Wanted

[gibby 0]

Its a bit of a long shot and not really hunting related but does anyone in the Dumfries and Galloway region have any young rats for sale? Would rather buy off someone face to face than a pet shop.

 

(Ill come clean as well in case it puts anyone off selling them but I am planning to breed these rats as a supplementary food source for our ferrets and falcons. Therefore colour is unimportant.)

 

Please PM me if you can help me out.

[ferretman22 1]

my wife says get your wife to go to the shop like she has too

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Just curious, Gibby; But what's wrong with a pet shop, mate? :confused:

[gibby 0]

Regarding the pet shop thing... I have no quarrels buying from a pet shop. I probably will end up doing so if no-one else has any. The reasons I would rather buy off someone else are because:

a) I know how hard it can be sometimes to offload animals you have bred. I have bred hamsters and rats before (when I was around 10-13 yrs old) to sell to the petshop, but if someone else has just sold them a load you cant always sell them, or you have to accept less money. So I just thought it might help someone out a bit.

And B ) because they might be cheaper than pets at home etc and I would be giving a person my money rather than a company.

 

But as I say if I cant get any from anywhere else Ill get them from a petshop no problem

Edited September 27, 2007 by gibby

[scar 0]

its cheaper to buy frozen in bulk than fiddle about breeding them

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Scar has a bloody good point there, Gibby. I don't know the economics of rats, but day old chicks are cheap as water.

 

More to the point; That comment took me back to my mates place. He bred rats constantly. And constantly lived with the overpowering stench of their urine. He kept them clean as whistles, but a hundred rodents will piss faster than any man can practically remove wood shaving fast getting soaked in the stuff. I know ye say ye bred them years ago, but was that on the industrial scale ye'll need now?

 

Of course, ye may have it in mind to build one of those amazing rat hotels we were shown here recently? Ok, if ye have a distant spot of ye land to keep it. But the bottom line is; I keep coming back to this one and wondering if it all truly is worth the effort, mate? That's an honest statement. Nothing hidden or implied.

 

Anyway, if ye go for it, keep us up to date. Most things around rats fasinate me

[gibby 0]

Ditch, I know what your saying mate, but its just an idea y'know?

 

We buy day old chicks for the birds and the ferts get the occasional one or two (its my mums partner that owns the birds, and the ferrets are mine) and your right they are very cheap, but from the same supplier we get them from frozen rats are about £1.50 each. We simply dont have the freezer space to buy them in bulk either, what with the outdoor freezer being full of rabbits and chicks and whatever else we kill!

 

I already have two cages (actually large fishtanks on a stand) taking up room in my shed. And I was reading the other day of members on this site breeding rats and the two things seemed to click y'know? Months ago I was thinking along the lines of breeding guinea pigs, but they require a lot of space for the output of food y'know. Plus we already have some pet ones

 

So I thought, were buying shavings in bulk for the ferrets, guinea pigs and hamster. And buying food in bulk for the guinea pigs and hamster. So the fact is that the initial cost of setting up and the running is very minimal y'know? Especially since I already have the cages. Just need to build good solid lids.

 

I wont be needing that many, I'll probably keep a couple of breeding females and a male from the initial pair and start from there. If Im overrun at any time the surplus will be knocked on the head and fed to the ferrets/birds. All the while they will be kept clean and well looked after, like all the animals in my care.

 

So maybe its not financially great when compared to buying in bulk (I have no idea the bulk prices), but since in smaller numbers they are £1.50 each, then I reckon I can get my moneys worth. Maybe the only thing that will offset that is my time. But Ive had pet rats before and keeping/breeding animals fascinates me.

 

And your right about the smell ditch especially on a larger scale, but I reckon Ill manage if I keep the numbers sensible. I love projects like this! And Im only 20 so id rather do things like that now when Ive got the chance and not as many real responsibilities I may have in future! If I decide to go for it Ill keep you posted ditch

[gnipper 6,652]

There is a lot to breeding rats mate, far harder than mice. Have a browse on a reptile forum for more info on the best/cheapest/most productive ways and i'm pretty sure you'll change your mind. Rabbits would probably be easier and you will get more food from them.

I've bred mice and gerbils for feeding and like they say a watched pot never boils, when you need younguns they eat their own

[gibby 0]

Thanks for the advice guys. Im going to sit down tonight and write out roughly what Im planning to spend, then double it, then see if I think it will be worth it.

 

I know what your saying about mice being easier to breed but for a similar amount of effort I will get less food, I would think anyway. Have been reading reptile forums too, a lot of those guys have a LOT of gear, and a LOT of rodents! Ive bred hamsters before, they are difficult as the males and females must be kept in seperate cages apart from when they are mating. And when I bred rats I must admit I didnt own the male I used, so have to research how the males get on with the females together in the long run. But this was all when I was a young boy, trying to make myself a bit of pocket money!

 

But anyway Im not arguing with anyone and I do appreciate the advice. Will let you know what I decide to do.

 

Gibby

 

PS on some of the posts I read on a reptile forum they advocated feeding dry dog food from lidls. 37p a kg. Sounds a bargain

 

PPS gnipper- my dad used to breed rabbits for human food. But that was before I was born. And I just dont have the space for any more hutches.

Edited September 28, 2007 by gibby

[Guest Frank]

If you have 3 feamale rats and 1 male, along with a masive fish tank, you will be away.

[Chubs 0]

If you have 3 feamale rats and 1 male, along with a masive fish tank, you will be away.

 

I've bred 40 plus rats this month, it's a piece of piss & cost me half what it would cost to buy dead ones, they don't smell like mice, even my step mother who loves to drag me down said they didn't smell when she came round to visit, very easy to look after minimal maintenance & excellent food source compared to day old chicks. Plastic tubs with mesh lids is the cheapest option to house them, i necked 40 this month & would suggest gassing them as pulling that many necks in 10 minutes was a bit grissly.

 

go for it i say it's worked for me.

[Chubs 0]

p.s i kept all mine seperate but they'll foster each others pups after they're 2 weeks old, think they'll kill them before that, As someone who's been breeding them i really can't agree with some of the posts on here. It really is a piece of piss & out of all the rodents mentioned are by far the better option.

[gibby 0]

Cheers chubs I think Im going to go for it. Ive kept/bred them before they were ace pets. And your right I thought they smelled less than mice too.

 

Cheers guys

[Chubs 0]

Cheers chubs I think Im going to go for it. Ive kept/bred them before they were ace pets. And your right I thought they smelled less than mice too.

 

Cheers guys

 

Male mice stink, male rats looked after do not smell. They're rats for feck sake! they're the easiest thing in the world to breed hence their global domination as a pest species!!

[Guest Frank]

If you have 3 feamale rats and 1 male, along with a masive fish tank, you will be away.

 

I've bred 40 plus rats this month, it's a piece of piss & cost me half what it would cost to buy dead ones, they don't smell like mice, even my step mother who loves to drag me down said they didn't smell when she came round to visit, very easy to look after minimal maintenance & excellent food source compared to day old chicks. Plastic tubs with mesh lids is the cheapest option to house them, i necked 40 this month & would suggest gassing them as pulling that many necks in 10 minutes was a bit grissly.

 

go for it i say it's worked for me.