Thanks for the info king james.. I think I am leaning towards getting some of both sexes, waiting to pick the best m / f, and then breeding them at least once to get my first real breeding stock to work with.

I would like to breed good quality rodents, both in temperament and health, so that I could sell them as pets as well as use some for feeders. With the few snakes I have I could probably get away with just 4-5 litters a year supplying me with all I need and could easily hold back the best temperament / health animals to keep as pets or for future generations. I think a stable colony of 3-5 breeding females will be my eventual goal, but for now I'll plan on holding these girls for a while and seeing what they are like before I breed.

Thanks again for the great advice!