Started rat colony

[jjnnbns]

Well, we started our own breeding project for feeder rats today... seems to be alright so far.

We have 1.2 in a 20gal and I had a couple of quick questions.

1.) The only females they had were large rats and the only males were medium. Will this be a problem as far as them letting him breed them?

2.) We are keeping them in a garage, but there are no windows. Do they need any light or can they be in darkness for 23+ hours a day?

Thanks for any help or info,

Brent

[sapphire_moon]

Not sure on the darkness part, but the larger females may be to old to breed and get good litters out of, The male should be fine though.

Just make sure it isn't to cold out there, or to hot, keep it around 70-74 in there, if it gets to hot they won't breed.

[mykee]

I breed my males at 200g, and my females at 250g. Males will typically be ready to go (surprise surprise) at 6 weeks or about 150g. Assuming your females are not big AND old, they should be fine. With regards to the light issue, I would recommend a light cycle, as I've heard of rats who've had nothing but darkness 'go crazy' (not a substantiated story though).

[annieb_mice]

<< 1.) The only females they had were large rats and the only males were medium. Will this be a problem as far as them letting him breed them? >>


*** Males can breed as young as 5 weeks old. The females might be too old to breed. It's best to start breeding females when they are around 3 - 4 months old and anything older than 9 months to start breeding with might not be worth your effort. If you don't get a litter from them in two months, then kill the females and get younger ones. Males can be bred for well over a year.


2.) We are keeping them in a garage, but there are no windows. Do they need any light or can they be in darkness for 23+ hours a day?

*** You should get some sort of "light" into there for at least 8 hours a day as nothing but straight darkness isn't good for their "emotional" health. I know these are breeders, but if they aren't happy, they aren't going to be good breeders.
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Lisa]

rats are crepuscular and have no problem with little or no light. infact bright light is particularly stressful for them as they have poor eyesight, particularly in the day and rely alot on scent.

[annieb_mice]

I wouldn't recommend bright light... I don't know of any rodents that really like bright light... :) But my rats have a window in their room and they have no problems with daylight and I have seen several of the "barn rats" on the farm running around during the day.
I certainly wouldn't recommend keeping any animal in complete darkness for the duration of its life. Whether they are "night" animals or not... there is some "daylight" in their lives at some point. At the very least there is some "twilight."
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[latazyo]

the rats get plenty of light where they are, there is plenty of ambient light