Quote Originally Posted by Adam Chandler View Post
Last year I decided to bred some of my own rats so I could have fresh pickies available for my hatchling BP's. For my initial breeding stock I choose to spend the extra money for some nice masked Russian Blues from a healthy line. I figured if I was going to go to the trouble of keeping and breeding rats I'd might as well bred interesting looking rats.

Obviously the snakes do not care if their food is a cool color or has Dumbo ears. The only thing I believe that matters with feeders is that they are healthy and not dehydrated or malnourished.
Ya that was my thought process initially too. I just wanted to make cool lookin rats to feed my snake since I was trying to make cool looking snakes. Now that I've done a TON of research I am really excited about making rats a secondary hobby. Not just for feeding purposes. I feel like that will be more rewarding in the long run than the amount of money I save by not buying feeders. But that's a nice benefit too

Another thing that got me stoked was how much you can actually sell a good-gened pet rat for. When the lady told me 35 I was like, "Are you serious???", but it makes sense now. The genes are the top of the line, the selective breeding has created very tame personalities, it all adds into the cost. Plus the demand for blue dumbos is high right now. I'm sure I could sell each of mine for at least $15. Especially since I will continue to selectively breed for personality and colors. This would really make it worth it.

Thanks for your reply,
SC