Hey guys, I’m trying to learn more about breeding my own feeder rats. The closest place I can buy feeders is an hour away(on a good traffic day) and I’m honestly not thinking that will be a great option long term. How do I go about keeping a continuous supply going? What’s your set up like? Any tips welcome!
2 Likes
A few important points to remember. What you feed them has an effect on your snake. So, carefully plan their diet. Avoid meat and dog food. While dog food can be used it is not the best for an animal that needs to be fed a vegetarian diet. Many aren’t good for your dog either. The dyes used in it are often hyper allergenic. On top of that they, the dye, build up in the snakes system because their filter organs cannot process it. Which leads to organ failure. And early demise. Rats will eat almost anything we will plus more, like soap and leather products. Stick to grains, fruit ,and veggies. The better their diet is the more pups mom will have as well.
Second. Water, fresh, always available. Without food rats will cannibalize each other after a week but dehydration can do them in a few days. They are tough but in order for your snake to stay healthy their prey must be healthy as well. Good diet and hydration.
How many snakes are you feeding? And how often? How big does the prey need to be?
A pair should easily feed two or three snakes. After the pups are born,raise them to the size needed then kill and freeze the extras. If you start building a surplus you can separate your breeders or find other keepers in need. Or, my personal choice, get more snakes.
After a year, raise new females. After two, new male. Kept healthy males have been known to live up to seven years but they get tired and need a break. They also make great pets if handled gently. Same for females, only they tend to have shorter lives due to the demands of child rearing.
Handling. Be gentle with them. A scared rat can bite through a finger. Not exaggerating. Use gloves if you need to but know that they can bite through them too. Depending on the glove.
Keep them clean. They stink.
Wear a mask around them for your own safety. Remember rats played a huge role in spreading the black death. Plus a whole suite of other diseases. That’s not to say all rats are disease carrying but why risk it? Only an unscrupulous breeder would sell or give you less than healthy animals.
When you aquire your breeders look at how they are kept. Are they healthy looking? Are they calm? Look at their pelt. Is it smooth and glossy or dirty and spiky? Do they have poopy butt?
Ask what they are being fed. If dog food is fed do not use them as feeders. Change diet and use as breeders.
Don’t crowd them. Some breeders will put a male and 3-5 females together. This is ok. I have seen others put 2 males and 10 females together. Seems ok but may result in dad snacking on the children. If they run out of food they will eat the pups. He will need to be culled if this happens. Mom too,though she is slightly less likely. I’m not sure exactly what happens when rats eat meat but it leads to heightened aggression and more cannibalism.
Despite my decades long love affair with snakes,rats are my favorite mammal and, at times, I have kept them as pets. They are very intelligent. I have observed and heard from others that they can, but not always, resent their keeper for baby theft. Leaving a couple pups with mom will mitigate this somewhat.
If you have more questions please ask. If I think of anything else, I’ll post it.
Here’s a thread I made a while back
1 Like