the most common biters though again if they are hand tamed they aren't as likely to view you as a threat to their offspring. Rat bites can go nasty so good first aid is a must.

Oh and if you get bit by a rat it will almost always be on your knuckle LOL.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

You're like a drug dealer for ASFs...

I keed, I keed! :D

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I prefer the term pimp :P Hey I've been keeping things pretty low and just offering an alternative. There are enough others pushing them so I don't have to LOL.