okay, so when i introduce my females (one at a time) to their new boyfriend (yes they are going to share one man!) is it best that i do it in a neutral rubbermaid? should the female be in there first or the male?

any suggestions as i have never bred ratties before and i want to do this right.

right now my girls have the sniffles, so i'm waiting for them to get over them before breeding so it'll probably be a month before i breed... but i want to be informed when i do! rosie will be approx 4 months old by then... becky is younger though so i'll wait a bit longer to breed her.

they are currently on newspaper with yesterday's news as substrate... we normally use aspen but i want to make sure their sniffles are cleared up and i don't know if the aspen is causing it or simply the stress of moving here. i'm also putting electrolytes and vitamins in their water.

i really want to get this right... dexter is depending on me!

also, how long is gestation for rats?

thanks!
aleesha