Is it time to breed my own snake food?

I have four ball pythons that seem to always be hungry. I am tired of paying the prices that I have been for rats. Now that spring is practically here my snakes appetites are picking back up. What would be a good ratio of rats to have to breed for four snakes?

Have you been buying in bulk frozen rodents or just picking them up locally whenever you need them? That's what I do (buy in bulk) for currently my 16 snakes (plus my bf's seven) and we'd choose to buy in bulk for everyone vs. breeding our own feeders any day.

I buy f/t for my two snakes that eat f/t rats and the other two eat live. I can't seem to find anyone in my area that breeds rats so that is one of the reasons I am considering breeding my own.

I have 27 snakes and all except 2 are eating ft right now. I have heard (don't quote me on this) people say that breeding rats takes up more time then caring for their snakes. That the cleaning up after the rats is worse then cleaning up after snakes. Personally, I got into this hobby to spend time with my snakes, not rats. I buy in bulk from a rodent supplier...that works well for me.

But by all means...don't let us discourage you! You could start with a 1.2 ratio and a couple tanks and see how it goes...if its not for you, feed them off and go back to ordering.

I also buy frozen rats in bulk. I agree with Kat, taking care of that many rats just isn't what I want to do right now. Not to mention the smell.

Rats suck. They stink. They are a ton of work. And I think you really need to breed alot of them to even make it any cheaper than just buying from some one else. Find some where to order them in bulk and by them frozen

For 4 snakes, I doubt it would be worth it...I breed my own rats, it's not as bad as many make it out to be(the smell and work), but it's no picnic either. I do save a decent amount of money though I'm not breeding a ton of them. Unless you have somewhere you are positive you can unload extra rats off to, even 1.2 will far exceed your needs for 4 snakes.

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Originally Posted by jason_ladouceur

Rats suck. They stink. They are a ton of work. And I think you really need to breed alot of them to even make it any cheaper than just buying from some one else. Find some where to order them in bulk and by them frozen

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I disagree that rats suck and stink. But then again its subjective..... I breed in my apartment and keep a number of my favorite girls in my bedroom. As long as you're using a good bedding and cleaning at least once a week or more, as well as feeding quality food, there is little to no smell.

However, I agree with the rest of your post. It's not really cost effective unless you're producing in massive quantities.

Personally, I don't have that many snakes and it would be cheaper to buy f/t in bulk, but I find that rat breeding is fun and I do it because I enjoy it. I love my rats.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

I disagree that rats suck and stink. But then again its subjective..... I breed in my apartment and keep a number of my favorite girls in my bedroom. As long as you're using a good bedding and cleaning at least once a week or more, as well as feeding quality food, there is little to no smell.

However, I agree with the rest of your post. It's not really cost effective unless you're producing in massive quantities.

Personally, I don't have that many snakes and it would be cheaper to buy f/t in bulk, but I find that rat breeding is fun and I do it because I enjoy it. I love my rats.

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I 100% agree.

My opinion, for 4 snakes I wouldn't get into breeding rats unless it is an absolute must for you or if you just want to get into the breeding aspect of rodents. I know many people that really enjoy breeding rats.

I have kept rats, have not bred. And I know that there are many pros and cons to keeping rodents just as there are with all other animals. Do your research and try to figure out if the work that goes into breeding rats will prove to be a benefit tou you (cost/time) in your situation.

I have 10 BPs currently and have often thought of breeding rats, but with a rodent supplier only 10 minutes from work it never comes to fruition... that and my wife say NOOOOO!

I used to breed my own and let me just say- The money you save doing it will be offset by the time/work you have to put into it.

It can be fun and rewarding if you like rats but it is a lot of dirty smelly work. And I didn't even need live ones. I just froze the small rats after raising them as all my snakes take f/t.

Nowadays I just order mine in bulk.

If you enjoy rats and don't mind the extra cleaning involved, I'd saqy just try starting out with 1.2 and get a feel for it. If you hate rats or are uncomfortable dealing with cleaning/killing/freezing them, just buy in bulk.

I have 3 snakes myself, and produce enough rats for myself and 2 friends (6 snakes total). I currently have 2 groups of 1.3. They technically produce more than I need, but since I need a wide range of sizes in order to feed all the different snakes (garters, balls, and boas) I over-produce so that I have all sizes at all times. I also enjoy them as pets so I don't exactly mind having a few extra around, and all the time spent cleaning, feeding, and watering them is also quality time I get to spend with them so it feels rewarding to me.

I currently have four snakes. I breed my own soft furs. They are hands down the best way to get a stubborn BP to eat. I feed live because it's convenient. You put the rat in with the first one on the list, that one won't eat, pull the rat and move to the next one, and so on. But I work third shift so I don't have time to thaw seven rats. It costs me about $20 per month for bedding and food for the six soft furs that I have. Soft furs hardly smell at all. A soft fur colony can go much longer without changing bedding or water than domestic rats. And they eat less too. They are native prey, so soft furs are ideal for BPs through all life stages. If you can find soft furs I would go one male, one female per snake and one extra female just in case. Soft furs are much more inexpensive and easier to care for than domestic rats. They do take longer to grow but once you have an established colony you should have plenty to feed your BPs. Also soft furs usually have more babies than domestic rats.

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Originally Posted by evan385

I currently have four snakes. I breed my own soft furs. They are hands down the best way to get a stubborn BP to eat. I feed live because it's convenient. You put the rat in with the first one on the list, that one won't eat, pull the rat and move to the next one, and so on. But I work third shift so I don't have time to thaw seven rats. It costs me about $20 per month for bedding and food for the six soft furs that I have. Soft furs hardly smell at all. A soft fur colony can go much longer without changing bedding or water than domestic rats. And they eat less too. They are native prey, so soft furs are ideal for BPs through all life stages. If you can find soft furs I would go one male, one female per snake and one extra female just in case. Soft furs are much more inexpensive and easier to care for than domestic rats. They do take longer to grow but once you have an established colony you should have plenty to feed your BPs. Also soft furs usually have more babies than domestic rats.

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ASFs are really great for very picky Balls, or if you need a lot of small pinks. For just 4 (I'm assuming) medium-ish sized Balls, especially if they're already eating well on rats, I'd suggest sticking with that. ASFs can be hard to find, and between the slow growth, large litters, and the tendency to bite (only about as bad as mice, but worse than rats), I just don't see ASFs between quite as worthwhile for a small collection.

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Originally Posted by LotusCorvus

ASFs are really great for very picky Balls, or if you need a lot of small pinks. For just 4 (I'm assuming) medium-ish sized Balls, especially if they're already eating well on rats, I'd suggest sticking with that. ASFs can be hard to find, and between the slow growth, large litters, and the tendency to bite (only about as bad as mice, but worse than rats), I just don't see ASFs between quite as worthwhile for a small collection.

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One of mine is over 1600 grams. She eats four at a time if not five. All of mine are eating soft furs and I get mine for $3 each in Knoxville. I have easy access to them and a steady supply. You can produce pet quality feeders through selective breeding. I avoid bites by always picking them up by the tail and when they are away from babies.

If your considering breeding your snakes, you may want to keep in mind that some people will steer clear of any snakes raised on ASF's. I have heard plenty of people say that it's easy to switch snakes back to regular rats but I've also heard just as many people I trust give personal stories about the ridiculous difficulty of it... almost as bad as gerbils.

I have no first hand knowledge about it, but I have heard enough people complain to give me pause and turn down free and pennies on the dollar ASFs.

You should send me a text Christie :)

well we ordered 200 adult mice to start things off from rodent pro, will be switching to rats here soon though, but with shipping and all, it averaged out to about 55 cents a mouse, we are not able to get anything locally so we are stuck with online orders for now.

I have done some breeding with them in the past, but for me it was not worth it and cost more in the end for so very few i gave up on it.

I too recently had to deal with this dilemma, to breed feeders or to not breed feeders. Being that my collection is constantly growing and the fact that I'm breeding my snakes I felt it would be wise and cost affective to breed my own feeders. Not only does it save money after the initial startup cost I also know exactly what my snakes are eating and it's only the best. Currently I am working with one rack of 8 mortar tubs housing 1.2 in each tub and will be adding an additional female (that I produced no outsiders) to each tub by the end of the week. At any given time I'm housing anywhere from 100 to 200 rats counting the babies. I do all of this inside my home in the same room as my snakes with no issue of odor and it takes me about 40mins once a week to clean all tubs, water, and feed everyone. The big secret to controlling the odors is to not cheap out on food (remember the food your feeding your rats is the food your feeding your snakes) and use the pressed wood pellets under the bedding. After my initial setup cost it cost me about $30.00 and 2.5hrs of my time per month. I produce at least 200 rats a month and freeze any extras.

The point of my rant is that it's nowhere near as hard to care for and raise feeders as so many people lead on. With only having 4 snakes I would start off with 2 tubs of 1.2 in each tub and freeze any extras for your f/t eaters to eat later. By having 2 tubs going you'll be able to keep hold backs for future pairings without inbreeding too much. Once you have a good supply of constant feeders you'll find it even easier to add more snakes to your collection while knowing they're eating the absolute best possible. If you decide to go this route and have any questions or need any advice you can PM me directly and I'll gladly help you out.

I have about 22 snakes, and I do spend more time working on the rats than I do with my snakes, I would buy bulk if i had 300 bucks or betterin my bank account every couple months lol. the rats do smell, are time comsumming and at times slow breeding. but i only spend about 100 bucks a month in the taking care of them when they are able ot keep up production for me . I tried to builda rat rack only to have all but one tub chewed out ( I think I need to adjust how the tubs sits inside racks. but I going to buy a smalle chest freezer and off most the rats and work with ft more cause it is easier , plus I hate spending 5+ bucks on a rat that as big as a full grown mouse.