Setup ?'s

[Dcommander]

I have 1.4 breeder REWs, buit their actual setup is a wooden box. It will takle them over a year to chew it, but anyway, that's not the point, im thinking about amkeing a new place for the rats, and wanted to hear opinions.
Things would go like a tank for .1 breeders and a tank for the stud, the breeders will be rotating rotating into the male's tank. They will have no maternity tanks, just put back to their common tank when preggy, and lleaft alone till they're ready to be pregged again.
and 2 more tanks, one for 1.0 feeders and growups and one to 0.1 feeders and growups.

comments, sugestions?

[stangs13]

What you could do it keep a perment house for the females, and rotate the male in to there enclosure. Less stress on the females. Good luck!

[Dcommander]

do you mean a permanent house for each female, or all of them together and just get the male in there when needed?

[TheMissingLink]

I use a rat rack with five tubs four females per tub and i use two males to rotate around the tubs. I keep the males in with the girls for two weeks. When i see a female prego i move her to a 116qt sterilite tub.

After she gives birth and all are weaned she goes to the bottom of the rack for a two week break. I keep the weaned ones in the 116qt and use a new 116qt tub for the next prego.

I hold back two or three of the weaned females and feed the rest off. I give my retired breeders to my brother who feeds them to his boas. I try and bring in new male boold after about nine months. Thats what works for me.

[littleindiangirl]

So basically you want 3 tubs, one for a breeding male and female, a common tub where they also nurse, and a grow up tub for weaners??

That will work, just keep in mind that keeping the pregnant females in the 'common' tub may not always work, and be prepared to seperate them if any infantcide or struggle over the little rats occurs. You dont want to lose your feed to stress.

[Dcommander]

its 4 tubs, one for the male, a common one for the females, one for male feeders, and one for female feeders, the breeders have been living toghether in the box some time already, 2 of the gals olready had a litter (one is a week from becoming weans, the other one is 2 weeks far), so I guess common living won't affect them much