The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Other => Topic started by: Dangermouse on February 10, 2010, 12:35:42 pm
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Hi all, post number 2 and my first question ;D
I know rodents are probably not the smallholders best friend but I am a very keen rodent breeder. these are breed for pets as well as a food source for my rather large snake collection.
At the moment I breed on a small scale to feed my own snakes but I am now thinking about doing it on a larger scale, the question is-
Do I need any special planning permission in order to do so?
Defra tells me that I dont, the planning office tells me that I need permission for absolutely everything?
Any advice would be helpful ;D
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Try www.nfrs.org
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if it's rats pleeese don't let them loose, :o :o
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Ill check out the website,
Dont worry they are kept in escape proof cages, believe it or not they are quite cool little animals ;D
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A friend of mine has free ranging rats!
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A friend of mine has free ranging rats!
Im affraid mine are not free range micees....Im sure the snakes dont mind ;)
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What sorts of snakes do you have? (Im interested... from a distance! though am v proud to say only last week I had a rat snake round my neck!!)
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What sorts of snakes do you have? (Im interested... from a distance! though am v proud to say only last week I had a rat snake round my neck!!)
I have Cornsnakes mainly, a few Royal Pythons, a couple Boa's some kingsnakes around 200 in all
and 2 tortoises
And yes I did get a little obsessed ;D
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wow!
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Wow, 200. thats amazing.
I quite like snakes, I have to say. And lizards/gecko's/iguana's.
Beth
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The trouble with snakes is they are very addictive, my food bill got so high I started breeding my own mice
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Yep I can imagine that would be better! Do you feed the mice live to the snakes?
Beth
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Yep I can imagine that would be better! Do you feed the mice live to the snakes?
Beth
I only feed frozen defrosted mice to my snakes, mice and rats can do a lot of damage to a snake when they are fighting for their lives. I think its a little cruel to feed live myself.
The American snake keepers tend to feed live but in the UK we go for the frozen defrosted option
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So then how do you kill the mice? I know pet shops sell froxen mice, but wasn't sure if you breeding them yourselves, if you would still feed them once they were dead. I do feel this is getting a bit morbid though!
Beth
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So then how do you kill the mice? I know pet shops sell froxen mice, but wasn't sure if you breeding them yourselves, if you would still feed them once they were dead. I do feel this is getting a bit morbid though!
Beth
Hi Beth,
Its not really Morbid its all a part of farming any animal as a food source. The main concern is that the animal must not suffer.
There are two trains of thought on how to cull mice
1. Cervical discolation is one option, where the neck is discolated just behind the head, this method should only be used if you know what you are doing
2. CO2 gas is the second method, the rodents are given a short burst of CO2 up to about 20%.
This will put them to sleep first. You then give them a full dose 100%. leave them in the chamber for 10 mins to ensure they have passed and job done
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A friend of mine has an 8 foot burmese python, and a couple of cornsnakes and a pair of leopard geckos ( I think that's what they are ???) Weird looking things. She also keeps guinea pigs in a shed for the snakes, and buys frozen rats. I told her she's quite welcome to come and catch the rats here!
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A friend of mine has an 8 foot burmese python, and a couple of cornsnakes and a pair of leopard geckos ( I think that's what they are ???) Weird looking things. She also keeps guinea pigs in a shed for the snakes, and buys frozen rats. I told her she's quite welcome to come and catch the rats here!
Burms are a little on the big side for me, she should breed her own rats its really easy (but a bit stinky)
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I used to work in a zoo with 2 15ft Burmese Pythons and a big Boa. On my first day I was told that the reason my predecessor left was that one of the Pythons swallowed her arm!!! Whether the story was true or not I don't know, but I went into the Snake House with some trepidation. We bred rabbits and chickens for them. I loved the Pythons, but their coils were so heavy to push out of the way when I was trying to clean around them.
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I used to work in a zoo with 2 15ft Burmese Pythons and a big Boa. On my first day I was told that the reason my predecessor left was that one of the Pythons swallowed her arm!!! Whether the story was true or not I don't know, but I went into the Snake House with some trepidation. We bred rabbits and chickens for them. I loved the Pythons, but their coils were so heavy to push out of the way when I was trying to clean around them.
Its very possible for a big burm to swallow your arm,it couldnt bite it off but it would take some getting off.
They are a a bit of a handfull when they are fully grown thats for sure
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:o :o I hope they were just winding you up MiriMaran! They are very heavy, but apparently quite affectionate (?). I like snakes but not too keen on the idea of a Burmese python winding around me to show affection.
Dangermouse, my friend wouldn't want to breed rats - she doesn't like them very much, hence the guinea pigs for the snakes instead!
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:o :o I hope they were just winding you up MiriMaran! They are very heavy, but apparently quite affectionate (?). I like snakes but not too keen on the idea of a Burmese python winding around me to show affection.
Dangermouse, my friend wouldn't want to breed rats - she doesn't like them very much, hence the guinea pigs for the snakes instead!
Rats are not everyones cup of tea for sure but they are very affectionate little beasties honest..... ;D
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*shudder* :P
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*shudder* :P
See no one loves my wee beasties :-[
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My neice used to have pet rats and they are quite affectionate. Domestic ones are fine.
Beth
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My neice used to have pet rats and they are quite affectionate. Domestic ones are fine.
Beth
Thanks Beth, see on people like ratties (they do make superb pets for kiddies)
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It's something to do with their tails, for me, anyway. It's that thick bit where it's attached to their bodies, ugh! We found a recently dead one under the boards, that were meant to be put up as a shed, and it measured 17 inches from head to tail, and part of the tail was gone anyway. Gah, it was horrible :P For some of us, it's a racial memory from when rats were plague carriers.
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It's something to do with their tails, for me, anyway. It's that thick bit where it's attached to their bodies, ugh! We found a recently dead one under the boards, that were meant to be put up as a shed, and it measured 17 inches from head to tail, and part of the tail was gone anyway. Gah, it was horrible :P For some of us, it's a racial memory from when rats were plague carriers.
I would still reccomend not getting too close to wild rats dead or alive, they carry some nasty dieseases for sure. Domestic pet rats are much cleaner but you still need to be aware that they can carry dieseases
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I know! There was that lady who died from Weil's disease a couple of years ago (in the news) - she was trying to release a rat that got caught in something, and got a scratch off it's claws, and died within the week :o All she had were flu-like symptoms, and then went downhill pretty fast :( I like hamsters and guinea pigs and chinchillas - they're rodents too, so I suppose there's hope for me yet, when it comes to domestic rats! ;D ;D
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I know! There was that lady who died from Weil's disease a couple of years ago (in the news) - she was trying to release a rat that got caught in something, and got a scratch off it's claws, and died within the week :o All she had were flu-like symptoms, and then went downhill pretty fast :( I like hamsters and guinea pigs and chinchillas - they're rodents too, so I suppose there's hope for me yet, when it comes to domestic rats! ;D ;D
If your ever down my way ill sort you out a nice pretty one for a pet ;D
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Deal! ;D ;D
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Deal! ;D ;D
My Pleasure ;D
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Last week there were some wild baby rats under the bird table - I'm guessing it was the first time they had left the nest and were moving quite slowly. I called the children into the kitchen so they could watch them from the window. Harry darted straight outside and started stroking one of them!!! :o :o It only ran away when I shouted at Harry to stop touching. The following day our puppy came into the house looking very proud of himself with a dead baby rat in his mouth!
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Last week there were some wild baby rats under the bird table - I'm guessing it was the first time they had left the nest and were moving quite slowly. I called the children into the kitchen so they could watch them from the window. Harry darted straight outside and started stroking one of them!!! :o :o It only ran away when I shouted at Harry to stop touching. The following day our puppy came into the house looking very proud of himself with a dead baby rat in his mouth!
Its a good job the little buggers diddnt bite him, baby rats are not normally aggressive though.
Good work by your puupy ;D
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Dangermouse Little girl goes into the local pet shop and she is a little short tounged and asks "Have you any wabbits" "Yeth said the man would you like a black one a white one or a nice wild english coloured one ?"" I dont suppose my pet python will care what colour it is" ;D :farmer:
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Dangermouse Little girl goes into the local pet shop and she is a little short tounged and asks "Have you any wabbits" "Yeth said the man would you like a black one a white one or a nice wild english coloured one ?"" I dont suppose my pet python will care what colour it is" ;D :farmer:
Nice one ....... ;D
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Rio brought one in when I was chatting to a friend on the phone - Imagine it - Cat brings rat in, Mum on phone to Peter, Mum asks Peter to ring back in five thinking said rat was dead and just needed removing. Mum wrong, thing very much alive but young and squeaking, Mum gets newspaper rolled up to try to scare it into the open to dispatch it, cat has other ideas and chases and teases the poor thing into corners, out of corners, up the kitchen, down the kitchen, behind Freckles cage, INTO Freckles cage, so Mum drags Freckles out not wanting her to gobble it as her evening snack, rat runs out after her, Mum shoves Freckles back in now empty cage, Bobby gets in on the act and tries to catch rat, misses and it runs into the corner behind the wool winders, Mum scoops Bobby up and deposits him in his puppy run, cat catches rat and plays with it again, cage is moved to allow Mum access to rat, knitting machine is moved, chair is moved, coffee table is moved, Peter rings back 'have you got that rat sorted yet', 'no, but cat has caught it again and is biting, Hmm, not moving now, Ok, dead rat is better than live rat' Peter laughs, Rio starts to devour rat in front of Mums eyes, now only headless rat, Mum chats to Peter ignoring cat, dogs both fixated on rat and cat, mum looks back and only half a rat now, carries on chatting, looks back - where did that go????? Not even a tail left! Just entrails. Peter says 'will you be OK' Mum says 'sure, I've cleared up worse than rat guts' Then a smell hits her nose - 'I recognise that smell........................ puppy poo' Bobby's excitement got the better of him and he wasn't able to wait! Vinyl gloves and kitchen roll to the fore, disinfectant to follow, both deposits removed and binned. What a night!!!!
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What a glamarous life you lead Annie :P ::)
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Rio brought one in when I was chatting to a friend on the phone - Imagine it - Cat brings rat in, Mum on phone to Peter, Mum asks Peter to ring back in five thinking said rat was dead and just needed removing. Mum wrong, thing very much alive but young and squeaking, Mum gets newspaper rolled up to try to scare it into the open to dispatch it, cat has other ideas and chases and teases the poor thing into corners, out of corners, up the kitchen, down the kitchen, behind Freckles cage, INTO Freckles cage, so Mum drags Freckles out not wanting her to gobble it as her evening snack, rat runs out after her, Mum shoves Freckles back in now empty cage, Bobby gets in on the act and tries to catch rat, misses and it runs into the corner behind the wool winders, Mum scoops Bobby up and deposits him in his puppy run, cat catches rat and plays with it again, cage is moved to allow Mum access to rat, knitting machine is moved, chair is moved, coffee table is moved, Peter rings back 'have you got that rat sorted yet', 'no, but cat has caught it again and is biting, Hmm, not moving now, Ok, dead rat is better than live rat' Peter laughs, Rio starts to devour rat in front of Mums eyes, now only headless rat, Mum chats to Peter ignoring cat, dogs both fixated on rat and cat, mum looks back and only half a rat now, carries on chatting, looks back - where did that go????? Not even a tail left! Just entrails. Peter says 'will you be OK' Mum says 'sure, I've cleared up worse than rat guts' Then a smell hits her nose - 'I recognise that smell........................ puppy poo' Bobby's excitement got the better of him and he wasn't able to wait! Vinyl gloves and kitchen roll to the fore, disinfectant to follow, both deposits removed and binned. What a night!!!!
But apart from That "Life is good" ;D
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My cat might kill a baby rat, but it won't eat them. It won't catch an adult one either. Everything else is fair game though, so I did have an incident like Annie's but with a live weasel. And there's me, with my paranoia about Weil's disease, trying to catch it with leather gloves on and shrieking everytime it moved, while the cat watched me with amusement!