super newb....

lol. alright, so i am really new to rats. I was considering breeding them, but i am not sure yet. If i Xed a black hooded with a grey hooded they would just be a mixture of both, correct? And when they are babies, how do you sex them? I've heard it is hard when they are young to see what sex they are.

Thanks guys!

1. yes

2. look for the balls

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Originally Posted by Shaffer

1. yes

2. look for the balls

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i think she means when their babies, and they're unmentionables aren't developed yet

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Originally Posted by Amy05

lol. alright, so i am really new to rats. I was considering breeding them, but i am not sure yet. If i Xed a black hooded with a grey hooded they would just be a mixture of both, correct? And when they are babies, how do you sex them? I've heard it is hard when they are young to see what sex they are.

Thanks guys!

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I'm glad you asked this question. I was wondering the same thing. Is there a way to tell when they are little little?

Yep, it's actually really easy...

Sorry for the graphic details children, but that's how it is. :)

You can tell their sex 1-2 days after they're born. Males have 2 exits, one for peen(SORRY, LoL) and one for anus. Their "urethral opening" (there.. better? hehe) is bigger than in females and more pronounced from the belly wall. Females have 3 exits, urethral opening, vagina and anus. Their urethra is tiny and close to the body wall, and the space from the urethra to the anus is a much shorter distance. Females also have fairly visible nipples when they reach around 4 days old.

Visual:
http://www.ratz.co.uk/sexingrats.html

I still wouldn't worry about breeding rats for 4 snakes. Amy, are they still being housed in a 20long tank? If so, it really needs upgraded or you need to get a good wire cage(Super Pet makes nice ones...). It's just not very healthy for them to live in that kind of stuffy environment 24/7, especially with a new addition.

i forgot to mention the nipple part. that was the only way i could figure out the difference.

I've been able to tell mine pretty easily at about 2 or 3 days - boys are "outies" and girls are "innies". Basically their wee wee is either sticking out a bit, or flat on their belly. And Becky's right about the nipples, you can see them pretty early too on the girls.

Thanks everybody! Yes, they are still in the 20L, for now. I spot clean it every day and redo bedding atleast once a week. I'm going to go ahead and get them another cage, probably a nice wire one. I know they need a bigger place especially because they will get bigger. I'll take care of it, not to worry :).

Eh, I don't think I would bother breeding for just 4 snakes. I myself thought "ooh, rat breeding! An easy, cheap way to get snake food!" Oh, how naive little Jenny was.. granted, it is awesome to have just the right size of rat for my smaller BPs.. but it gets to be crazy when you have 8 cages taking up half of your laundry room and you spend more time cleaning them than it takes you to clean two 12x12 horse stalls of 12-hour-stalled horses..!
Don;t get me wrong, it is not that much of a burden to have the rats, or I would not have them.. I am just warning that it can get crazy when you only have a few snakes and you have either a ton of excess rats, or none when you neeed them.. I would personally say you should wait until you really need to.. I am just wishing for the day that my BCI can take a full-grown rat, because you end up with a lot of "retiree" breeders who outgrow breeding usage, and like anyone who breeds livestock, you have to either provide for them until they die, or risk losing them to a bad keeper; I would rather just feed them off.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

I am just wishing for the day that my BCI can take a full-grown rat, because you end up with a lot of "retiree" breeders who outgrow breeding usage, and like anyone who breeds livestock, you have to either provide for them until they die, or risk losing them to a bad keeper; I would rather just feed them off.

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I am going to provide for mine until they die, I feel like they've earned a nice retirement after providing meals for my snakes. Maybe because my breeders are also loved as pets as well. :)