Anyone here breed your own rodents? - Experts Forum at VenomousReptiles.org

Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by pygmybait on February 28, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
I'm sure I'm not alone here. Over the last year or so, as my snake collection has grown, so has the cost of feeding (pretty obvious). I'm estimating a $100 plus per week this summer and am considering breeding my own food stock. Does anyone else here breed your own mice and rats? Can anyone reccomend a good source of information about this? Thanks - Matt

RE: Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by biff on February 28, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
I have bred my own mice for over a year... a good place for info would be on kingsnake's feeder forum...though i haven't been on there in a while... breeding your own rodents will definitely save you money over time...but it will also be a lot of work... good luck, Steve

RE: Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by Deuce on February 28, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
Matt, it's worth it if you have time and a space out doors, so the smell doesn't take over the house. I duplicated the FB w/ metal and a power coat at my bud's house. I do it outside for about 8 months out of the year, you really don't want that stuff in your house. I'll pull about 1.4 on rats and about a 1.6 on the mice, and everything is auto(ie, water, food). Get some 3 month olds for rats, and that should suffice for a good starting program. They breed for about a year or so, some less, and some more. It great for small snakes, so you can feed small pups many times per week for good growth. Try to keep it in your shed, or a garage though, or various animls will tear them apart. Dog food and shavings will be your major bill, and cleaning should be done once every 5-7 days. Peace, TF

RE: Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by oleblazer1 on February 29, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
In my attempts to breed rats and mice for my snakes I found it not very successful.They tend to get nervous and when you think you have a good supply,cannibalism takes over and you have to go buy feeders as well as new breeding stock.But in an attempt to satisfy my daughters need for a pet,I accidently found another source.Dwarf hamsters tend to breed faster,are less trouble,and don't eat their babies as bad.Mind you that some will still revert to cennibalism buy you just eliminate that one as sone as you identify it.Whenfeeding them to smaller snakes make sure they haven't just filled their cheek pouches with grain.It makes it hard to wrap their jaws around them.Other then the extra hair,I have had no problems,and my kids still like to play with them.If any one knows of a reason why I shouldn't use hamsters,please reply.I would never want to harm my snakes.

RE: Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by sierra on February 29, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
Biggest tips...use rabbit pellets for bedding ( from the feed store 50lbs for 4.50 ),it really really keeps the smell down. And I can clean cages every 3 weeks instead of weekly....feed a good quality dog food ( purina dog chow works great)or lab block is expensive but may be a bit better in the end. And use good caging system that is very easy to wash and sanitize. If you can afford it spend the extra on an auto watering system...the less work you have to do with this the more time you can spend on the reptiles, it can be ton of work, which can take time away from what you really enjoy. The cost savings can be substantial compared to purchasing form an outside source..a real necessity as your collection gets larger. You can make your own cages....I have some great homemade ones that are made with 1/4" Lucite...totally chew proof. Let me know if youd like a pict and measurements.

RE: Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by JTEDENS on March 1, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
I have bred my own feeders for years but have never been able to feed all my snakes with he production. Every time it gets going good they quit breeding or start cannibalizing. If you will put a thin layer of cat litter below your shavings it helps cut down the odor a lot. I wouldn't feed dog food except in small quantities. Feed a rodent diet or mixed grains, such as cattle feed with a little (25%) dog food for protein. Lack of protein is one of the things that causes cannibalism. Another recommended practice is separating your females when you know they are pregnant. A lone female seldom eats her own babies, second, if she does you know which one did it so you can get rid of her immediately. It takes a lot more boxes to keep your females separate, but you can always have breedable females in with your males. I have been told by other breeders, but haven't witnessed this myself, that mice should be kept in a separate room from rats. Supposedly the mice smell rats and cannibalize their young to keep the predators(rats) from getting them. My experience is that the mice cannibalize each other. Every time I have kept mice and rats in the same room my mice go cannibal on each other. I don't know that the rat's odor causes it, but it is a possibility. John

RE: Anyone here breed your own rodents?	Reply
by azazel418 on May 10, 2004	Mail this to a friend!
anytime the lil suckers lay a litter you need to seperate them, or the babies are in MORTAL danger, I've witnessed both rats and mice kill their own young, and others raid the nest to kill the babies. dunno if its to protect food source, or what, but they need to be seperated as soon as they nest. it can save you tons of money if you have the space, and don't mind the smell.

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