Cheap rat food?

Kent 50lbs bags are reaching 20$+ in my area within a 40 mile radius and mazuri is around 23-25$+. Given that i go through 4+ bags a aweek it is starting to really add up. I started look at my local farm stores Farm and fleet,Big R,and Rural king but all i have found are the pig pellets like rabbit food instead of pig cubes like ordinary rodent feed. Does anybody in the IL/WI/IA area know of any cheap swine feed sources? Could i use rolled oats, sunflower seeds, corn and other grains/seeds as a homemade diet?
Thank You

you burn through 200 pounds of rodent feed a week?! how many rats do you have lol.

I use the mazuri pig food that's the small pellet form...so I'm of no use as to what type of hog food you can get in the brick form

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by predatorkeeper87

you burn through 200 pounds of rodent feed a week?! how many rats do you have lol.

I use the mazuri pig food that's the small pellet form...so I'm of no use as to what type of hog food you can get in the brick form

---

Do the pellets work? I didnt want to use pellets becuase i thought it wouldnt dull their teeth and they would start chewing the tubs. Yeah a few months ago i upgraded and built a large maternity rack and got around 60 breeder females. I only have around 100-120 snakes, So i will have around 4-5 tubs bi weekly stocked with 30 wieners each and they eat alot! lol I have found though that rats that escape and live in my barn for a few weeks grow really big really fast probaly from eating chicken mash and rabbit feed.

Interesting. I have no clue on your topic, but are you selling any rats? I think I may be local to you seeing your location

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bcycling

Interesting. I have no clue on your topic, but are you selling any rats? I think I may be local to you seeing your location

---

Possibly i am in between naperville and yorkville. I am thinking of starting to sell rats to the public as i am going through some major life changes in a few years so i am selling almost all of my breeder snakes and am going to restart from the ground up. So depending on if i find cheap food and it is worth my time and am able to make atleast a small profit. I will start selling rats as i have the capacity to be producing over 150 rats a week.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by farmer1911 45ACP

Do the pellets work? I didnt want to use pellets becuase i thought it wouldnt dull their teeth and they would start chewing the tubs. Yeah a few months ago i upgraded and built a large maternity rack and got around 60 breeder females. I only have around 100-120 snakes, So i will have around 4-5 tubs bi weekly stocked with 30 wieners each and they eat alot! lol I have found though that rats that escape and live in my barn for a few weeks grow really big really fast probaly from eating chicken mash and rabbit feed.

---

I haven't had any issues with tub chewing so far, but I do give my rats a veggie/fruit salad and willow sticks to chew on every other day so that maybe were they are wearing their teeth down moreso.

Damn that's a lot of snakes and rodents lol, I hope to be producing 150-200 rats per week in the next few months though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by farmer1911 45ACP

Possibly i am in between naperville and yorkville. I am thinking of starting to sell rats to the public as i am going through some major life changes in a few years so i am selling almost all of my breeder snakes and am going to restart from the ground up. So depending on if i find cheap food and it is worth my time and am able to make atleast a small profit. I will start selling rats as i have the capacity to be producing over 150 rats a week.

---

not far at all. Can you send me a pm with contact info? I will be needing a supply of rodents soon. Are you the guy selling the breeders on Cl?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bcycling

not far at all. Can you send me a pm with contact info? I will be needing a supply of rodents soon. Are you the guy selling the breeders on Cl?

---

Yes i am the one selling the 22 breeder ball pythons. Sent you a PM

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by predatorkeeper87

I haven't had any issues with tub chewing so far, but I do give my rats a veggie/fruit salad and willow sticks to chew on every other day so that maybe were they are wearing their teeth down moreso.

Damn that's a lot of snakes and rodents lol, I hope to be producing 150-200 rats per week in the next few months though.

---

Start looking for a nice Chest Freezer (Best Buy I got mine for $189) and a Vacuum Seal machine :gj:. Sounds like those are good healthy Rats eating a well balanced diet. Gourmet feeder rat will be entering the market, great for keeping healthy snakes $$$ :snake:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bcycling

not far at all. Can you send me a pm with contact info? I will be needing a supply of rodents soon. Are you the guy selling the breeders on Cl?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by farmer1911 45ACP

Yes i am the one selling the 22 breeder ball pythons. Sent you a PM

---

This is an official warning

The main forum is not the place to make inquiries neither is it the place to respond.

Thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

This is an official warning

The main forum is not the place to make inquiries neither is it the place to respond.

Thanks

---

.ok, sorry.

Anybody a have any ideas or experience becoming a Kent or Mazuri dealer?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Start looking for a nice Chest Freezer (Best Buy I got mine for $189) and a Vacuum Seal machine :gj:. Sounds like those are good healthy Rats eating a well balanced diet. Gourmet feeder rat will be entering the market, great for keeping healthy snakes $$$ :snake:

---

That's my thought process haha, though keeping a huge number of breeder rats eating salads every other day may take its toll on the price of feeders hahaha, may have to appeal to people looking into feeding only high quality hahaha