um... well... i guess i don't touch the ratties too much, but my daughter sure handles them a lot.
adding some vanilla extract to the water does wonders on reducing the smell... but honestly, keeping their enclosures/cages/tanks clean is the key!
5 snakes... eat 5 ratties per week.
each female can give you approx 10-15 ratties per litter.
litter takes 3 weeks gestation... and three weeks to grow to feeding size... so you could do 3 females all being bred at different times... two weeks apart and that would give your females a little break before being bred again.
(did i do the math right? folks... i'm so tired.)