question about rat breeding - Page 2

NennaMeerkat · 02-26-11, 02:34 AM

Awww they look so cute! Though having 2 rats myself (two females) you are gonna want to get a MUCH bigger cage for them. Rats love multi platformed homes and you can buy some small ferret cages that have that. Also you need 2 water sources since you have 2 rats. I would also suggest either one large bowl OR two small ones. As for diet you can buy the rat pellets but it is honestly cheaper to feed them a mix of things:

- uncooked pasta
- dog food
- plain cereals like cheerios, chex, puffed rice cereal
- plain uncooked oatmeal
- some seed like you would feed wild birds
- uncooked rice
- cat food/kitten food

I feed a mixture of all of the above as a staple and include some type of "treat" like walnuts, tropical trail mix, cooked chicken bones, sweet cereal, romaine hearts...stuff like that.

Also they make GREAT bedding that isn't messy AND holds smell in fairly well, unlike newspaper. I don't really know what it is made of but it is awesome. http://www.petworldshop.com/pictures/kaytee-bedding.jpg

Oh and here are some good examples of a cage that would be large enough for 2 rats
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/bilder/1/9353_1.jpg
http://www.smallerliving.net/vicblog...8/rat-cage.jpg
http://www.petblvd.com/pb/images/lar...MAR36276_l.jpg

If you have any questions let me know. I got TONS of information as I know own 2 rats and have owned several rats in the past (though never bred them)

TeaNinja · 02-26-11, 02:41 AM

thanks, my friend has a big male rat that he had for his snake that died a year or two ago and he ended up keeping it as a pet. he said he would take my male for a house mate for his male. my plan was to leave my male and female together until she can have a litter or two then give the male to my friend. and perhaps bring it back for an "extended sleep over" whenever i would want a new litter of rat pups. so it'd eventually just be the female living in there, but i am going to try and get a bigger cage either way.

but thank you nenna, i may be pming you with random questions here and there.

do your rats ever play fight at all, like chase each other around? i've seen them running around a few times, thinking maybe they were fighting, but there was no squeaking or actual fighting going on i don't think. would be bad if the big male decided to beat up the little girl!

NennaMeerkat · 02-26-11, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeaNinja

do your rats ever play fight at all, like chase each other around? i've seen them running around a few times, thinking maybe they were fighting, but there was no squeaking or actual fighting going on i don't think. would be bad if the big male decided to beat up the little girl!

The rule with rats playing/fighting is generally this: No blood, no foul. Rats, especially younger ones like you have, are rambunctious and LOVE to wrestle. The squeaking you are hearing is probably "squeals of joy" so to speak. They just get so wound up that they can't help but vocalize. My two girls do this constantly. Also as they both get older there will be a lot of mounting from the both of them. The boy mounting to girl and visa versa. It is sort of a dominant thing. Usually the rat that isn't the dominant one will allow the other to mount for a bit and then the other will return the favor.

You also mentioned eventually giving your guy to your friend...keep in mind rats are social animals and love to be in the company of not only you but of course others of their own kind. So be sure to keep another female from a litter of the mom around so your original rat has some company.

And when you do give up your male, or if you do I should say, your friend should buy some chinchilla bathing dust and basically heavily coat both male rats in the stuff. The more the better. It erases scent and allows the rats to get to know one another without really knowing they are from different communities. Do it in a neutral area where neither rat has ever been before (I suggest the bathtub since the dust gets everywhere) thus once again nothing territorial triggers anything. And I am not 100% sure but I think you want to make sure your male is a bit smaller than the older male. It makes it more likely that the older bigger male will automatically take the dominant role and the younger male will accept it much more easily.

TeaNinja · 02-26-11, 03:14 AM

my male is smaller then my friends fatty rat. i think my male is being territorial about his cardboard box hide. sometimes when the little rat goes in, he CHASES her super fast and i hear squeaking so i assume he's trying to attack her. i snatched the hide out and now they are rolling around and playing lol. do they need a box or something to hide in or can they just sleep out in the open until i get a good cage situated?

the male is probably a month or two older then the female also, she's Noticably smaller. she technically shouldn't even breed for another month.

NennaMeerkat · 02-26-11, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeaNinja

my male is smaller then my friends fatty rat. i think my male is being territorial about his cardboard box hide. sometimes when the little rat goes in, he CHASES her super fast and i hear squeaking so i assume he's trying to attack her. i snatched the hide out and now they are rolling around and playing lol. do they need a box or something to hide in or can they just sleep out in the open until i get a good cage situated?

the male is probably a month or two older then the female also, she's Noticably smaller. she technically shouldn't even breed for another month.

It is good you got 2 different sized rats and that your male is bigger. It just helps out things overall.

A hide is a good thing to have and if your male is being territorial over one then I would suggest getting 2 smaller ones. However, it is likely that they are just playing more than anything. Especially if it is dusk or dawn. Two most times that they are active. They are going to naturally feel more secure with a place to hide, but you could cover up the cage with a old towel or blanket that you don't mind the possibility of being chewed on. Another way to tell if they are fighting over the hide or just playing is to wait and see if the male makes the female sleep in the open. Rats normally will not sleep in the open if they can help it (unless it gets to hot).

Since my rats live in a large aquarium I actually built them a hide box that doubles as a platform using some wood scraps. My gals enjoy tackling one another off of it to initiate play. Though it wakes me out of a dead sleep every time LOL. I have always kept my rats in large aquariums, though they do require more cleaning out than a wire cage. The one rat I did have in a cage turned out to be REALLY territorial of the cage until you took her out. Once she was out she was fine, but you risked getting bitten if you tried to do anything while she was in it. So it is something to be aware of.

TeaNinja · 02-26-11, 03:42 AM

mk, ty. i put the hide back in, they probably were just battling out of fun and i added a little bowl of water next to the food so theres 2 sources.

NennaMeerkat · 02-26-11, 03:50 AM

Don't be surprised if that bowl of water is destroyed LOL My rats never miss a chance to make a mess of something new in their home and I can imagine them both wrestling in such a thing. Once you get a setup that works you won't have to do anything else with it, basic maintenance. As my husband has said...most expensive part of owning a rat is the initial setup. And I have to agree. The rat might cost 5 bucks but add up everything else you initially get and it would make some people think twice. Though I will say to have your own food supply is highly worth it!

Like I said before ANY questions, no matter how silly you might think they are feel free to ask. Though I have never bred rats I can give you plenty of fun general tips about keeping them nice and healthy. And since they are destined to eventually become food for your snake I know you want them as happy and stress free as you can

Not to mention it is fun for me to share my knowledge and personal experiences for others to learn.

TeaNinja · 02-26-11, 03:59 AM

i think mom and pop will both live on

and i already saw the big rat drink some water from the bowl then tip it half over just for fun lol.

my plan for this moment is just to have a litter or two then give the mom a female to hang out with and give the male to my friend, then either use a male that grows up from her litter or bring back the same male to do it again. i would probably let a few grow big and keep a few the right size for my bp and freeze them. he eats like a champ so i bet he'll eat f/t. (and a rat instead of a mouse for that matter)

maybe even rehome a few

kinggill · 02-26-11, 01:38 PM

you need a LARGE water bottle,and do your self a favor and buy a bag of lab chow...25# bag is 19$ at my coop ...hang the food in wire cage...if you feed them normal foods they will start hoarding it ,urinating on it and wasting it

TeaNinja · 02-26-11, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinggill

you need a LARGE water bottle,and do your self a favor and buy a bag of lab chow...25# bag is 19$ at my coop ...hang the food in wire cage...if you feed them normal foods they will start hoarding it ,urinating on it and wasting it

that's a good idea, how would i hang the food?
and i own a yellow lab

so i always have dog food.

TeaNinja · 02-26-11, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeaNinja

that's a good idea, how would i hang the food?
and i own a yellow lab

so i always have dog food.

bump for this question.

and here's some pics, i assume it'll probably be a bit before momma can breed, she's still pretty small. (and the male's getting fatter lol)
it's pretty funny to watch them playing with each other.

presspirate · 02-26-11, 04:50 PM

man, I miss having rats. Except for cage cleaning. They have some sticky pee.

NennaMeerkat · 02-27-11, 12:26 AM

It is easy to check their favorite places to see what they have stored away. My 2 girls do hoard things, but Faye (the one that is a bit older) will often times just try to put toys on top of the large bowl that I feed them out of. I have even seen her take food her partner has hidden and actually put it back in the bowl. Often times I feed them once a week watching their stashes and such. Rats have stable habits and it is easy to figure them out and learn them. Even if you found out a way to "hang" food they could be likely to just tear it up to get it down, hide it, and then pee on it.

Also rats love variety in their food and though I do give them either dog or cat kibble I also make sure to provide them with other staples. We can easily live on cereal or oatmeal all the time...but why can't we have variety when it doesn't take much? Same goes for rats.

kinggill · 02-27-11, 12:32 AM

just get some wire mesh with no more than 1/2 inch openings and build a cage...mine were 6x6 x12 inches tall,but i housed more than 2 rats in each cage,yours dont need to be that big for only 2 rats.Hang a wire from it ,hang it from the top of the cage so they can reach it.Make sure the top of the feeder is secure cause they will crawl up and hang out inside the food container.Feed them what you want and how you want,I just went with lab rat chow cause i had over 600 rodents all together with the Rats and mice.I tried to set mine up so i could save the most time..it was a 1-2 hr job every other night picking babies,cleaning,feeding etc....if i did it again,which i was thinkin of doing on a smaller scale,I would use rubbermaids and custom build wire lids.Slide the container out of the shelf,throw food on top of the lid in the recessed area,slide it back in the shelf....done...that would save a few more minutes.

p.s.Putting your rats on your bed are not going to make them breed

TeaNinja · 02-27-11, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kinggill

just get some wire mesh with no more than 1/2 inch openings and build a cage...mine were 6x6 x12 inches tall,but i housed more than 2 rats in each cage,yours dont need to be that big for only 2 rats.Hang a wire from it ,hang it from the top of the cage so they can reach it.Make sure the top of the feeder is secure cause they will crawl up and hang out inside the food container.Feed them what you want and how you want,I just went with lab rat chow cause i had over 600 rodents all together with the Rats and mice.I tried to set mine up so i could save the most time..it was a 1-2 hr job every other night picking babies,cleaning,feeding etc....if i did it again,which i was thinkin of doing on a smaller scale,I would use rubbermaids and custom build wire lids.Slide the container out of the shelf,throw food on top of the lid in the recessed area,slide it back in the shelf....done...that would save a few more minutes.

p.s.Putting your rats on your bed are not going to make them breed

LOL that gave me a chuckle. i don't even think they WILL breed for almost a month.

yea, i was planning on making something easy that's better then this birdcage when i get some resources.