Looking for some info on breeding feeder rats...

[SinisterSerp]

I'm about to start breeding rats to not just feed my snakes, but I would also like to supply a few friends with their feeders, and have enough left over to sell enough to at least break even. Which means I'm planning on undergoing a relatively large scale project here. Here's what I'm curious about:

1) I'm trying to figure out how many breeders I want. I know, in the beginning, I won't be making any money. My first thought was to get 20 mature females and 4 males. Which would obviously make my bins 1.5 (males to females). Does this sound appropriate? And on average, how many pups could this setup POTENTIALLY produce a week?

2) I'm going to build a nice rack for my rats. I'm curious of what other breeder's systems are as far as how they rotate their rats through their bins. Basically I'm trying to figure out how many bins I want. I was thinking about making a 12 bin rack with the large cement mixing tubs. With my current plans that will give me 4 bins for my breeders and 2 grow out bins for each colony. Again, does this sound appropriate?

I've got a good understanding of everything else I need to know. Created plans for a nice rack with a watering system. I'm just trying to get my numbers straight. I appreciate all of your help. And any other suggestions, if you have any, would be great!

Thanks for your help!

[Capray]

It could potentially produce unspeakable abounts of rats per week, but it would be inhumane. I suggest starting with one litter, giving the mother at least a week between pregnancies. It takes about 2 months for a female rat to be bodily mature enough to healthily sustain a litter, considering she is being fed right. And costs of food and bedding, and 20 females? All at once? Oh jeez... I think you should do some research and maybe think about starting off with maybe one male and two or three females.

This seriously something you don't want to rush into.

[SinisterSerp]

The only thing I thought that may be too much is putting 1 male with 5 females. I've just read that you can safely do 1.4 to 1.7

It's not a question of being able to take care of them, or there not being enough space. The bins are sufficiently big enough. And I've had plenty of experience caring for rats. As for producing unspeakable amounts of pups, I eventually need no less than 200 a week just to support me and my buddy's snakes. From what I understand, my initial numbers won't produce that much, or am I wrong?

My plans are to remove the pregnant females as they become pregnant, and put them in another bin until the pups are weaned. So the mother wouldn't even have the possibility of becoming pregnant again for at least 3 - 5 weeks from what I understand. Then just start the process over.

[SinisterSerp]

Also, I wasn't aware of the Rat Breeding forum on here until after i created this thread. I've added the same thread over in that forum, if you want to direct your replies to that one. I suppose it's more appropriate there. I am new to this site, and curious as to how I should go by deleting this one?

Thanks