Rodents revisited

I live in California, and there is not much space to have without living in the boonies, and therefore not much space for rodent breeding.

I purchase all of my rodents live from a breeder that lives near me.

It does get rather expensive, but this particular breeder is the cheapest producer in the area, and I get good quality stuff.

Have I considered starting to breed rodents? Sure I have...

Have I been successful at it? No way.

(Side note: If successful means producing rats, then yes, but not at the quantity I would need)

I am allergic, for one.

I am also lacking in time and space, and the area where I live in Southern California tends to get very hot during the summer, which does not bode well for living creatures in say a garage or location similar.

So until we move and are able to create a rodent space/building, I am going to have to suck it up and deal with it how I can.

It would be lovely if we lived in an area where a couple acres doesn't cost a mere few million, and where I could set up a property with extra facilities here and there, but at the moment, this is not the case.

So, I buy.

Live.

Frozen is possible, and honestly, I have considered it many times, but as it stands, I do not have the time to attempt to change everyone over, nor do I have the time to sit there and defrost and wiggle around zombie rats for each snake.

Time is precious here at Heather's Herps.

So with that, I will go finish feeding the critters and do some cleaning.

I have updated the available page with a TON of Proven Breeder stuff (Male and Female) as well as some of the babies that have shed out. Go and take a look at what I have in store!

Have a fantastic day, my friends!

Jeez, hotness...

Seriously, weather... It's not Summer yet. I can't deal with Spring temperatures at 94 degrees. It's just not fair.

I don't enjoy the super hot weather. I don't.

And when it comes several months early, I don't enjoy it even that much more.

The other problem with the hot other than my whining is the fact that rodent production stalls. I don't breed many rodents, but I have a tank of each for just in case. And neither tank has produced for a while (mice or rats).

So, what to do? I introduce new blood, older animals get to live on, but newer breeders come in. BUT!! My plans will be foiled if the heat keeps up as it does. Apparently rodents dislike heat just as much as I do and don't want to do anything in terms of getting hotter.

I completely understand.

But it makes things tougher.

I know my rodent supplier has swamp coolers that run thru out the Summer months into the Fall here in Southern California, as the average temps are around 90F for those months.

Can you imagine the electricity bills?

Yeeesh.

Of course for us Snake people, the heat is a welcome respite from having to heat tubs. My electricity bill tends to go down (a little) and then back up when I need to run the air conditioning. I don't like running the air conditioning, as I like to think Green when I can, so we try to suffer thru it until the last possible opportunity. When the incubators get overly hot, that is when we run the air.

Or when I can't take it any more.

Whichever comes first.

So here we are, overly hot already and me whining. Welcome, Summer. I've been expecting you...


Have a great day, my friends.

Weekend? What Weekend?

This weekend was spent fixing the snake room some more.

Let me tell you that owning racks that are open and subject to attacks by the food items that escape for a few hours does not allow for much sanity.

I finished revamping the Vision Racks that I have in the room with new heat cable, and everything is 100% hunky-dory now.

It took a lot of man (woman) power to move everything around, get behind things, pull cords off, replace them accordingly and so on.

And let me tell you... For some reason, rats enjoy chewing wires.

Specifically heat cable.

I had no idea... Maybe my cables were coated with sugar or something, but I replaced a good few of them due to chew marks as well as bends that broke thru the cord covers.

Granted, these racks have been in use over the years, and do not have easy access to the general view, but geeze...

I have wired them now so that these issues should not arise anymore, albeit part of the reason it even comes up is due to renegade rodents.

But, I find them eventually.. Or Kona does.

No worries.

So for you out there interested in Vision Rack Systems, know that they are easily manipulated by you and other sources.

Be aware!

Anyway, this weekend was cleaning and fixing weekend, with some other stuff thrown into the mix. We went up to visit some friends up north, as well as did some wedding stuff, so I am rather tired and not ready for the week to begin... But it must.

Later today I will finish cleaning, as well as hopefully do some feedings and photos in the near future.

So with that, I say, be aware! And have a fantastic day, my friends

Rodents

There comes a time in every ones life that if they have a snake, they will need to be accustomed to rodents.

Mice, rats, gerbils... you name it.

You need to be aware of the care and husbandry of these little suckers too, as with someone like myself, I always end up with a few pets/left-overs every week.

Let us begin a brief overview.


NOTE: This is BASIC care. Yes, there is more that you can provide for your rodents. If you want to, please feel free!
Caging:

For a mouse or a few mice, a 10 gallon tank or something equivalent is good.
One rat, a 10 gallon is also good. A few rats, a 20 gallon long will suffice. Bigger is better, but those are my suggested minimums.

I like using tanks as they cannot chew out. There are other places to house rodents, such as the wire cages with plastic bottoms, but I have had bad luck with those being eventually chewed out of.

SCREEN TOPS. METAL SCREEN TOPS. Slide-ons are better than push tops, as rats are particularly clever at figuring out how to push things up and out.

Materials:

Food and water dishes need to be chew proof as well. Metal hoppers made out of wire are fantastic for food, and water dispensers should be glass. This will prevent any loss of materials, and the need to buy a new dish/dispenser every few months.

Bedding should be some type of soft wood. Pine is okay, Cedar is not. Paper is also okay. I use Aspen. 

Chewing is a big problem, as you can see... This can be prevented by using a wheel or some type of entertainment device. If they don't have something, they will find something.. i.e. themselves.

Cannibalism is not against their nature if pushed. Be aware.

Food and Water:

As you and I both know well, food and water are essential to life. So... if you intend to keep your rodents alive, please provide fresh food and water. I check mine every day, but every other day if you only have a few animals, should suffice.

Lab block is awesome for food, as it holds up well and doesn't require much refilling.

Water, on the other hand, while awesome for drink, requires more refilling than I would prefer, but such is life.

How many per area?

Not a lot... the more there are, the more they will compete for resources and may kill each other. I like to keep the animals limited to 2.4 in a 10 gallon tank for mice, for rats, 1.3.

In a pinch, it can be more, but realize that they will have issues. Squeeking, fighting, and even death may occur. Be hospitable, and provide the best housing you can under your circumstances.

I always have a "leftover" tank available for animals that do not get fed off. This is a 30 gallon tank that is always available. Sometimes I need even more, so I have a few tubs that I use to hold them as well.

I will go over the production of these next week.


So there you go, my friends. Be nice to the food. They deserve it in their last few days.. They are animals too, and deserve respect and care. Even if they do smell.

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Rodent Escapes

I have tried to be kind to animals all my life, but there are some that just drive me up the wall.

And the one thing that drives me more nuts than ever before is rodent escapees.

Yes, I understand that they are running for their lives (although they don't know it), and that they are just trying to get away to start life a new, but it just grinds my gears to find out that you have little rodents running around the room!

Last night, we had such an episode with a tank of mice that I have been breeding for colors, and also for feeders.

Apparently they climbed on top of the glass water dispenser, and pushed their way out.

There were NINE loose around the room. And remember, that room is pretty crowded...

So I walked in to the room to check for eggs (which sadly there were none), and saw a little thing scurrying around the floor.

ACK!!! HORROR AND DISMAY!

So I caught the one I saw, then saw more...

Caught those, and then realized there were MORE.

So I called in reinforcements. Regal and Joel to the rescue!!!

We moved all of the racks around, blocked corners with boards, and managed to corner them.





These were mighty mice, as they ran like their lives depended on it...

They ran right, ran left... but eventually got caught.

This took all three of us fifteen minutes to catch them all.

None of them were killed, all of them were placed back in their tank to think about what they had done.

I'm going to invest in a better tank lid.

And, in 80+ degree heat, it was not pleasant. Just ask Joel.

He hates helping catch rodents in the room. So do I. It's annoying.

It's not fun, and its nothing I enjoy at all, but it has to be done.

So it was complete, and now a revamp of the rodent enclosures needs to be done. This weekend is already cut out for me. Yay!

Anyway, have a fantastic weekend, my friends. Happy Fourth of July, and see you all on Monday!

Allergies

Well, as it stands as a Reptile Breeder, one usually does not have allergies to the animals themselves.

Scales are easy.

It is the food that is the issue.

I am allergic to rodents. All rodents.

Actually, I'm allergic to many other things as well, but rodents will suffice for this blog.

How then, do you ask, do I feed my snakes?

Carefully.

I do tend to get itchy and get the sniffles when I am touching the rats. More so even when I touch them then touch my face.

I can handle them in short bursts, but it does take a toll over a while of feeding. It takes me a few hours to feed, and I do touch them with my bare hands.

I probably shouldn't.

What tends to happen is that I use my hands or tongs to put them in, and they scratch me.

When they scratch me, I puff up in the area where the scratch is. And then, I sniffle. And sneeze.

Some people have a much more severe reaction to the rodents than I do, so here are a few tips on how to feed your snakes with live rodents that you are allergic to.

1) Use protection: Gloves, tongs, anything that will keep you from needing to get into contact. Even if you need to, use a mask for breathing.

2) Use help. Don't do it alone if you don't have to.

3) Frozen thawed food items do not bite, scratch or otherwise move around to let forth hair or dander to make you react. They still may make you react, but it will not be as bad.

4) Take drugs if you need to. Prepare yourself for the encounter.

5) Take it easy. When you get a reaction, just step back, take whatever time you need before anything, and then jump back in when you are ready.

You more than likely already know all of this, but hey, I just want to remind. I had this issue last night, so I wanted to touch on it now.

My arm is still itchy.

Have a fantastic, non-itchy day, my friends.

Another Adventure in the Life of Marty Cohen

We have not visted upon one of the mascots of the Heather's Herps family in a while.

Let us say hello again to Marty Cohen.



Marty Cohen lives in the snake room, next to the supply pens and issues.

He also lives several stories above some of the rodents. He tends to enjoy watching them. FREQUENTLY. He is a cat, after all. But don't worry, he can't get at them. They are safe... for now.



And cause all he does is wander around the snake room, he tends to lounge around, including on the scale. It's nice and cool, but he is getting a bit chubby... He used to way less before we took him in and gave him a home. What a spoiled kitty cat.



He does have a kinky side. He likes to watch his friend, Sterling, attempt to get it on... (Naughty Naughty Cat) Not sure why, but... hey, to each his own.



He also likes hanging out with the Ghosts...
She scares him a little, especially being deep in shed and being a bit dirty. BOOO!!!



He also likes hanging out with the spicy ladies... including this Cinnamon gal.
Ai-ai-ai! Que Caliente es!

They like each other alot.



But at the end of the day, after all of the hanging out and lounging around, Marty Cohen likes to cuddle back into his basket and go to sleep...

Go to sleep, Marty Cohen.



Until next time, my friends, we say goodbye to Marty Cohen. When will we encounter him again? We shall see...

Have a great day!