Re: breeding feeder rats/mice/whatever
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mainbutter
So I read the FAQs and one question kind of got at this("is it really less expensive to breed your own feeders") but I wasn't really satisfied by the answer in the FAQ, so what's your opinion?
At what point (number of snakes? any other criteria?) is it worth the time, work, and money to have your own colony of mice or rats or ASFs to feed your BPs?
I'm planning on getting a BP soon, and have been toying with the idea of having a small colony of ASFs or maybe rats to breed my own feeders. Of course I think that I'd produce way too many newborns for a single snake to eat.. For those of you who do breed feeders, was there some moment where you decided "heck, it'd be better if I just had my own colony rather than buying live/frozen"?
I think you should still breed feeders, you can never have too much food as long as you have enough space to freeze the feeders. because the bigger your snake gets the more food you are going to need anyway.
Then once it gets to a size where you gotta feed it bigger food you just let all the food grow to that size then kill/freeze the rest.
Re: breeding feeder rats/mice/whatever
I breed my own feeders now and you just have to plan months in advance how many you will need and plan when to put them together for breeding. You have to be able to euthanize and freeze them. I breed so I can get quality feeders which is difficult here. I know it costs me way more than buying frozen but I feel that my rats are of better quality.
Re: breeding feeder rats/mice/whatever
Along the same lines,
I have three ball pythons, and will be breeding them next winter, keeping two of the baby snakes. I am considering breeding ASFs and freezing those I don't need, as two of the three snakes are eating F/T, hence an endless supply.
I have all the supplies to make cages/ bedding/ etc. so my question is with only the cost of rodent food to worry about- is it cost-effective for me to raise ASFs rather than buying a $6 rat every other week and two $1 mice a week? Adds up to $20 a month- that is until the small ball pythons get larger, and I end up paying close to $40 a month, before breeding. I know this is a smaller cost than a small dog, but how much does rat food such as Mazuri or oat mixes cost?
