Breeding Rats

[chris124578]

I thought I would try out breeding rats..
So i bought 2 small rats, which I was told r old enough to breed. And i put them in a hamster cage with a water tube, food dish, 2 hide spot...
Will my rats breed at this size?
Or should i get rid of them and buy med or large rats?
thanks for the help

[Syst3m]

LOL... No they will probably not breed at that size.
The best bet is to buy adult rats, and buy 1.2 to be safe 1.1 isn't the best option. rats CAN breed at 6 weeks. Its been my experience that 4 months is a much safer bet on breeding.
It took my rats at least 3 months to get the hang of it.

[mykee]

Personally, I never use age when defining whether or not my rats will breed. If my males are over 200g, and my females are over 250g, I put them in a program. If you breed them too soon, you may get litters of stillborn babies, small litters, deformed litters or a shortened breeding life out of your females. I would keep the ones you've got, because they'll be big enough soon, and get a few others from the pet store, or better yet, from a friend or someone who already breeds rats.

[Jayson]

Its better to grow your smalls up a little then breed them. That way you know your female rats are not to old and will reproduce for a good 8-12 months, (males last much longer)