A few questions about rat breeding

At what age can I differentiate the gender? Can I touch the babies on the first day without mom killing them? I want the babies to get used to human contact so they will be tamed in the future. I'm planning to keep a few females as breeders.

you can tell from birth from the distance between the 2 holes. look it up for good pictures that show the differance. you can touch them from birth with n issues. get parents that are tame so they dont freak when touching the babies. you will see they have such great personalities once you own them for a while. i would own pet rats before ever getting a cat that is for sure.
adam jeffery

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=sexin...1t:429,r:5,s:0

here is a link that shows the differance

handling them depends on the rats... If they are used to being handled, then usually they don't mind. Just be careful, momma rats can be protective, you may get a nip if you don't know the rat, and she don't know you...

do you tell the difference between male and female the same way for mice??

That visual was very helpful to me - thanks

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Originally Posted by Orijin0XazN

At what age can I differentiate the gender

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You can tell right from birth. Here is a good guide for determining the gender:http://sunshinerats.com/determining-rat-gender.php

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Originally Posted by Orijin0XazN

Can I touch the babies on the first day without mom killing them?

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You can, mom's don't really care about the smell of them, which is why rats are great foster moms for kits roughly the same age.

Just remember, if the mom tries to bite you when you pick up the babies odds are it's a maternal instinct some rats have, and that same instinct will be passed to the females in the litter. If mom is a biter most people feed off all the babies and take the mom out of future breeding projects.

Thanks guys! I just touched the babies and the mom just stop and stared. LOL I think she'll be just fine. Love her. Here's a picture! https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...82349086_n.jpg

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Originally Posted by Orijin0XazN

Thanks guys! I just touched the babies and the mom just stop and stared. LOL I think she'll be just fine. Love her. Here's a picture! https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...82349086_n.jpg

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That's great news. She's a good looking beige capped. Good luck with the babies:sweeet:

There's really no reason to be touching pinks. I only handle pups and up and I have super tame pet friendly rats. As long as you handle from pups->weaning you will have friendly rats.

Regards,

B

Oh I had to move the babies so I can change the bedding since it's smelly. I didn't know she was pregnant since it took her over 2 months. LOL. Surprise surprise!