Rat breeding info...please

[Wizer69er]

Hello i just got 1male and 2 female rats about 2 weeks-3weeks ago and i was just wondering if i keep them in a cool part of the house or warm?Also i know i should get a couple more females but all in good time lol.will they still breed through out the winter?Can they eat dog food/cat food?sorry if that was a silly question.Well any help or info would be greatly appreaciated thanks in advance B.J.

[vincenzo]

here is what i know . warm area of the house they have less babies when in a cooler part of the house. yes they will breed through the winter one of my females just had babies and it's cold here in manitoba. cat food and dog food i think they can eat but i haven't tried so maybe someone else can help you with that question.
vince
hope that helped

[C.m.pyrrhus]

The rats I breed are fed a decent quality dog chow. I keep them at around 70°. If it is to hot, they slow there breeding down and males seem not to be interested. To low and the may get ill. I aim for 1.4 breeding pair average. After a few litters, they average out about 10-15 babies each.

[Jayson]

First off stay away from cat food, people do use low quality dog food which tends to have more veggies and grain then the higher quality stuff.
Good breeding temps are 65-75 and as said before they will breed all year long

[BoAddict]

i keep mine in a room with 2 windows 1 window wide open all year rd.
i have also bred rats on my balcony all year rd in the past with no ill effects they may slow a bit but not enough to make me go and buy more

if you keep them in a room that is the same temp as the rest of the house you will have no problems.

and if you want them to be really good and big feed mazurri rat chow there is a huge difference when you feed them that as compared to dog food.

would you feed fish food to a cat? i only use dog food in emergency situations when i cant get to the store to get mazurri as it is about a 2 hour drive 1 way

good luck

[Wizer69er]

Thanks all i just went out tonight and got 2 more females so i know have 1.4 and i also got some rat food called sunscription rat formula.Well any other info would be great thanks again B.j.

[mykee]

My 12 colonies of 1.2 are kept at 80 daytime and mid-70's nighttime, and they breed like rabbits, uhhhh.....rats....

[Ciddian]

Hehe.....i usually find it hard to meet someone who can't get their rats to breed lol
Some rules of thumb are..... breed younger females to older males and always be ready for a small batch the first time.
If you can condition you females as best as you can a week or two before you breed just to give them a better chance and having a good first litter.
Also keep in mind that after the third or fourth batch of babies your female might start to have smaller batches of babies that is because when your rat gets older her hips will fuse and possibly cause further breeding problems....so if you can and if you have the space retire her.
Try to get a good breeding schedual together so that each female will have a month off between each batch of pups.....that month off should be your conditioning month :)
Always keep an eye on your girls to make sure they are eating and drinking enough. Some girls get way too preoccupied in their babies and forget to do so.... :(
My house is a normal room temp...and in the summer i also let the windows stay open just to keep the smells down and let the rats hear the outside noises. I also keep the lights off at all times when i am not there...just makes them more comfortable. ^_^

As far as food i spoil my rats SO badly! They get a rat mix the big bags that pet stores get.... It's a mix of nutra block and a seed mix. They also get fresh greens and veggies when i have the cash...min once a week.
When ever we make spaggetti they do as well for i have a bad habit of over cooking lol. Rats are pure trash cans.... you can feed them nearly everything.

Dog food is not always a bad thing.... but i would use it in an emergancy. I once caught a huge female in our store who had been eating all the pig ears and dog food in the back... She was almost too big for the large rodent humane trap LOL

If you have anymore questions about rat breeding please feel free to e-mail me :medcomcic

~*Ciddian*~