Breeding Rats - small scale help

Hi,

I’m going to start breeding ball pythons this winter, and I’m thinking about starting to breed rats as well to save a few bucks and maybe sell the rats that end up being produced in excess.

I’ve been reading a lot, in rat breeding website and in this forum but I have still some doubts.

I’m thinking about starting with a 1.3 setup.

In plastic storage bins, what would be the minimum dimensions you guys suggest for them?

About the breeding, I read that to put more than one female they should be sisters in order to avoid problems, is that true?

And other thing, when I setup one male and three females how will the breeding work? Will the 3 females all be pregnant at the same time and have litters together?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hugo


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

Other question I forgot is, if the rats were to chew on the cage, how fast can they do it? Can a cage be as new today and, when I get there 24h later, can they be all gone? [emoji23] I’m asking because they will be in a storage space I use and if they were to get out I probably would never find them again [emoji23]


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

The 10 gallon cement/mud mixing tubs from Lowe's or Home Depot work well. You can easily build a small 2 tub rack for breeders and growing out offspring.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...00-64_1000.jpg

Hi, I’m from Portugal and we can’t buy trays similar to those in here, they are very small. Do you have any idea what are the measurements of those? In those I could put all my 4 rats?


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

Those tubs are roughly 30" by 20", if I remember right from building my rack. Around 6" tall.

You can fit 1.3 rats, though for my purposes I don't leave the male in all the time so it may need slightly more frequent cleaning once you have babies growing. I usually have 2-3 females with babies or 2-3 females plus the male while being bred

Aim for tubs with no edges or creases inside. This limits their ability to chew on it since they can only access the flat surfaces. If they are prone to chewing (some lines have had this trait of chewing the tub bred out, some have not), they can easily make a hole big enough to squeeze out of in a few hours if they can get their teeth around a starting point like a lip or edge of the plastic.

The sisters thing is largely myth, in my opinion. Well bred rats should be able to be placed together at any age from any litter and be fine. If they are not, it is a sign of poor temperament and many breeders work to cull that out.

Your females will probably be pregnant all at once within a few days depending on their cycles. Female rats are "ready" roughly every 5 days after they are old enough to breed. Most of mine are same-day or 5 days later when bred at the same time.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ERA

Other question I forgot is, if the rats were to chew on the cage, how fast can they do it? Can a cage be as new today and, when I get there 24h later, can they be all gone? [emoji23] I’m asking because they will be in a storage space I use and if they were to get out I probably would never find them again [emoji23]


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

---

I wouldn't advise housing rats in the typical plastic storage containers that many use for snakes. As already noted above, rats can & will chew thru plastics if they can
get their teeth on it, so whatever you use must be smooth, thick & have nothing they can get a hold of...they can chew thru bricks & many other things too, & in fact,
they NEED to chew hard things to keep their teeth filed & not over-grown. And trust me, you don't want rats getting loose & established as wild...they're intelligent &
very hard to catch. I highly recommend using professionally-made lab cages designed for rats...it's not worth the risk of them escaping; such lab cages have the hard
plastic bottom with nothing they can get their teeth on, & they have metal bars overhead they cannot chew through to hold their food (so it stays clean & not wasted).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SouthWestIron

The 10 gallon cement/mud mixing tubs from Lowe's or Home Depot work well. You can easily build a small 2 tub rack for breeders and growing out offspring.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...00-64_1000.jpg

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

Those tubs are roughly 30" by 20", if I remember right from building my rack. Around 6" tall.

You can fit 1.3 rats, though for my purposes I don't leave the male in all the time so it may need slightly more frequent cleaning once you have babies growing. I usually have 2-3 females with babies or 2-3 females plus the male while being bred

Aim for tubs with no edges or creases inside. This limits their ability to chew on it since they can only access the flat surfaces. If they are prone to chewing (some lines have had this trait of chewing the tub bred out, some have not), they can easily make a hole big enough to squeeze out of in a few hours if they can get their teeth around a starting point like a lip or edge of the plastic.

The sisters thing is largely myth, in my opinion. Well bred rats should be able to be placed together at any age from any litter and be fine. If they are not, it is a sign of poor temperament and many breeders work to cull that out.

Your females will probably be pregnant all at once within a few days depending on their cycles. Female rats are "ready" roughly every 5 days after they are old enough to breed. Most of mine are same-day or 5 days later when bred at the same time.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

---

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...95a4e4d08f.jpg

Would you guys consider this as a good alternative? The purpose of it is the same as the one you were talking about, but in here ours are not as curved on the bottom, having more edges.

Thanks for all the answers to my other questions pretends2bnormal


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

I think that would work fine.

But what are you making the top out of? Keep in mind that they can get their teeth on "welded wire" & chew it apart easily.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I wouldn't advise housing rats in the typical plastic storage containers that many use for snakes. As already noted above, rats can & will chew thru plastics if they can
get their teeth on it, so whatever you use must be smooth, thick & have nothing they can get a hold of...they can chew thru bricks & many other things too, & in fact,
they NEED to chew hard things to keep their teeth filed & not over-grown. And trust me, you don't want rats getting loose & established as wild...they're intelligent &
very hard to catch. I highly recommend using professionally-made lab cages designed for rats...it's not worth the risk of them escaping; such lab cages have the hard
plastic bottom with nothing they can get their teeth on, & they have metal bars overhead they cannot chew through to hold their food (so it stays clean & not wasted).

---

Do you believe theses concrete mixing bowls are a good option as well? Unfortunately in my country those lab cages are hard to find new or in good condition as well, those are actually the ones I would prefer to use.


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ERA

Do you believe theses concrete mixing bowls are a good option as well? Unfortunately in my country those lab cages are hard to find new or in good condition as well, those are actually the ones I would prefer to use.


Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk

---

For the bottoms, yes...but again, a cage is only as escape-proof as the entire thing is, bottom AND top.

I don't suppose Reptile Basics will ship to where you are (or at an economically-decent price)?
https://www.reptilebasics.com/rodent-caging/