Re: Small scale rat breeding
Think I saw this comment but what I did was have 2 females per tub and kept only 1 male at a time. The male got rotated to a new tub every 2 weeks or so. By the time he got back to the first tub I had pulled and culled the babies. Or if I wanted larger rats I would have a grow out tub or let the male stay in 3 weeks per tub. Whenever the baby boys start to try to mate or rough each other up, they got culled first. The females can grow out with the mom just fine.
Now if you have a mother eating her own babies, you are breeding her too frequently or you are not feeding a high protein diet. I really think breeding colonies thrive on an 18-21% protein feed. If you have a female eating another female's babies, just cull her. After a few generations of selecting chubby friendly outgoing females and males you will not have any kind of cannibalization if you even have any to begin with.
You will also get 'greedy' females that pull the other females babies into her pile and try to feed too many. As long as she gives the other female a turn and they both sit on the pile, no problem. If one female is defensive about the pile of both litters and doesn't let the other mom feed them, cull her.
Again, just shape your colony for the right behaviors over the 2 generations and they will be great. Rats are very friendly communal animals and great pets. You will really enjoy the norways.