Raising rats is fun. I'm not sure if you'd save much money since you only have 2 snakes.. but that depends on how much you're spending on buying frozen rodents.

Unlike mice, rats do NOT stink. Yes, if you can be responsible, a 12 year old can easily handle breeding rats.

I'll tell you how I keep my rats.

I keep one male with anywhere from 1-4 females all the time. Females have one litter every month consisting of anywhere from 6-15 babies, 10 being average. Since you will only want one pair of rats, it is nice to separate the female when you see her getting noticably pregnant.. remove the male rather than moving the female and upsetting her.

I feed half and half of high quality dog food (Nutro brand 'lite' formula is very good) and the other half a mix of puffed rice/wheat, cherrios, tri-color pasta, and raw oats.

For bedding I am using pine now as it is inexpensive. If you go to a place that has horse/livestock supply you can buy a nice big bag cheap. Change bedding once a week.

For water use one of the bottles with the little ball valve, no water bowls!

A female is ready to breed at 4 months.. same for males. Do not try younger, she may eat her babies.