Breeding Question... Rats not snakes

[JoshJP7]

Ight so Ive had it... I currently feed my balls F/T and I'm sick of them busting open when the snake strikes it... I dont know how other people thaw out their rats but I boil water and put the rats in a ziploc bag and let it sit for 3-5mins... Anywho feeding soon to be 8 snakes is becoming a lil pricy and I think live is just much easier and im ready to make the full commitment to breeding rats... Heres what I need to know from those who breed feeder rats...

1.) I have 8 snakes ... 5 yearlings eating weanling/small rats and 3 babies on rat pups... How many breeding pairs will I need?

2.) How long will the whole process take from start to finish? Like how much in advance would you have to start mating until they are the right size?

3.) How many tanks do you need? I have a 20 gallon and I know you need atleast 2 but wasnt sure if you need more?

4.) Any random tips hints advice I should know before breeding rats?

Thank you for everyones help!

[JLC]

Hi there....

First off, here's a link to a very recent thread that also talks about exploding prey and how to avoid it:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=52839

Boiling water is NOT the best way to thaw prey.

Secondly, I'll move this thread to the Feeder Forum for ya. There, you'll find some stickies at the top that have all sorts of great info about many feeder-related issues from thawing to breeding.

[JoshJP7]

Thanks for helping me out! Havent really done much browsing around on this site so I wasnt sure where to post it... I have 50 frozen rats left so Ill def try another method such as hair drying and what not but after these are gone Id like to breed my own food to cut back on costs so Id still like more advice on breeding... Thank you

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1.) I have 8 snakes ... 5 yearlings eating weanling/small rats and 3 babies on rat pups... How many breeding pairs will I need?

I currently have 12 BP eating rat and I have 2.12 breeder rats. So 1 female per BP in your case I would say 2.8 would be good.

2.) How long will the whole process take from start to finish? Like how much in advance would you have to start mating until they are the right size?

Gestation is 21-23 days, Babies are weaned at 21-28 days.

3.) How many tanks do you need? I have a 20 gallon and I know you need atleast 2 but wasnt sure if you need more?

I don't use tanks so I can't answer that one I use this (2 female per tub and 2 males running through 3 tubs spending 2 weeks in each)

4.) Any random tips hints advice I should know before breeding rats?

Make sure your females are at optimal weight before breeding : 250 grams. Feed Them high quality food. Remove the male once the female appear pregnant. Avoid back to back breeding, give your female some rest between litters.

[JoshJP7]

how many babies per litter? so its sounds like the whole process is like 50 days er so...interesting... sounds like i got a little work ahead of me... How long did it take you to put that rack thing together?

[JoshJP7]

Ight so I did a little more research on the topic... still got a couple questions...

1.) do you keep your snakes and rats in the same room?

2.) Say i have my whole set up ready... i got 2.8rats with 2 females in each tub. Im doing like GA said with 1 male in a tub for 2 weeks... Is this the ideal time frame from one littler to another? As in... the male stays in this tub for 2 weeks and gets both females pregnant... they have babies and by the time theyre ready to be fed to the snakes how much further behind is the next batch of feeders time wise?? I know that question was horribly worded

3.) I have 50 frozen rats left (50rats/5 snakes = 10 weeks) How far in advance do i need to start this process so the baby rats are up to weight for feeding in 10 weeks? Im guessing since it takes roughly 50 days from start to finish im looking at needing this project off the ground in 3 weeks right?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

how many babies per litter? so its sounds like the whole process is like 50 days er so...interesting... sounds like i got a little work ahead of me... How long did it take you to put that rack thing together?

I usually get an average of 10-12 healthy babies per litter (The general average is 6 to 12)
I did that in one weekend but only because the drill/screwdriver battery died on me, could have done it faster.

1.) do you keep your snakes and rats in the same room?

I actually do and have no issue (My snakes are still agressive eaters) of course as the snake collection grows the rats & mice will go somewhere else.

2.) Say i have my whole set up ready... i got 2.8rats with 2 females in each tub. Im doing like GA said with 1 male in a tub for 2 weeks... Is this the ideal time frame from one littler to another? As in... the male stays in this tub for 2 weeks and gets both females pregnant... they have babies and by the time theyre ready to be fed to the snakes how much further behind is the next batch of feeders time wise?? I know that question was horribly worded

Planning is the only thing I am terrible out (at least when it come to breeding), what helps is that some of my BP are on live and some on F/T so I always have rat to feed but never get overstock with rats that are too big to be fed due to my bad planning.

3.) I have 50 frozen rats left (50rats/5 snakes = 10 weeks) How far in advance do i need to start this process so the baby rats are up to weight for feeding in 10 weeks? Im guessing since it takes roughly 50 days from start to finish im looking at needing this project off the ground in 3 weeks right?

The problem would be for you to already have female up to size for breeding (250 grams) and I would not recommend buying older females that are already proper weight since they might be too old already! Buying young rats medium size and raising them to proper weight would be the way to go, and this alone will take weeks, so you might want to place another order until you are getting going real good.

[wolfy-hound]

Be aware that rats sometimes will not breed right away in a new place. You might well have a delay.
Where will you get adult female rats? Buying adults from a place that sells feeders usually means you'll only get bred-out females that have stopped producing mostly. You might end up having to get smaller females and then wait for them to get big enough to breed.
Rats can go on strike for breeding too. Right now I have quite a few rats that are older, and they've stopped breeding, so remember to keep records so you know how many rats you will need to keep back as future breeders. What will you do with 'retired' breeders? Have a plan prior. I have no problem, as I can euthanize and feed them to the monitor lizard(nice to have a garbage disposal).
Plan out the time to clean, water and feed. It's essential to clean those bins. What will you do with the bags of waste?
I liked breeding my own rats, but I've recently gone with a supplier instead, due to my own time constraints. I still have a few adults left, and I'm still caring for those, as there's only so much you can feed even a monitor lizard!
If you get it going well and end up with extras, you'll make some herper friends fast I bet! Good luck!

[frankykeno]

Here's a thread that might be helpful for you.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=39864

It does take awhile to become completely independent as a feeder breeder. For some time period you may well be feeding from your own production and still having to buy a few here and there until you figure out your size needs and which female rats are dependable for what size litters.

Personally I'd suggest you purchase a nice group of 8 female rats. Try to get them at the just weaned stage and preferably from someone who already has a breeder feeder colony going. Pet store rats, unless it's a good store, tend to be iffy on health issues. Some herp shows often have rat breeders as vendors. House the females in a couple of groups of four in good sized enclosures and raise them up to breeding size (250 grams or so). Don't worry about getting a male until your females are closer to breeding size. During the time your raising the females you can hand tame them to some degree so removing/handling their young is easier on you and on the rats.

It's really well worth the time to raise up the females yourself rather than buy them grown. You won't know if they are used up breeders or in decent health and in the end, if your aim is to produce top quality, healthy food for your snakes...it all starts with a healthy female rat.

[Kagez28]

i would talk to Sean (lord jackel) he is a pro at breeding rats. he will help you out with the # of rats you need, and the time frame.

personally i think would be too much to breed for only 8 snakes. but thats just my thought. i have 10 snakes and i am breeding 1.3 rats along with f/t and it's working out pretty good.