Considering a small rat breeding colony

[hellosugaree]

I'm thinking about starting a small rat breeding colony (the minimum possible size). I only have one snake currently, and I plan on getting one or two more eventually, but nothing too crazy. On this scale, I realize this will probably not be a cost-saving venture. The cost of feed, bedding, materials, and supplies will probably end up costing more than just buying whatever rats I need fresh or frozen. However, I want to do it for the experience and to know that my food source is as well cared for as my snakes. The rats would sort of be pets that feed our other pets.

I plan on feeding one of the formulated lab diets depending on price and availability, and I'm not sure what bedding I will use yet. This probably also depends on price and availability. I am open to suggestions for which kind and where to acquire for those of you that have experience.

As I understand, you need a cage for the mother to give birth in, and a separate cage to move males to prior to birthing (or if you have enough cages with females to keep the male constantly rotating). Finally, you need cages to separate pups from their mothers for weaning (one for each sex if you want to grow them up and not have them breed right away). With the smallest scale possible, I'm looking at 4 tubs or so. Did I miss anything?

I would love to hear/see words of encouragement, discouragement, pictures of your setup, info on places to get supplies or some basic DIY small racks. Who else is doing a small breeding operation?