Breeding Rats.

[Grimleo]

I'm thinking about breeding my own rats and producing a few litters of ratlings but I wanted to make this thread and make sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

I know there has to be a lot more to it than "put a female and male together and you will have babies." I'd like to keep my babies healthy. I have two female pet rats that I care for so I am only going to have to have them produce a few litters if I can.

Could anyone give me the "basics" of rat breeding? If not, maybe I can have a few questions answered. For instance should I keep males and females separate until I want a pregnant female, and then separate them after I know the females pregnant? Or can they all be housed together all the time? Is there a certain amount of time I should wait after each litter to give the females time to rest?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.