1.2 or rotate male?

[spcstarkey]

So I've been breeding rats for over 2 years and now my production is down it seams that I never have enough rats to feed my snakes. I've been reading alot about rotating one male through every tub. Is this way better or is the way I've been doing it for the last two years good I just need new breeders. A little about my set up I have 3 racks two hold 10 tubs each and one has 6 tubs the mason tubs in the rack with 6 tubs I have 1.4 and the other 20 tubs I have 1.2 as they are smaller tubs so in total I have 26 tubs but as of today when I was feeding and checking I only have 3 litters and they are small litters 4-6 babies each. I would like to know what I should do.

[ClarkT]

How much smaller are the tubs in the 10 tier racks?

[Balls Out Morphs]

What are you feeding? It also sounds like it may be time to replace the breeders with hold backs from mother's that produced the largest and healthiest litters for you.

[jben]

When I see that my females are producing less I change all the rats in that tub, so a new group of 1.3 goes into that tub.

Sent from my crappy cell using tapatalk.

[spitzu]

I'm not sure about Norways, but I think 2 years may be way too long. I've noticed that my ASFs start slowing down right around 9 months, so I start raising new breeders after they have about 6-9 months of production.

[JTrott]

Gotta change your girls out......I usually let mine breed for about a year(max) then they are boa food......3-4 girls get replaced a month, as they are rotated, and never replace an entire tub at one time. Just the way I do things........2 years with the same breeders is like a woman having 20 kids and still having more at 45-50 years of age.....wait.....isn't there a show about that....?......all kidding aside, change your girls.....

Jason

[snakesRkewl]

When was the last time you held back new females?
Less than 8 babies and I retire the females, especially if they are over a year old.

[spcstarkey]

Sorry haven't been on for the last couple of day but I have not changed any females out I've been adding groups as I build more racks but that's it I'm try that and I have 30+ ball pythons that I'm feeding

[youbeyouibei]

When was the last time you held back new females?
Less than 8 babies and I retire the females, especially if they are over a year old.

x2 to that ^. I haven't been raising feeders long and defer to the more experienced people on here, but for me, once they slow down in production I either feed them off or on a rare occasion keep a few as "pets" because of their personalities. I introduce entirely new bloodlines/females every so often, to keep from having too many issues with in-/line-breeding, as while they aren't for show or pets, I still shoot for having the healthiest animals I can to feed, rather than some "The Hills Have Eyes" looking things with missing or extra appendages or other health issues, lol!