Feeder Business

No pet stores in the area sell them as feeders or pets. I would probably have to get them from a breeder.

I read somewhere that ASFs are not legal in VA. That might be why you (and I) have never seen one in a pet store. If you look in to it, please let me know what you find out.

Its strange that you haven't been able to get any rat pups to survive. If I were you, I would hand-pick a group of female feeder rats, raise them up to size, and keep them seperate from your pet rats. I don't think anything is wrong with your colony, its just that maybe your pet rats' daily routine isn't conducive to breeding and rearing offspring. Pets should be pets and breeders should be breeders...

I wouldn't abandon the rat idea completely. Once you get a group of mice going and see how bad the odor is, you'll wish you had gone with rats.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Its strange that you haven't been able to get any rat pups to survive. If I were you, I would hand-pick a group of female feeder rats, raise them up to size, and keep them seperate from your pet rats. I don't think anything is wrong with your colony, its just that maybe your pet rats' daily routine isn't conducive to breeding and rearing offspring. Pets should be pets and breeders should be breeders...

I wouldn't abandon the rat idea completely. Once you get a group of mice going and see how bad the odor is, you'll wish you had gone with rats.

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My breeders are my pets!! I have awesome litters, with fat chubby babies :D

But, I do leave them almost completely on their own during nursing. I only check once a day to make sure the pups are doing okay. I don't want any nervous mothers, and I definitely do not play with them while they are pregnant or nursing.

I play with moms while they are pregnant, nursing, whatever. I get 80-100g 5-week olds ;) They aren't or will never be food, but still. If your rats trust you, you can get away with alot with them.

I breed Chameleons and in order to keep all of the hungry little mouths fed (anywhere from 10-75 babies in a single clutch depending on the species) I had to get my own feeder colonies going to not spend hundreds a week to keep them all fed. I am not knowledgeable in the breeding of Rats and Mice, But I can give you some input on other feeders in the herp world that I do raise.


Roaches- I raise Dubias and they are awesome!.... No Stink, Slow, Can't climb or fly, Incredibly nutritious, and can be gutloaded very easily, and the breed very prolifically. All you need is a tub in a warm place with some egg crates and something to feed them and they will breed like crazy. There is also a nice demand for these with anyone who keeps any kind of insectivore.

Superworms- Take some patience and are kind of a pain in the butt... But can be easily bred at home. I can go into detail if needed.

Silkworms- Extremly Healthy feeder for anyone with lizards...And are in VERY high demand these days. The countries biggest supplier has been dry while they get some legal paperwork for importing squared away. I'm sure we all raised these in our Kindergarten classes.

Crickets- If you provide the right kind of enclosure in the right place... they are not to bothersome. My Herp room is right next to my Bedroom and I have 2000 adult breeding crickets in there, and they don't bother me. I cut a window in a side wall, and in the lid of the bin, and covered it with screen. This provides circulation... The smell of Crix kills crix, so this circulation helps keep their air fresh, and drastically reduced die offs.

Hornworms- They are tougher, as you must provide an area for the moths(the size of friggin bats!) to fly and mate. But they are an aweome feeder if you can get the knack of raising them.