rats not mating...

I picked up 1.2 rats about a week ago and put them in a 20g tank with some aspen and cardboard hide. The females seem to not be going into heat and the male does not act interested in them anyway :confused: ...how can I get them to breed? Could the females already be pregnant?

First off, where did you get them? If you got them from a pet store, they'll take a lot longer than a week to start breeding. I bred my own feeders for 2.5 years, and it took me personally around 2-3 months to get my first litter.

Pick some up from a CL breeder, they tend to feel safer around you and should breed better. Rats won't breed until they feel safe and secure.

Trey
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Are they sexually mature?
A female will go into heat every 4 days unless they're already pregnant.

Yeah, I did get them from a pet store. They said they were about 4-5 months old.

They probably just need some time to settle down.
Stress will inhibit breeding.

Are you sure they haven't bred, but you just missed it?
They tend to mate around twilight/during the night.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

They probably just need some time to settle down.
Stress will inhibit breeding.

Are you sure they haven't bred, but you just missed it?
They tend to mate around twilight/during the night.

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+1
I picked up a breeding group from a rodent breeder and I didn't get a litter for over 2 months. They need time to settle in.

And like satomi said even if they are actively breeding it's unlikely you'll witness it. lol even it you do happen to witness it you may not even realize it. The whole thing only last a few seconds.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakelite

I picked up 1.2 rats about a week ago and put them in a 20g tank with some aspen and cardboard hide. The females seem to not be going into heat and the male does not act interested in them anyway :confused: ...how can I get them to breed? Could the females already be pregnant?

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Yo are not going to see any changes in a week. In three or four weeks let us know what those females look like ;)
I only have one male that will breed without a care in the world. Then again he is big enough that he breeds all the males when he goes on break:O

Ditto. Rats have to settle in before they'll breed usually. But don't worry, it won't take long. The breeding actually takes like... 2 seconds. So you can easily miss it.

Thanks for the replies. I'll just be more patient with em.