Hi guys,
Still can't find my good camera to take better pics of the girls (we moved in July) but will hopefully have some for you soon.

I've decided to breed two of my girls that seem to have the best conformation and personalities (buttercup and bubbles). I'd like to do one litter at a time to start with, but I do not care which one is bred first.

From various sources I read, I gathered that just introducing them to the male when they were in heat would be a better option than leaving them with him (apparently females are known to "beat up" males when not in heat?). I've been watching them for signs of heat since last Sunday and have seen nothing so far... No dilated vaginal opening, no excessive affection / grooming, no ear twitching ,etc. At this point, I'm wondering if I am just not looking for the right things, or if my girls show subdued signs, etc. I am checking in the evenings from 7pm - 9pm.

If I continue to not "catch" when they're in heat, which of the following would be the better option and less likely to result in aggression when I put the male / female back with their groups afterwards:
- House a single female with the male separately for 2 weeks 24/7
- Let one female have "play" time outside the cage with the male every night for 1-2 weeks for an hour or so (supervised in a controlled area).

I would just house the male with all three girls, but I don't really want to breed one of them (blossom) due to her small eyes and very long nose (nor am I capable of housing three litters of rats at the same time right now) and I am afraid of aggression towards Howard when he is returned to the other two males... He is not the alpha in the group and I'm not sure how well the alpha will react when he returns.

If you guys have any other input, that would be great... I didn't think breeding rats would be this hard (at least this part of it, lol).