breeding vs. buying

[mommanessy247]

this is my 2nd breeding vs. buying thread but the 1st one was about breeding vs. buying for 1 snake.
things have changed & now i want 3 bp's & POSSIBLY 1 nicaraguan boa.
here's what i'll be spending for live small rats...plz bear with me, there's alot of math coming up, lol.
for 1 month:
4 small rats x's 3 @ $5.49 ea = $65.88 (this is for 3 bp's for 1 month) +
4 small rats @ $5.49 ea = $21.96 (this is for the nicaraguan boa per month)
$65.88 x $21.96 = $87.84 p/ month for rats to feed 4 snakes.

at this rate would you still be buying 16 rats every month or would you breed them?

[Wh00h0069]

I do not suggest it for only three snakes. Are there no rat breeders in your area? I used to buy my live rats for $1 each. The Nic boa would definately eat f/t. Does you ball pythons take f/t? If so, you could buy from an online vendor, or at a local show. That would be a lot cheaper than buying live from a pet store.

[mommanessy247]

oh i dont have any snakes yet but will be getting 1 this year. im just trying to figure everything out right now.
EDIT: i plan on feeding my bp's live since they'll already be established on live.

[Wh00h0069]

oh i dont have any snakes yet but will be getting 1 this year. im just trying to figure everything out right now.
EDIT: i plan on feeding my bp's live since they'll already be established on live.

If I were you, I would look for someone in your area that breeds rats. I breed my own, and do not enjoy it. I sold most of my ball pythons, and one of the reasons is that I did not want to breed rats any longer. I am still breeding for the remaining balls that I have, but am planning on stopping after I sell all of the balls. At my peak breeding, it was taking longer to care for the rats than it was the snakes...

If you do decide to breed rats, you will likely either not produce enough, or produce too much. If you produce too much, you will need to find someone to buy the extras. Good luck on whatever you decide.

[mommanessy247]

thanks for the info. i found a pet store that sells rats for cheaper then petco. i just might not HAVE to breed rats if i go with them...$64 compared to the above mentioned $88 is alot better & much more do-able. i know its only $24 but that $24 adds up after awhile, ya know?
well, we'll see.
my fiancee doesnt want me breeding rats cuz he thinks they'll breed like rabbits, like non stop having babies, but if i only put them together at certain times i can control how often they have babies.
i dont know i'll figure something out.

[Step Johns]

From my experience the rats dont breed like rabbits. I have two female rats in with a boy for three months and just got a litter from both of them a couple of days ago so. But if you do decide to breed your own feeders, i would definately recommend that you get a rat rack. It makes everything a thousand times easier(compared to 10 gallon glass cages). And go to your local feed store and they will most likely sell 50 lbs bags of lab rat feed(was $20 at mine) and get that it is way cheaper than anything that petco sells. But yeah for 4 snakes i would not breed rats, maybe when you hit 5 try it out with two females and a boy and see how you like it. If you absolutely hate it you can stop.

[Wh00h0069]

thanks for the info. i found a pet store that sells rats for cheaper then petco. i just might not HAVE to breed rats if i go with them...$64 compared to the above mentioned $88 is alot better & much more do-able. i know its only $24 but that $24 adds up after awhile, ya know?
well, we'll see.
my fiancee doesnt want me breeding rats cuz he thinks they'll breed like rabbits, like non stop having babies, but if i only put them together at certain times i can control how often they have babies.
i dont know i'll figure something out.

Yes, $24 will add up over time. The rats will breed like rabbits if you let them. If you do decide to breed them, you will have to only put them together when you want them to breed. The problem is rats die fairly often. They also may not breed depending on the weather, if you breed them outside. I breed mine in the garage, and they do not produce as well in the summer and winter.

[mommanessy247]

oh i see. well i'll have to talk to my fiancee about all this again and this time try to tell him the pro's & cons of both decisions and go from there. he may not listen to my ideas for breeding & will stand his ground like a stubborn donkey, so i may have to go with buying.
we'll see.

[mdjudson]

Try it... I do it and I love it. I have just as much fun with the rats as I do the snakes. Its a lot of work but I enjoy it so I don't look at it like its work.

[SlitherinSisters]

I started breeding 1.2 when I had three bps and froze the extra babies I didn't need. It never got out of hand. You just have to pay attention to what you are doing and only breed as needed. You can always power feed (every 4 days) if you get too many. That's what I do now when I have a few litters pop up at the same time. I just power feed when the rats are small then feed a regular schedule once they get close the right size. I've got 9 bps and usually about 50 rats (including pinkies) at any given time. I've never had a surplus of rats yet. I have 12 breeders currently.

I also started breeding because of the money going into FT. I was spending $20 a week on FT and now I'm spending $20 a month to care for the rats.