Pet/Breeder Rats for One Snake

[Bogertophis]

How many will you need to feed one BP? It comes down to luck & good care: sometimes rats you buy expecting to breed just aren't very healthy & don't do
well, as another member found out. Local breeders don't like competition so they may not part with healthy females to pet stores, or they cannot spare them.
Sometimes you can improve their health with an extra nutritious diet, but not always, so that's where luck comes in too.

Young mom-rats may have a litter of 5, while healthy experienced mom-rats might have litters of 15-16+. They may average about 10, but no way to know, so
you might want to error on the side of having too many rather than not enough. You can likely sell* any surplus, either as pets or frozen food for snakes. Also,
rats breed best in mild seasons (spring & fall) and not as well when it's too hot or cold, so it takes some planning. They roughly have a litter per month, and
it takes time for the babies to grow to the size you need also...how big is your snake? *Keep "selling" in mind & try to pick cuter ones to reproduce...of course,
then it's harder to feed them too..."can't win". It's also important to hold back a few to replace the mom's...constant reproduction takes a lot out of them.

It bears reminding you that your snake WILL smell your pet rats ON YOU, after you handle them, & possibly in spite of washing your hands. Don't be too
shocked if your snake bites you in confusion...they trust what they smell way more than what they see, & we also pass the "warm & wiggling" test, lol.

If you get a trio of rats & keep them as a family, most females will help each other taking care of the babies...but there's exceptions, so it helps to have an extra
cage on hand if they're the type that fight over the babies instead. Rats (including "dad") are generally good, caring parents though.