I have an Idea...

[Gungirl]

So I am moving hopefully soon, Once I do I want to start breeding all the food for my snakes. I have a GTP, Boa, Royal and several corns. Here are my thoughts-
I do NOT want to breed mice or rats
They need to be able to live outside year round ( shed will be provided)
Must tolerate cold climate 7 months out of the year( northern Vermont)
Be good for my snakes.

I was thinking of breeding rabbits. What kind(s) would be best for me to look into getting. I will be able to get all the hay I need for free or close to it and same with food for them. I just need a little help with a breed to research for size and meat quality. I am open to any and all Idea's.... Thanks.

[Aaron_S]

To my knowledge there isn't a species of rabbit that you could get to feed corns and gtps and balls on a regular basis.

Even if you were to feed baby rabbits they won't have the calcium and some of the other needs in their bodies to sustain your small snakes as they grow older.

[Gungirl]

Hrmm... well that is a real bummer. Ok so Maybe I will breed rabbits and ???? Any other Idea's of something that breeds easily and can be kept out doors all year long?

[youngster]

Hrmm... well that is a real bummer. Ok so Maybe I will breed rabbits and ???? Any other Idea's of something that breeds easily and can be kept out doors all year long?

Chickens? Not the best at all but that's all I can think of.

[Gungirl]

Well.. I will have chickens anyways so I could use those also. I am going to be getting a bunch of them for eggs and meat. I love raising my own food.. :)

[alessia55]

What's the reasoning behind not wanting to breed mice or rats? That's what most GTPs, boas, balls, and corns eat :hmm:

[KORBIN5895]

I breed my mice outside in a shed.

[exwizard]

I breed my mice outside in a shed.

In addition to this, before we got into rat breeding, the couple we got our original stock from kept theirs in a garage so it is possible to keep feeders outside the house.

[Jenn_06]

if i was you ill breed rabbits and rats outside in a shed, do your heavy breeing in the spring and fall so its not going to be too hot or too cold for them to breed. Rats will no breeding if its too hot or cold i dont know about rabbits.

[Jenn_06]

In addition to this, before we got into rat breeding, the couple we got our original stock from kept theirs in a garage so it is possible to keep feeders outside the house.

we did that when we lived in MI and put them in the house when it got too cold or hot...im going to move my rats out of the snake room soon and back in the garage.

[exwizard]

Our rat wholesaler keeps their entire stock of 14,000+ rats in 5 open semitrailers year round.

[theapexgerman]

14,000 rats wow that a lot of rats

[exwizard]

It works for them. We dont have the facility for that but thats why we dip into their stock whenever our high demand depletes our stock.

[Gungirl]

What's the reasoning behind not wanting to breed mice or rats? That's what most GTPs, boas, balls, and corns eat :hmm:

I was hopeful to keep them outside all winter and wanted something a little hardier. I also Hate mice. I wasn't sure if I could use mini rex rabbits or some other small breed and feed off pinks. All of my snakes are larger now and can eat adult mice or larger.

[beardeds4life]

umm rabbits would die because they need it warmer than rats and mice and mini rex pinkys are way to big. I would get a wooden shed and insulate it very well and add 2 or 3 150 watt bulbs (the ones that dont give off any light) then during the winter you could make it so those are on all day long but you would have to check them daily or else you might lose all the rats. You could set up an automatic waterer and wrap the buckets in pipe heat tape. If you set it up correctly you should be able to keep any mammals out there during the winter.

[KORBIN5895]

Bred mini Rex rabbits in an un-insulated shed in IL. Rabbits are pretty hardy beasts.

[Gungirl]

Bred mini Rex rabbits in an un-insulated shed in IL. Rabbits are pretty hardy beasts.

See that is what I have heard. I also had a few rabbits as a child and they lived outside year round with no issues. We just gave them more hay and a night heat lamp in the winter. We never had any issues. I just don't know a ton about them seeing as I was 9 or 10 when we had ours.

I have time to figure this out and build whatever I need to build I just wanted Idea's on what kind of rabbit would be best. I will also breed rats I guess but I would rather not. Who knows though maybe once I move I can sell snake food and fuzzy pets. IDK just thinking about how and what I want to do.

[KORBIN5895]

You could convert a deep freezer into an insulated rat enclosure and keep them out side. I will check into smaller rabbit breeds with a friend that breeds several different rabbits.

[Gungirl]

ok Thanks.. I am unsure of the house we are going to buy yet and I hope we have a large barn on the property. If we do then I will make part of that barn into breeding/housing for whatever I choose to breed. If there is no barn I will build a shed of some sort.

[Snakefood]

To my knowledge there isn't a species of rabbit that you could get to feed corns and gtps and balls on a regular basis.

Even if you were to feed baby rabbits they won't have the calcium and some of the other needs in their bodies to sustain your small snakes as they grow older.

Large Corns (my biggest corn is 4'6") can eat the pinkies of all types of rabbits and also the fuzzy's of dwarf rabbits. No clue what the calcium content of a rabbit fuzzy is though. I do feed the pinkies to my 3 largest corns, but not exclusively, I also feed them mice and rats.

To the OP- rabbits can take the cold climate so long as they are protected by the elements. Raise dwarfs and mini's as they stay smaller even as adults and breed just as prolifrically as the other larger breeds. with dwarfs and dutches I can keep a steady supply of: under 1 lb, 1lb, 2lb, and 3lb rabbits in my freezer for customers.

[Trent]

Are yours breeding outside in the colder months?

[Snakefood]

yes, my dwarfs are in a shed, but it's not insulated or anything, just protects them from the wind, rain and snow.

My dutches are out side in hutches with houses, so they have a place to go that is protected from the elements and they do breed, give birth and raise throughout the winter. It's actually the really hot months that the problems start. mine stopped breeding and or raising thier young in august and september!!

[millertime89]

My dutches are out side in hutches with houses, so they have a place to go that is protected from the elements and they do breed, give birth and raise throughout the winter. It's actually the really hot months that the problems start. mine stopped breeding and or raising thier young in august and september!!

tee hee, dutches in hutches