need some advice on rat breeding

[Peter Williams]

I’m just researching some options here, and I’m wondering is someone can explain to me exactly how you breed your rats, from the point where you buy the parent rats at the store, until the point where you have some nice juicy rat pups. My quota per week at this point would only be 2 rat pups. I’m hoping someone could explain to me how many adult rats I would need, and how many tubs I would need.

Thanks!

[JLC]

I think it would be very difficult to breed for just two pups per week. You'd soon be up to your eyeballs in rats, even with just a single pair or trio. Unless you plan to euthanize and freeze the babies for future use. Even then, you'd end up with a freezer full of rats before too long.

[Peter Williams]

just cause I asked about this doesnt mean I'm gonna do it, at this point I'm just concerned with how it is done

[rabernet]

just cause I asked about this doesnt mean I'm gonna do it, at this point I'm just concerned with how it is done

Judy answered your question, so I'm not sure why you came back the way you did. Here's the question you asked that she replied to:

My quota per week at this point would only be 2 rat pups. I’m hoping someone could explain to me how many adult rats I would need, and how many tubs I would need.

For a need of 2 a week, you are going to be overrun, so the advice on how many adults you'll need to feed two snakes is going to be a pair, and even then, you will be overrun. I had one rat have 19 babies. They are no longer pups after three weeks. They don't become pups until about 1 week. So you have 2 weeks of pups, or 4 pups consumed. That leaves you with an excess of 15 babies.

[Peter Williams]

I’m hoping someone could explain to me how many adult rats I would need, and how many tubs I would need.

What I'm interested to know is, with a single pair, what do you do after the litter is born? Do you remove the male? What about with 2 females? Do they both stay in the same tub? It's these details I'm interested in, I want to know the process people use to have a constant stream of babies...would you approve of me breeding mice then? Since both of my snakes are taking adult mice?

[frankykeno]

Peter it's really not about any "approving" of whatever you choose dear. It's just those of us that breed rodents trying to warn you that they can be VERY prolific breeders and if you're requirement is only for 2 prey items per week, it's likely not worth your while. Even if you feed f/t and intend to freeze them at feeder size, you are basically going to have pet rodents that occasionally breed for you (which requires you to have them seperated at all times other than when a litter is needed). Rats in particular don't do well kept singly so you'd need two males, two females in two seperate enclosures.

It's just not usually worth your time and effort to breed rodents unless you have at least 5 snakes or so to feed each week and even then it's a balancing act to have the right size available every week (if you feed live). If you feed f/t you'll have to decide on humane euthanizing of the rodents when the hit the correct sizes you need for feeders.

It's basically this way....you said you need 2 rat pups per week. Okay your female rat has 15 pinks say. Well you have to wait until they are about 15 to 18 days old to call them pups. So you feed off 2 that week, you've now got 13 pups...a week later they are still pups....so you feed off 2 more...you've got 11 now but now they are weaning size. Now you've got 11 rats that not only may be too large for your snakes but you have to seperate them by gender so the brothers don't jump on the sisters. It gets a bit complicated when you are trying to only feed two snakes a very specific size rodent.

Mice may be easier. They don't "outgrow" the size you need but they do tend to stink, they have a greater tendency to kill each other or their offspring. They do need more quiet and privacy than rats do. They will breed back to back litters however if the males and females are living together all the time.

[SatanicIntention]

I think it would be more economical for you to either buy two rat pups a week or just buy about 10 mice a week, keep them and feed them up. Mice at least stay the appropriate size for their whole lives, whereas rats get HUGE quick. Your boa could easily be switched over to f/t, making it even easier for you. You could then just pick up 2-3 weeks worth of mice for your Ball, and they would be much healthier and bigger than if you got then at the pet store each week.

Breeding them, when you're only using 2 prey items a week, wouldn't be very economical at all. The cost of bedding, enclosures, quality food, water bottles, etc, would quickly add up to a greater expense than just buying what you need every week.

I buy in large quantities from a local breeder every month or so. I bought 120 live medium mice last time from Big Cheese and they last me a good 4 feedings with 25+ snakes. I do have a 1.5 breeding group of mice just so I can have fuzzies, hoppers, weans for the hognose and for when the baby Balls hatch.

[Peter Williams]

Wow everyone didnt react like that when I started my thread about breeding mice

From: I just had a thought about breeding mice

Sounds like you've thought this out quite well Peter as far as removing/seperating the sexes to control overbreeding. Mice are a bit more challenging to breed due to their tendency to eat their young but lots of folks here do a bang up job with mouse breeding

[Ginevive]

If you do want to breed rats, and your needs are such as you described; you could go with 1.2 starters. Buy halfway-grown rats that are healthy-looking and seperated in cages by sex, to prevent too-early breedings. one pitfall of buying adults is that they might just be used-up breeders.
Rotate, rotate, rotate!!! I can't stress this enough. Having 6 litters at a time, and then none for awhile, gets to be pretty darned annoying. I am not going into rat gestation periods, etc; you can research those online.
I found most success with leaving females alone in 10-gallon screened tanks for the duration of their pregnancy. i have a larger 30-gal tank for the male and 1-2 females that he is breeding. Once they are fat and close to popping, they get their own tank. it is easier than pie in my operation.. maybe it's the country air?
You should only breed them if you plan on euthing/freezing them at the proper sizes; otherwise you'll end up with a bunch of out-size rats.

[frankykeno]

Peter, you're missing the whole point here. Breeding rats and breeding mice are two completely different endeavors. Just because they are both rodents doesn't mean that much really. Rats quickly and I mean in the blink of an eye will outgrow a certain size you need, Mice don't do this. Mice however can be far, far more challenging to breed than rats due to their tendency to eat their litters if fussed with much (rats rarely do this). Rat males can come and go into a breeding group of female rats, male mice pulled from their group will often be eaten by the females on their return if they've been gone too long.

I breed rats and have had very nice success with it, can't get a mouse to breed to save my soul. It's a whole different ball of wax. We're just trying to advise you honestly about the good points and pitfalls of mouse or rat breeding but if you'd prefer we didn't...so be it.