Finally the rat factory is workin!

I am finally able to say, I have a steady and reliable rattery going here.
Here's the costs vs. buying rats for my snakes without breeding! I have about 25 rats right now, counting pinkies.

Rat bedding: works out to cost roughly $4/ week for aspen shavings.
Rat feed: I bought a 50# bag of rat pellets sometimes last YEAR and have barely went through half of it! I put it in buckets to keep it fresh. That bag cost $25.

Do the math: it's either this, or spend roughly $20 a WEEK for live rats for my 4 ball pythons! I feed live/prekilled to everyone except my boa, who gets f/t and is not being counted in the "4 snakes" I mentioned above.

And now, a few pics:
My American slate male:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ve/blustud.jpg

His two sisters, almost up to breeding size.

My http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...vive/mamas.jpg

The second most recent litter; just weaned! From a different mother. Unhappily in a bucket for cage-cleaning.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ive/babies.jpg

Some current pinkies; 14 in this litter!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...vive/pinks.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Some current pinkies; 14 in this litter!!

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14 is a great litter..congrats :). I have had good luck with my female mice. They usually produce between 11-13 babies in each litter.

11-13 is a great litter size. I'd keep that female around for awhile!

Maybe this is a stupid question, but how often could one expect a litter from mice or rats? I mean... you've got a litter of 14 (which will last a few weeks I guess?) but after that... then what? When could you expect another litter? I'm as noob as they come with breeding rodents. I guess I could have searched, but it was easier to just ask since the thread was here and open for discussion. Light on the flames... rare to medium please. I'm at the office and I left my flame suit at home. :oops:

A female can get pregnant a day or so after she gives birth. It is generally 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, then the babies are born. Most people like to give their females a few weeks break between pregnancies to give them a rest. But usually if you time it right you have another litter from a mother about the time her previous litter is adult size(5 weeks).

ha ha....when you have bps that will the 3-4 young adult mice at one sitting...they dont last that long....but are definately cheaper then buying mice from a pet store :)

Yep female rats can get preggie right away tho like Daniel said it's best to give them a bit of a break in between especially a good breeder that produces large healthy litters you want to not burn her out too fast.

Remember to seperate the litters by sex at around 5 weeks of age I think it is or the brothers will start bothering the sisters (or any other female they can get near....male rats are just....very....loving! LOL) How's that for keeping it PG.

~~Jo~~

I always have more than one female around, and they are all in different stages of pregnancy/nursing/being with mate. This way, there are always babies around (if things go smoothly lol.)

just one question when housing females together will other female rats eat another rats babys

Eh.. some people say that they have no trouble doing that. I personally, house my females together, up until a few days before a female is about to give birth. Then I put the expectant mother in her own 10-g tank and leave her alone until the babies are weaned (well except for cleaning out cage/feeding etc. :)

That's what I'm planning to do with my female that just spent some "quality" time with one of our male rats. She'll stay with her cage buddy until just before the babies come and then go back when they are weaned. I figure if nothing else it will give the mom and babies their own space w/o any nosey, busy female rat there who hasn't any of her own babies yet to fuss with.

~~Jo~~

I have 8 colonies of rats (no mice - can't stand the smell..LOL). 1.4 per tub...I never seperate the females when they are pregnant...My average litters are around 14...Never had a problem with the females getting along...They actually nurse each others pups...Daniel is right - a female rat will go into heat/cycle just a day or two after they give birth...My females give me a litter about once a month and are replaced (fed off) as breeders after about 10 - 12 months...If you have a nice size collection of snakes you pretty much have to raise your own rodents or spend a bunch of loot...I will say if you have a large colony of rodents they are a lot of work - well cleaning anyway...
Brian

I would like to get one too...but I am living with my Mom right now. She doesn't like the smell of them. I keep trying to tell her how much cheaper it would be. Think about it this way. Buy two adult feeder rats (one boy, one girl) for about $3 each, so $6 total. In like a month you will have around 10-15 pinkies. Freeze some...let some get to fuzzie size...freeze some...then so on and so on. Basicly you get 17 rats for $6. Now thats logical thinking ;). Why pay $1.29 for ONE f/t pinkie?

And I pay $9.99 for a 6-pack of frozen SMALL mice!

we started raising our own mice ... we feed live and paid 1.50 per mouse and my snakes are part cow they can eat forever!!! so that is alot of money. i have them one male to three female and things are moving along. i have 8 litters of babies (some are weaned and ready to be fed) and then i have some that were born yesterday :) i like my mice, they are relativly quiet and they dont smell but of coarse i clean their cages out alot in order for them not to stink. ill probably get over run by mice before too long ... so if your in the st. louis area and can pick up let me know and as soon as i get over run i think that we are selling them at like .75 a mouse :) i just like having the mice around when the are hoppers ... so fun to watch them bounce and hit their heads :)