One of my last 2 females (I euthanized and froze the other mice) is "with child"! Looks like I am on my way to some breeders...

Hopefully I will have at least 4 female babies. The males will be fed off, and I will buy other males to breed (don't want to inbreed TOO much).

Financially, I don't know if it evens out or not - raising my own feeders. I can get frozen, any size, for 80 cents at my local herp shop. Thanks to Fran, my cost of food went down considerably since I am now feeding inexpensive Dog Food (I suppliment with Lab Blocks and table scraps).

I am using KILN DRIED pine for the mice - still aspen for the snakes. I got a HUGE package of the pine for next to nothing. The oils left after the drying process are minimal.

Rubbermade containers for the mice, and I really don't have that much invested. Plus, I like the satisfaction of raising my own. At 5 snakes who eat mice, plus a Pueblan Milk this spring, I might be better off with raising my own.

Sorry for the long post - I am just excited! Thanks for listening.

Just don't get carried away like we did. We started breeding the mice and then rats "just for our snakes" and it started snowballing. Here is a pic of part of the mouse and rat barn. You can get an idea of mousie habitat. The bases are cat litter tubs. All you will need is at the most I male and 5 females.

http://www.herpcenter.com/attachment...0&d=1097231877

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Fran
January 9, 1940 - June 1, 2006 (R.I.P)

Boy Knox, when you jump in you jump in with both feet dont ya

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Well, if you're going to do something, do it right .

Fran, I think I would get divorce papers before it got to that point .

Thanks for the advice on just needing one male. I suppose I could scrape together $1.39 .

You might want to be careful with feeding the dog food.
There is a red dye in some dog foods that is toxic to snakes.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Rats and mice should really be fed their specific commercial dry food, supplemented with mineral blocks and fresh fruit/veg, bread, cheese, scraps and so on. You need to remember that what your feeders eat your snakes eat. But also that the rodents are animals and need to be cared for with the same thought as your reptiles.

After the pep-talk (sorry!) good luck with the mum-to-be and babies! Joe is constantly on about breeding our own feeders. Only right now we don't have any room left as the house is taken over by reptiles!! Maybe when we have a nice big house...

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

No worries... I am on the same regimen as Fran - Ol Roy dog food with suppliments.

Thanks, as always, for the input! I can always count on my mistakes being tactfully corrected here.

Knox

LOL no mistakes - learning curves! Good luck with your feeders.. In the long run it should work out far cheaper than buying frozen. You just need the strong stomach to "put them down".!

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

LOL We've had four litters so far, and managed to keep it down to one holdback -- and that one just for sentimental reasons, as it was the first litter, plus we liked her markings. Our Leopard and Fattail geckos LOVE the pinkies!

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I give up! I've officially lost count of the critters...

Learning curves... I like that.

Any other forum would have people jumping down my throat.

I sure do like you guys!