Is it cheaper to breed your own feeder rats or buy them? Breeding rats for snakes can cost less per rat once a colony is running. But it takes space, daily care, food, bedding and cleaning. Rats also grow in waves, so the size you need won't always be ready. For a handful of snakes, buying in bulk is often simpler.
The best answer is your own numbers. This guide gives you the colony math and a checklist of costs to count.
The short answer
- Breeding can win on price per rat, if you've got the space, the time and enough snakes to feed.
- Buying wins on time and timing. You get the size you need, when you need it, with no colony to run.
- Health steps matter either way. Home colonies need clean tubs, pest control and care with new breeding stock.
Weighing every way to get feeders? See Where to Buy Feeder Rats in Tucson for all the local options.
A fair note: Mike's Rodents sells feeder rats, so we'd love your order. We'll still give you the honest math, including when breeding makes sense.
What does a home rat colony take?
The Pet Advocacy Network's feeder rodent guide lays out how breeders run colonies (Pet Advocacy Network, 2017). Here's the short version.
- Breeders: Rats are kept at about 1 male to 3 to 5 females.
- Tubs: Escape-proof, with room to move, easy to clean, and ventilated.
- Temperature: About 68 to 80°F, with humidity around 30 to 70%. In a Tucson summer, that likely means air conditioning.
- Bedding: Wood shavings like aspen or pine. The guide says to avoid cedar.
- Food and water: A real rodent diet, not generic animal chow. Water bottles kept full.
- Cleaning: Tubs cleaned regularly. A common practice is a soak in a 10% bleach solution, then a rinse.
- Pest control: Keep wild rodents out of the building, and keep your rats from escaping.
What about smell and space?
More rats means more waste and more cleaning. Skip a cleaning and you'll smell it. Plan for a room or garage space you can keep cool, and a rack of tubs that grows with your colony.
What health steps should a home colony take?
This part matters. In 2017, CDC investigators tied an outbreak of Seoul virus, a virus rats can pass to people, to an in-home rat breeder. They found infected rats or people at 31 facilities in 11 states. Seventeen US residents were infected (CDC MMWR, 2018).
From the CDC report and the industry guide, the basics are:
- Quarantine new rats. The CDC encourages breeders to "quarantine any newly acquired rats for 4 weeks."
- Test new breeding stock. Test before new rats mix with your colony.
- Watch for sick animals. Separate any rat that looks ill.
- Wash your hands. Every time you handle rats, tubs or bedding.
- Keep wild rodents out. They can bring germs into a colony.
Not every colony gets sick. But a colony is a living system, and it needs care every day.
How fast do rats breed and grow?
Here are the numbers from the industry guide's life history section.
| Step | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Pregnancy | 21 to 23 days |
| Litter size | 8 to 18 pups (average 8) |
| Litters per year | Up to 7 |
| Weaned | 3 to 4 weeks old |
| Small (weaned) | 3 to 4 weeks old |
| Medium | 4 to 12 weeks, 100 to 150 g |
| Large | 3 to 9 months, 200 to 275 g |
| Breeding life | 9 to 12 months |
Source: Pet Advocacy Network feeder rodent guide (2017). Sizes are the guide's ranges, not Mike's size chart.
Why home-bred sizes come in waves
A litter is born on the same day. So all those pups hit Small together, then Medium together. You might have 10 Mediums one month and none the next.
To have the right size ready all the time, you need litters that overlap. That means more breeders, more tubs and more planning. And when rats outgrow your snakes' size, you need a plan for them too.
How many breeder rats do I need for 10 snakes?
Let's do the paper math for 10 adult snakes that each eat one Medium rat every 2 weeks.
- Rats needed: 10 snakes x 26 meals = 260 Medium rats a year.
- Best case per female: up to 7 litters x 8 pups = 56 pups a year.
- Females needed, best case: 260 ÷ 56 = about 5 females.
- Males: at 1 male to 3 to 5 females, 1 or 2 males.
That's the best case. Real colonies have smaller litters, missed litters and losses. Breeders also age out after 9 to 12 months and need replacing. So plan for more than the paper number.
Cost checklist: what to count
Local prices change, so we won't guess yours. Instead, price each of these items for one year at your local stores:
- Breeder rats, to start and to replace breeders as they age out
- Tubs or a rack system
- Water bottles and food dishes
- Rodent food, monthly cost times 12
- Bedding, monthly cost times 12
- Cleaning supplies
- Extra cooling in summer
- Your time: hours per week, times 52, times what your hour is worth
Add them up. Then divide by the number of rats you'll use in a year. That's your cost per rat.
Now compare it to buying
Here's the same 260 Medium rats a year at Mike's prices. The price per rat depends on how many you buy at once.
| Rats per order | Price each (Medium) | 260 rats a year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 | $4.35 | $1,131.00 |
| 10 to 24 | $3.90 | $1,014.00 |
| 25 to 49 | $3.50 | $910.00 |
| 50 and up | $3.05 | $793.00 |
Prices are per animal, plus 6.1% Arizona sales tax. Sold as feeders, not pets.
With 10 snakes on a two-week schedule, 10 rats per order puts you at $3.90 each. Live rats are best bought close to feeding day, so it usually makes sense to buy per feeding, not a year at once. See How Long Do Feeder Rats Live?
If your cost per rat beats these numbers, and you don't mind the work, breeding may be right for you.
Rather skip the colony? Call or text Mike at (520) 451-4380 for bulk rats.
Buying in bulk instead
Buying means no tubs, no cleaning, and no waves. You pick the size you need and buy what you need.
Mike breeds every rat and mouse he sells. His rats come in five sizes:
| Size | How big | Price each |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 45 to 85 g | $3.00 |
| Medium | 85 to 175 g | $4.35 |
| Large | 175 to 275 g | $5.65 |
| Extra Large | 275 to 375 g | $6.95 |
| Jumbo (retired breeders) | 375 g and up | $8.20 |
Buy more and pay less: 10% off each at 10 or more, 20% off at 25 or more, and 30% off at 50 or more. Prices are per animal, plus 6.1% Arizona sales tax. Sold as feeders, not pets.
Want the same order again later? Ask Mike about a standing order. For more, read Bulk Feeder Rats for Big Collections and Breeders, How Much Do Feeder Rats Cost? and How Much Does It Cost to Feed a Ball Python for a Year? Every size is on the live feeder rats page.
Who should breed, and who should buy?
Breeding may fit you if:
- You keep lots of snakes, or you breed snakes too
- You've got a cool room and time every day
- You want full control of what your feeders eat
- You're ready for quarantine, cleaning and planning
Buying may fit you if:
- You keep a handful of snakes
- You're short on space or time
- You want a set size, when you need it
- You'd rather not run a colony at all
Breeding feeder mice works the same way, on a slightly faster clock. Mice are pregnant for 19 to 21 days, and the industry guide says they're weaned at 3 weeks.
FAQ
Is it cheaper to breed your own feeder rats?
It can be, once a colony is running. But count everything: breeders, tubs, food, bedding, cooling and your time. Then divide by the rats you'll use and compare it to bulk prices.
How many breeder rats do I need for 10 snakes?
On paper, 10 snakes eating one Medium every 2 weeks need about 260 rats a year. At up to 7 litters of 8 pups, that's about 5 females and 1 or 2 males, best case. Real colonies need more.
How much does a rat colony cost to run?
It depends on your local prices and your colony size. Use the cost checklist above. Include food, bedding, tubs, cleaning, summer cooling and your time.
How long until rats reach feeding size?
Per the Pet Advocacy Network guide, rats are weaned at 3 to 4 weeks. They reach the guide's Medium size (100 to 150 g) at 4 to 12 weeks, and Large (200 to 275 g) at 3 to 9 months.
What about smell and space?
More rats means more waste. Plan for regular tub cleaning, a cool room, and a rack that grows with the colony. Skip cleaning and you'll smell it.
What health steps should a home colony take?
Quarantine new rats for 4 weeks, as the CDC encourages, and test new breeding stock. Keep wild rodents out, separate sick animals, and wash your hands after handling rats or bedding.
Rather buy than breed?
Mike breeds live feeder rats and mice in the Tucson area, so you don't have to. Tell him your sizes and how many, and he replies the same day.
Call or text Mike at (520) 451-4380. Want a heads-up on new batches? Get batch alerts.
