Worth it?

[Trogdorpheus]

Is it worth it to have maybe 1.1 rats breeding for a single or maybe 2 BPs?

[llovelace]

With the stores charging $6 for a sm rat, I'd do a 1.2 colony

[spitzu]

I'd just do F/T if I only had a few BPs.

[Trogdorpheus]

Well the only reason I ask is that I don't really want to spend that much on a handful of F/T in a pet store, and also don't wanna have 50 frozen rats sitting in my freezer if I order them... How much do you typically pay for f/t if you buy locally? (I don't have a bp yet, just wanna get all my bases covered)

[spitzu]

http://rodentpro.com/

[cmz1234]

I would suggest you start off with 1.2, preferably 1.3. You can always euthanize extra's and freeze them for later or sell them. If you have a vacuum sealer you can seal the extras for a long time so they won't go bad. I have all my bags proportioned out for 3 weeks of feeding for a single snake. Works great for me, especially when I bought a large order for F/T before getting into breeding my own rats.

I'm started breeding my own rats 2-3 weeks ago, but it takes a 1-3 months before they are settled in and ready to breed. A few of my females are not mature enough too... I currently have 1.4 and will probably hold back several males from my first liter for breeding.

What kind of BP do you have, how big and old is he/she? You must post some of him/her.

[cmz1234]

Well the only reason I ask is that I don't really want to spend that much on a handful of F/T in a pet store, and also don't wanna have 50 frozen rats sitting in my freezer if I order them... How much do you typically pay for f/t if you buy locally? (I don't have a bp yet, just wanna get all my bases covered)

I paid a full years worth of F/T rats from rodent pro. Like I said I vacuum sealed up the extra's so they'll last much longer and I proportioned the bags for 2-3 week feedings. If you plan on buying another snake within the next few months then I'd buy some extra F/T.

[jasbus]

rodentpro may only charge $1 per small rat, but the shipping is outrageous. And, justifbly so, cooler/box/dry ice and priority overnight shipping. You end up paying more for shipping than the rodents on small orders.

Find a local source, but 20 at a time for $2-3 a piece, save money....

I get people that want me to ship pretty much everyday, until I quote a shipping rate, then they quickly change their mind...

For anything under about 5 snakes, in my opinion, it's cheaper to just buy your food, but only if you can find a breeder near you. Obviously, petco/smart's prices of $8-10 per rats is stupid, but there are plenty of small pet stores and rodent breeders all over the place..

[lucylove]

yall are paying too much. I pay only 2.25 in the San Francisco Bay Area and even cheaper fr frozen. There is also a guy who sales wholesale live rats for 1.50.

[Trogdorpheus]

Well on rodentpro, with shipping, 50 medium rats is about $103... so that's only $2 per rat. I should also mention that I'd likely be looking into younger snakes, since I like the idea of having it grow up with me, so I could get maybe 75 smaller rats shipped out for about $80. So that's just over $1 per rat.

I guess my only real concern with ordering online is how much space they'll take up in the freezer/how long they'll keep.