Some tips and things I do to make sure that my rats breed. I breed rats for my snake collection and to sell to people looking for pets or reptile food.
I breed for reptiles and my rats still live in huge cages, boys in one and girls in one, just as pet rats do, with tunnels, wheels, beds and toys. Breeding and nursing boxes are smaller. A rat is very smart and needs space, they're also bred to be tame and to enjoy human company. I've never understood the point in these tiny boxes or racks in the long run, because they like to live in groups anyway, so it's not like you need twenty huge cages. Also, handling your rats won't effect their breeding. About the bedding and food, always think of the well being of the rat AND the reptile, for an example, pine is bad for snakes, if it gets in the lungs of the rats as dust, it will get in the snake as well. Also, if the rat lacks nutrients, the reptile will as well.
actually, playing with the rats will make them happier and encourage the offspring to be nicer, not as fearful and easier for your snakes to eat without injury. I breed for pets, so playing with the babies from day one is important for socialization and what not. but it is also important for feeders as well. keeping your breeders as pets and playing with them keeps their temperament moderate and makes their life a little happier. I also encourage retiring the breeders and keeping them as pets til they pass, or get tumors.
Due to my own research and my not believing what vets and some others that DON`T do research have told me, I`ve never had a single rat get a tumor OR a cancer. I`m on a bunch of rat forums on FB and they are riddled with people that have the problem I`ve never had. BUT when I try and tell them about what the issue most likely is they stop talking to me because they cant conceive of the idea they have fed the food that has caused the illnesses. I`ve also had vets try to tell me my rat needs a vaccine for a RI bacteria that every rat carries from birth. Be wary of vets pushing vaccines that don't exist because it`s the same reason doctor push them and I`ve had much less problem with any of my pets since I stopped blindly doing as vets have told me and I`ve had much less vet visits.
@xXxXlilshadyxXxX Thanks for the advice. I do give them chew toys and I make sure they're always on clean bedding. I also now prekill my rats with gas so they don't have to go through the pain of being fed to a snake. I really do try to take great care of the rats before I feed them off. I want the rats to suffer as little as possibe while making sure it stays cost effective. I pick them up by the tail because some of them try and bite. Thanks for the comment :)
Some examples of very healthy rat foods are apples, bananas, watermellon, bananas, yogurt on wheat bread, plain wheat bread, oats, nuts once a week (they don't need too much protein), greens like Collard Greens and Kale. Also they need hard food to keep their teeth down and things to chew on. As I recommended before they make great pets. The mothers are only nippy because, they are protective over their babies.
You definitely should keep a few babies as pets after they breast feed for about 1-2 months they are amazing pets :D They are healthiest on a balance of greens ($1lb), grain breads, veggies, fruit, and yogurt. They get sick from citrus and peanut butter sometimes chokes them. Healthy weening should take about 2 months but if you feed them off at a very young age then it doesn't make a difference. Also most tame rats love to be pet and they mostly sleep whenever they want.
Do you have any issues with the moms eating the babies? I'd love to breed them, but I have to increase my collection size. Once their pregnant do you put them in their own tub or keep them together?
I used aquariums, then decided to switch to the plastic containers like you have and some of the bastards chewed through and got out. I use 20 gallon long aquariums with about 6 in each now. With three constrictors it can be expensive if you have to buy 3 or 4 rats for ten bucks a week when I can have about 20 on hand at any time and some in the freezer for basically no cost. I feed them cat food and stale chips and rotten fruit and they get super fat and are healthy
What type of rats do you recommend starting the breed with, I'm just now getting into the whole breeding process because of the cost at pest stores are getting outrageous.
Hi, there actually isn't any such thing as different kinds of rats, just different colors, ear and fur types(dumbos, rex, hairless, ect.) How many snakes do you have? Each female has on average 10-12 babies in a litter, her first and last litters normally being smaller. She can get pregnant again right after giving birth, and they are pregnant for about 3 weeks. So, for every female, you will get 10-12 babies every 3 weeks. I recommend starting with one male and two or three females.
I have pet rats. Snake food? I don't believe in it. But you, I truly respect because you take care of your rats pretty well for being food. You had even shelters in it and cared that they were peeing in their food. You are doing you job by taking care of the snakes, and taking care of the rats. But I was wondering where are you located because I might get one as a pet.
I have 1 male with 3 female and i have only had one prego in 1 month! Do you know what could be a problem? The mice breed just fine so Im a little confused!
Thanks for uploading this! I was needing ideas on how to house my rats. I like the idea of tubs rather than the racks a lot use. Question though, how did you secure the screen to the top of the lids? Where can I order the rat food? I have 3 enclosures for rats, I was keeping the males seperated and just putting them off in small groups and the ONE litter I had they started dying after being weaned.
I cut circle shaped holes in the top of the containers and hang the water bottles down in on hangers using the hook end bent around the water spout end it works great.
I feed mine people food to save money, anything we don't finish off our plate goes in the rat tubs, they get plenty of variety so it's healthy. I also feed them dog food but i try not to spend too much money on that, also pine bedding gives them repertory problems, always use aspen.
Looks good so far. I know you've probably heard this before but keep your rats healthy. Give the mom three weeks rest after weaning before mating her, and no more than four litters. Females can mate right after or even before birth, which is very bad for mom and her babies, so take dad out a few days before. Most importantly, do not leave the rats alone! Social interaction and mental stimulation are very important if you want healthy sane rats. They need to play, it's good for them!
I work at a pet store & yes we feed newborn baby mice & rats to the snakes there & sell newborns mice & rats to others to feed their snakes & fish.. good for u for saving ur rat..but life is life.. live with it..
Nice setup, I’m wanting to breed 2 rats to get babies for my 2 snakes cuz it’s expensive buying rats from pet stores, can I breed 2 in a 20 gal long tank ?
Exactly. We treat our meat wayy worse than most feeder stores treat their rodents :/ & it's not like I'm not gonna cry with my first mouse litter before feeding them to my beardies. I had a pet mouse, a pet rat. A gerbil. They are cute, but honestly I prefer lizards, cats & dogs much more lol.
How long does it take babies to grow up? I'm tired of buying rats for 5$ each to feed. I want to get one breeding pair, then just grow them up and feed them off that way.
i am go to start a collection of snakes and i know breeding my own rodent colonies is going to be the most affordable method of feeding them especially when i start breeding the snakes. i have had pet rats in the past so my wife knows how they can smell so her thoughts are "hell no" . could i keep the rats outside?
Thanks for the tips..I hope this will help me for breed rats too, because i need some rats for my experiment, and the second reason is i love rat as pets..
@rednosepit301 The smell can get bad. just make sure you have good ventilation and you change the bedding often. I started with just 1 Male and 3 Females. I currently do not breed mice. No need but I may in the future. Also don't buy a cage at a pet store. Just make a couple tubs and you'll be set.
He said you can buy those at "PetCo" if you don't have a "PetCo" in yor local shopping center try out "Pet Smart" or any other pet store you may have. I don't know how much his bedding or pet food is but I'm sure those bags go around $7 to $10 each depending on where you go for shopping. I hope that helps? I had a pet rat myself but he died not too long ago. "Sorry if that was a buzz kill"...
I started breeding rats about 3 weeks ago and one of the females had 4 babies she was with another female and a male. I picked one up and placed it back and left to call my wife when I got back one of the 3 rats killed all the babies. why did this happen do you have to remove the male or seprate the female or they don't like them to touch the babies. Please help thanks.
pop bubble Actually the dad rats will actually take care of the babies, the only reason breeders separate the mom and dad is to keep the dad from breeding with her again because it stresses the female a lot to have her first batch of babies and will be even more stressful to have even more after giving birth not to long ago, and a lot of female rats that gave birth your able to touch them after they were born, some reasons they were killed is because of either something was wrong with them or deformed or if you had touched food before touching them she will think they are food and kill them.
You should actually start to handle them the day that they are born, only for about a few minutes, and gradually make it longer as they grow, as it helps them be comfortable being around humans and it lets the babies be more attached to their owners as they get older. That's what I always do with my rats babies. and none of my baby rats have ever died.
@rephibiankid I was going to use pine but where I live it's the same price as aspen. I'm working on my rack right now and can't wait to get it done. Thanks for the tips. Please subscribe to my Channel.
mice cant feel pain? your an very intelligent person i can tell. I agree, mice suck as compared to rats, but all creatures feel pain. Sadly though, one rat is more economical than 5-6 feeder mice at a feeding
I´m wondering, are these boxes the only enviroment the rats are in their whole life? If that´s the case, it´s a really pathetic & boring prison-life and not animal friendly. I know, you just breed them for your snakes, I do that too....but I have big cages with dozents of tunnels, hiding places, ladders and in every cage there are 2 floors. Every day they get a few hours of freedom in a room to explore.
Ok I have to say this. I have pet rats and snakes. Snakes are not evil Mr trolls. They are very sweet. But, Aspen and wood type bedding is actually really bad for rats respitory systems. The oils in the wood chips really mess it up. I'd recommend using felt instead because it's soft and there is no dust that will get into their lungs. You can also reuse it after simply washing it with hypo allergenic laundry detergent. Because if you wind up with too many and have to give them to other people you'll want them to have better qualityrats. you never know if the people you sell them to would want to keep them as pets. The only difference between feeders and pet rats is literally socialization. And they are social animals it is best to socialize rats. Female rats normally gestate between every 2 to 3 weeks so you really don't have to leave them alone for that long. They'll gladly breed for you just as well if socialized correctly. To socialize your rats correctly, hold them at least once a day. Don't just "leave them be". Also bins in general may be an ok temporary breed bin for adult rats, but the reason why rats have bar cages is because they have weak lungs so the build up of ammonia from their urine and fecies will build up in the cage with no way to escape. They will get sick from this and sneeze constantly. Snakes poop and pee once a week whilst rats poop and pee almost constantly. Once again the only difference between feeders rats and pet rats, is LITTERALLY how socialized they were before sold to the next person.
I have a pregnant rat and she lives in a cage with her mate, It's my first time having rats, and from watching other videos it says to take the father rat out of the cage after 15-17 days, is this true, and any tips for what I should do?? Please help, thanks
he can live with the babies if they are his. hes not likely to eat them. but you should take him out so he doesnt grt your female pregnant while she is still with her litter, it is bad for their bodies and they might actually eat the litter if they get pregnant (due to stress and a lack of nutrients from both nursing and being pregant).
+IamtheKGB The father should always be taken out before the mother gives birth as he will most likely eat them. I breed mice and a friend of mine breeds rats. males should always be taken out
Instead of water i give them cucumber, carrots for fluids, less smelly tubs. too much water and the bedding needs to be changed every 3 days... as i use paddy husk its less expensive then the wood shaving... My mice and rats get lot of fresh food .... Coriander leaves or parsley leaves fresh ones, carrots, cucumber, beetroots, squash, fresh corn and pellet food. Twice a week they all get 2-3 meal worms each. Please dont inbreed them as results will be very bad for future
Sadly they are part of the circle of life. I am a pet rat owner and I love them. As long as the people are caring for and respecting the rats it is just a part of life for snakes to eat. I do not like live feeding because it can hurt the rat and the snake.
can anyone help me get started i have 2 female rats and 1 male what kind of food should i get? i have 2 ball pythons one boy one girl help me out rats are alot of money
temperature in my opinion doesn't matter that much, I house mine outside winter and summer and the summer heat stops them from breeding more then the cold nights durin the winter where I live it will get down to around thirty.
Actually, dolphins & pigs have sex for pleasure as well lol. But I can understand TheTotox666's POV. That female is not looking to mate multiple times a day, pop out babies & then immediately get pregnant again. It can very well be called rape. But, it's extreme to be that emotionally connected with a rodent lol. Food chain. Animals gotta eat! I plan to breed mice for my beardies.
There are rat/mice breeders that supply our snake food habit and even they use aspen. Like breeders that have vids on youtube you can watch. Look up micedirect!!!
I'm seriously thinking about breeding the only thing that is stopping me is the smell. If I do I probably start with rats just 3 female and 1 male, and with mice 6 females and 2 males.
