Question for those who breed feeders for their snakes.

Im going to be breeding Rats. Ive set them up in my basement and just remembered that my forced air Heat/AC sucks air threw all the cold air returns and blows it back out in all the rooms..(house is a open floor plan really)...
anotherwords with 3 ladies in the house it always smells like purfume, hair product or fruity showers blowing out the vents..
With that said, will the Rat smell blowing through the vents get the snakes hunting?
I googled and searched the last 2 days and havent read any questions or comments on anything like this. I was wondering if the snakes will get use to it like the snakes in a Pet store. When I buy feeders at my Local Reptile shop his Snakes aren't hunting nor do they strike when held ect... Do they get ammune to the smell of rodents? Whats your experiance?

They will be fine, when I first started I actually kept everything in the same room rats. mice and snakes (back then the numbers were much smaller), they will continue to eat and there will be no issue when it comes to feed mode.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

They will be fine, when I first started I actually kept everything in the same room rats. mice and snakes (back then the numbers were much smaller), they will continue to eat and there will be no issue when it comes to feed mode.

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Great!!! I was hoping you would see this Deborah..I read every thread you posted in about breeding Mice/Rats :gj:

Also shout out to Preditorskeeper..I ordered food in 25lb bags from a distributor he told me about along with so good tips on feeders :gj::snake:

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Rat smell blowing through the vents ... Whats your experiance?

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My experience with common rats is that they stink to high heavens. Tried all kinds of bedding. Tried changing bedding every 72hrs. Tried vanilla in their drinking water, then lemon. They stink. They are disgusting, putrid animals. It's not just their urine, and their feces. No, it's them themselves. A large breeder sized buck male rat especially stinks like a pig.

3 ladies you say? Perfume? Fruity? Oh, that will all change soon, as a new, very organic, very non-fruity perfume will now pervade your house. Every fabric will reek. Mutiny, male (human) tossed to street. Another snake collection on craigsList. Locusts in the large numbers across the plains. But I digress.

We breed ASF's now. No odor.

Have fun!
:taz:

The Key to controlling the smell and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the house is ventilation and have an exhaust fan. (then the smell is contained to the rodent room exclusively and weekly cleaning is all that is needed)

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Originally Posted by Deborah

The Key to controlling the smell and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the house is ventilation and have an exhaust fan. (then the smell is contained to the rodent room exclusively and weekly cleaning is all that is needed)

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The Mice are Horrible, I have 8 here now and im feeding them off asap. The 3 Rats Im going to Breed don't smell 1/8th as much as 1 mouse.. Ofcourse they will have a Rodent smell, but heck snake Urates smell terrible too so I do full cleanings whenever I get home and they have gone.
What worrys me is not a Rat smell, its a 19 year oldman Burm going from Puppy Dog Tame to a Off The Chain Retic in Feed Mode because he smells them hahahahaha
So I hope he gets immune.. Kinda like when you fry fish at home and you dont smell it badly until you walk in from work THE NEXT DAY :rofl:

Rats definitely smell WAY less then mice !! Not that they smell like roses ;)

If it isn't a large colony, it can be manageable. Just clean more often. Perhaps a air cleaner with activated charcoal might help?

About the Burm, hm. How is his feeding response when he smells rodents ? Have you ever tested if smell alone will trigger his response?

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Originally Posted by zina10

Rats definitely smell WAY less then mice !! Not that they smell like roses ;)

If it isn't a large colony, it can be manageable. Just clean more often. Perhaps a air cleaner with activated charcoal might help?

About the Burm, hm. How is his feeding response when he smells rodents ? Have you ever tested if smell alone will trigger his response?

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When he smells any kind of Rodent (sitting on top of his enclosure) he travels through his 8' enclosure in a Hover... one of my dogs has pushed the door open before and he hit the glass so hard i thought i was going to be replacing double pane glass..

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

When he smells any kind of Rodent (sitting on top of his enclosure) he travels through his 8' enclosure in a Hover... one of my dogs has pushed the door open before and he hit the glass so hard i thought i was going to be replacing double pane glass..

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Well. Hm.

I guess you'll have to wait and see how it goes ;) And be a little more "aware" during handling and maintenance.

I've kept both. Mice stink, even outside, and I never found any way around that. Mine were aggressive and bitey - I now fear mice.

Currently keep two male rats as pets, inside, in the same room as the snakes. I use a CritterNation wire cage with washable fleece for bedding. The fleeces get shaken out every morning to remove debris. I change individual fleeces out for clean laundered ones every few days - whenever one starts to smell. The boyz themselves have a (pleasant to me) woodsy/musky smell, but they don't stink up the room. Rats are underrated as pets. No, my snakes don't seem to mind.

Was originally planning to breed, but ordering from BigCheese is just easier.

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Originally Posted by zina10

Well. Hm.

I guess you'll have to wait and see how it goes ;) And be a little more "aware" during handling and maintenance.

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Yup.. Deborah says she kept them all together at one point and didnt have problems.. Also as ive noticed the same at pet stores... Im hoping/thinking after awhile it will be a normal smell to them .. :snake::D

Do you have more than just the 3 snakes now? I love rats as pets and have had them for years but honestly, they do still stink up a room fast and really don't think the constant cleaning is worth the time to keep 3 snakes fed.

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Originally Posted by HannahLou

Do you have more than just the 3 snakes now? I love rats as pets and have had them for years but honestly, they do still stink up a room fast and really don't think the constant cleaning is worth the time to keep 3 snakes fed.

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Id agree if feeders weren't a problem over the last year or so. My local stopped carrying Rats & Rabbits he has to special order, the next little city over wants $15 a Xl Rat.. And their mice are even to small for my balls over the last month. I dont feed frozen, only fresh kill. The smell of a Rat in my basement is not noticeable to humans... Its the snakes im asking about & going into Feed Mode of a full grown Burm.

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Id agree if feeders weren't a problem over the last year or so. My local stopped carrying Rats & Rabbits he has to special order, the next little city over wants $15 a Xl Rat.. And their mice are even to small for my balls over the last month. I dont feed frozen, only fresh kill. The smell of a Rat in my basement is not noticeable to humans... Its the snakes im asking about & going into Feed Mode of a full grown Burm.

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There are almost certainly people near you raising meat rabbits.
We just like to keep a low profile.;)
Ask around.

Here's what I do, I keep rats, mice, and snakes all in the same room and there is almost no smell at all except at the end of every 5 days when it's time to clean the rodents. The snakes don't mind one bit, in fact when it's rodent cleaning day I feed my snakes, it gets them in the mood LOL.

For my rats I keep them all on newspaper and shredded paper that I get free from work. I currently have 18 tubs (out of 20) full with mom and dad and babies (~ 20 total per tub) or a male/female ready to breed, or mid size rats up to 7 per tub (ARS rat breeder rack). I keep a box fan air filter right next to my rat rack with two layers of activated carbon filter pad in the front of it.

For my mice I keep them in glass critter cages with screen tops, similar to aquariums (8 tanks total, three 40 gallons, four 10 gallons, and one five gallon tank). I use packing tape and tape on a carbon filter pad over the top of the screen so that it covers the entire top of the tank. When I open the tank the smell about knocks me over, especially the male tanks. With the screen lid closed with carbon filter pad I can't smell a thing up until the fifth day. Some times I'll have up to 40-50 mice per tank! In my 10 gallon tanks I usually limit it to 20 per tank, even that is excessive, but I pile up crumpled up newspaper in there so it's like a big 3D maze LOL. I use the 10 gallons to separate males and females and to grow them out.

I got rid of my ASFs, they produce way too slow. I've only ever been nipped by one rodent and it was an ASF. Never have my mice or rats tried to bite me. I always give them some notice for several seconds before I pick them up and never move too fast like I'm trying to hurt them.

I keep my snakes on coconut husk substrate, keeps the smells to zero.

Here's a link to the carbon filters I use for my mouse tanks and box fan air filter. I'd say I replace them every couple months or so.

https://www.filtersfast.com/P-Hunter...bon-Filter.asp

The smell of my snake / rodent room is hardly noticeable even when you are in the room. It's way less than if you just had one male mouse in a tank all by itself. Those male mice really stink, I can't even bring them home from the pet store without having to get them out of the cab of my truck and back in the bed of my pickup LOL. But my white line of mice are far more productive than any other rodent I've ever seen, even more so than my rats. And the retired breeders get to a respectable size. I tried to keep mice without the carbon filter pads on top, forget about it. You can smell them the second you walk in the house.

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Originally Posted by Praomys

My experience with common rats is that they stink to high heavens. Tried all kinds of bedding. Tried changing bedding every 72hrs. Tried vanilla in their drinking water, then lemon. They stink. They are disgusting, putrid animals. It's not just their urine, and their feces. No, it's them themselves. A large breeder sized buck male rat especially stinks like a pig.

3 ladies you say? Perfume? Fruity? Oh, that will all change soon, as a new, very organic, very non-fruity perfume will now pervade your house. Every fabric will reek. Mutiny, male (human) tossed to street. Another snake collection on craigsList. Locusts in the large numbers across the plains. But I digress.

We breed ASF's now. No odor.

Have fun!
:taz:

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my rats, big males included, don't smell that bad....at all. I don't use vanilla and change out the bedding once a week (aspen), no smell other than typical small animal smell. I had them in my room right next to my snake rack for months and it was never noticeable.

Mice on the other hand...smell like the devil himself crapped in tinfoil and microwaved it in your house.

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

Here's what I do, I keep rats, mice, and snakes all in the same room and there is almost no smell at all except at the end of every 5 days when it's time to clean the rodents. The snakes don't mind one bit, in fact when it's rodent cleaning day I feed my snakes, it gets them in the mood LOL.

For my rats I keep them all on newspaper and shredded paper that I get free from work. I currently have 18 tubs (out of 20) full with mom and dad and babies (~ 20 total per tub) or a male/female ready to breed, or mid size rats up to 7 per tub (ARS rat breeder rack). I keep a box fan air filter right next to my rat rack with two layers of activated carbon filter pad in the front of it.

For my mice I keep them in glass critter cages with screen tops, similar to aquariums (8 tanks total, three 40 gallons, four 10 gallons, and one five gallon tank). I use packing tape and tape on a carbon filter pad over the top of the screen so that it covers the entire top of the tank. When I open the tank the smell about knocks me over, especially the male tanks. With the screen lid closed with carbon filter pad I can't smell a thing up until the fifth day. Some times I'll have up to 40-50 mice per tank! In my 10 gallon tanks I usually limit it to 20 per tank, even that is excessive, but I pile up crumpled up newspaper in there so it's like a big 3D maze LOL. I use the 10 gallons to separate males and females and to grow them out.

I got rid of my ASFs, they produce way too slow. I've only ever been nipped by one rodent and it was an ASF. Never have my mice or rats tried to bite me. I always give them some notice for several seconds before I pick them up and never move too fast like I'm trying to hurt them.

I keep my snakes on coconut husk substrate, keeps the smells to zero.

Here's a link to the carbon filters I use for my mouse tanks and box fan air filter. I'd say I replace them every couple months or so.

https://www.filtersfast.com/P-Hunter...bon-Filter.asp

The smell of my snake / rodent room is hardly noticeable even when you are in the room. It's way less than if you just had one male mouse in a tank all by itself. Those male mice really stink, I can't even bring them home from the pet store without having to get them out of the cab of my truck and back in the bed of my pickup LOL. But my white line of mice are far more productive than any other rodent I've ever seen, even more so than my rats. And the retired breeders get to a respectable size. I tried to keep mice without the carbon filter pads on top, forget about it. You can smell them the second you walk in the house.

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I was waiting for you to Chime in and If I could I would of Tagged you hahahaha. Thank you for the links, ive seen the Charcoal sold for smelly areas/rooms in a bag but honestly ive never seen a filter or used one that i know of and Id like to do that. Ive heard about them being in air purifying units though. I have a 40 Gallon long im going to turn into a Rat breeding tank I think instead of all these totes I bought. It was one of my quarantines for snakes but I have 2 others for that. Im thinking of just having 1.2 in there and figuring/trial running a schedule for feeding 2 balls and 1 burm.. I have mice producing now to hold me over for the Balls until the Rats get going and growing.

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Originally Posted by distaff

There are almost certainly people near you raising meat rabbits.
We just like to keep a low profile.;)
Ask around.

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Im sure your right but I don't like people that much so Im sure I wont find out hahahha. It will be easier for me during the summer when I leave the house at 4:30am and get home 6:30/8pm to have things on hand. I have 1 day a week to do all the Outside stuff "the lawn ect"... I'm sick of the "Mom & Pop" shop
having what they have when they want to have it.. Last time he nothing but a Hamster and a Guinea pig and said they were "Pet Prices"... Nahh Im done with that.

I actually have a pretty expensive air filter but if I did it again I'd just get a box fan, keep it on the low setting, and put the carbon pads on the intake side. Cheap and easy.

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

I actually have a pretty expensive air filter but if I did it again I'd just get a box fan, keep it on the low setting, and put the carbon pads on the intake side. Cheap and easy.

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So basically your making a Air filtration fan.... Do you recommend buying 2 of those filters so the entire back if the fan is covered or do I need to run 1/2 the fan surface so it pulls air better IYO?

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

The Mice are Horrible, ... The 3 Rats Im going to Breed don't smell 1/8th as much as 1 mouse...

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Originally Posted by zina10

Rats definitely smell WAY less then mice !! ...

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Originally Posted by distaff

I've kept both. Mice stink, even outside, ... Currently keep two male rats...

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

Here's what I do, I keep rats, mice, and snakes all in the same room and there is almost no smell at all except at the end of every 5 days when it's time to clean the rodents. ... For my mice ... When I open the tank the smell about knocks me over, ... got rid of my ASFs, they produce way too slow. ... mice really stink, I can't even bring them home from the pet store without having to get them out of the cab of my truck and back in the bed of my pickup... I tried to keep mice without the carbon filter pads on top, forget about it. You can smell them the second you walk in the house.

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Originally Posted by predatorkeeper87

my rats, big males included, don't smell that bad... Mice on the other hand...smell like the devil himself crapped in tinfoil and microwaved it in your house.

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Many comments on how rats smell much less than mice, but not one on how ASFs smell much, much less than rats.

Re smell at end of 5 days: ASF's don't smell after 15 days.

Re ASFs producing slowly: we've seen this before when they were fed lab block. Given high protein/low fat dog food they are unstoppable (and their soft fur looks beautiful & shiny, not greasy & matted like it was on lab block). Mastomys natalensis are carnivores which consume plant matter only when animal matter is not available. Rattus norvegicus are herbivores which consume animal matter only when plant matter is not available.

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Originally Posted by Praomys

Many comments on how rats smell much less than mice, but not one on how ASFs smell much, much less than rats.

Re smell at end of 5 days: ASF's don't smell after 15 days.

Re ASFs producing slowly: we've seen this before when they were fed lab block. Given high protein/low fat dog food they are unstoppable (and their soft fur looks beautiful & shiny, not greasy & matted like it was on lab block). Mastomys natalensis are carnivores which consume plant matter only when animal matter is not available. Rattus norvegicus are herbivores which consume animal matter only when plant matter is not available.

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I would breed them but they're not something I can get locally. I called and dug around with no success. Half of these Mom & Pop shops within 60 miles never even heard of them. I actually showed a picture to a few shop owners and they new nothing.
I will check the next show I go to.. If they produced well I wouldn't have a problem feeding several to the burm but I also hear they fight eachother terrible and im not into worrying about that. Rats are much more relaxed it seems.

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Originally Posted by predatorkeeper87

Mice on the other hand...smell like the devil himself crapped in tinfoil and microwaved it in your house.

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I can confirm that this is indeed the case. There's a reason I keep my mice in the closet, behind closed doors, with an air freshener right next to the male's cage. The females aren't too bad though. And for some reason a lone male smells much wose than one in with females.

I wish I could get ASFs. No one out here knows what they are either.

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

I would breed them but they're not something I can get locally. ... I will check the next show I go to.. If they produced well I wouldn't have a problem feeding several to the burm but I also hear they fight eachother terrible and im not into worrying about that. Rats are much more relaxed it seems.

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We see you are located in NY state. If you're near the Catskills shoot me a PM.

Live rodents are prohibited from New York state shows. The shows in Hamburg, PA, are the closest shows to the NYC metro area where live rodents are permitted. We were there 3 weeks ago, so much more diversity than the White Plains and Poughkeepsie shows, nice change of pace.

"Feeding several to the burm..." are you talking about that monster in your photos? She might need several colonies for a feeding, not several ASF's. Also, burms are a Southeast Asian (and Florida Everglades :P) reptile. ASF's are an African rodent. Go with prey items that her great ancestors were eating when her DNA was still in Burma.

One of the reasons why ASF's usually work for picky BP's, and work better for BP's in general, is 'cause they've been eating them since dinosaurs were pooping in puddles. Rattus norvegicus is not a natural food item for BP's, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of captive BP's grow fat, literally, on them.

Yes you are right re their aggression, but as long as sexually mature adults are not pulled from their colonies and mixed with sexually mature adults from other colonies there will never be any trouble.

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Originally Posted by Praomys

We see you are located in NY state. If you're near the Catskills shoot me a PM.

Live rodents are prohibited from New York state shows. The shows in Hamburg, PA, are the closest shows to the NYC metro area where live rodents are permitted. We were there 3 weeks ago, so much more diversity than the White Plains and Poughkeepsie shows, nice change of pace.

"Feeding several to the burm..." are you talking about that monster in your photos? She might need several colonies for a feeding, not several ASF's. Also, burms are a Southeast Asian (and Florida Everglades :P) reptile. ASF's are an African rodent. Go with prey items that her great ancestors were eating when her DNA was still in Burma.

One of the reasons why ASF's usually work for picky BP's, and work better for BP's in general, is 'cause they've been eating them since dinosaurs were pooping in puddles. Rattus norvegicus is not a natural food item for BP's, despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of captive BP's grow fat, literally, on them.

Yes you are right re their aggression, but as long as sexually mature adults are not pulled from their colonies and mixed with sexually mature adults from other colonies there will never be any trouble.

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Ive fed him Rabbits, Rats and sometimes Guinea Pigs when I need to for the last 19 years... But Im not downstate and 2 local Petshops closed in my area within the last 4 years...the only one left isn't getting anything useful anymore. (Everything is small and the same price, Ive had to feed multiples).
I dont live in the country or id be breeding Rabbits, Rats, Chickens and all.. Hahaha
So I'll try Large Rats and I ordered 4'x6' Carbon filters to cut and use.