Can i use newspaper as beeding to breed rats?

[tiexecutioner]

also what is a good food that dosent cost a lot of money for them (a link to a website would be nice)

[frankykeno]

I wouldn't. Newspaper turns into a big soggy mess when rats are peeing and pooping on it. Stinky, soggy, gross.

Just look around your town/city for a good source of kiln dried/low dust pine bedding. Check places like farm supply stores, major department stores, pet stores (though they are often the most expensive but you never know).

As far as food you want to be feeding a good quality rodent lab block. I like to mix my lab block with some other stuff like dry cereal (just whatevers left in my cupboards), old fashioned large oatmeal (uncooked), sometime seed (just wild bird seed and the like). Basically my rats get the lab block as their main source of food and the other stuff just as treats and to give them something different to chew on once in awhile.

[tiexecutioner]

not so much worried about the smell, if i just clean it it should be fine, but can i?

[jglass38]

not so much worried about the smell, if i just clean it it should be fine, but can i?

Nope. It will be a huge mess and will be unsanitary for the rats. Pine or Aspen.

[tiexecutioner]

where can i order some cheap pine?

[frankykeno]

Like Jamie said it will be unsanitary. The whole point of it being a big soggy smelly mess is that newspaper can't hold up under the heavy peeing that rodents do. A big bag of pine isn't going to cost you a fortune and will work properly for the rats.

[jglass38]

where can i order some cheap pine?

You can go to any farm supply store. Or you can just go to Petco or Petsmart and get it there. My concern is that a lot of what you are conveying in your posts revolves around the word cheap. There is no cheap in snake breeding if you want to be around for the long run. Please check out this post and be sure that you can handle the responsibility that comes with breeding a living, breathing creature.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=49580

[Carzy Driver]

My local PetCo's sell their 4.5cuft bags of pine for 10.99, but I've found a local pet feed and supply shop with 5cuft bags for 7.99. Shop around, you'll find something somewhere. yellowpages.com is your friend...

As for the shredded paper, don't bother. I used to use it way back when and my rat and mice bins smelled bad at day's end.

[tiexecutioner]

You can go to any farm supply store. Or you can just go to Petco or Petsmart and get it there. My concern is that a lot of what you are conveying in your posts revolves around the word cheap. There is no cheap in snake breeding if you want to be around for the long run. Please check out this post and be sure that you can handle the responsibility that comes with breeding a living, breathing creature.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=49580

i no i have no problem paying for anything, i just dont want to pay a a lot if i dont have to, if one of my animals is in need of the vet, ill pay any amount that i need to, as a matter of a fact i just spent well over 600$ on supplies for my baby iguana and water dragon. I dont mind spending a lot of money if i have to, but if i can save a little here and there that would be nice, but believe i treat all of my pet extremely well and am well aware of the costs that come with this hobby if i can save some here and there, great if i cant so be it, ill pay whatever i need for my pets to be happy and healthy- in the white plains show ill be buying rbi hides, not the cheap alternatives i searched for and for the rats ill just buy 3000 cubic in of bedding for 5$

[tiexecutioner]

also dont even get me started with the money i payed on vet checkups