Finally!!

After a couple months trying to get my rack finished, its finally done. So I picked up a couple breeders today to get things started.

First up a pic of the rack, I plan on building quite a few more.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...es/RatRack.jpg

The breeders I picked up, Im new to the whole rat thing so I dont know anything about the colors and whatnot, so if anyone can tell me something about them it would be great.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...iles/Rats1.jpg

I also got some feeders today and when it came time to feed, my mom and sister said there was no way they would let me feed this little one to any of the snakes. So we now have a pet rat.:rolleyes:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...ptiles/Rat.jpg

I'm not great with the colors, but your new pet definitely looks like a tan hooded. I have two that look very much like her, and LOVE THEM! The brown solid color is an agouti self (meaning all the same color) and the other is some type of blue or grey hooded. Hoodeds are a weakness of mine.

Congrats on the new rat racks. It sounds like you may need to hide the offspring so your family doesn't make you into a rat sanctuary. :giggle:

Agouti Self(or irish if it has markings on its chest), agouti hooded and beige hooded for the baby. :)

I got a beige hooded from the store yesterday and it is adorable. Now it is just time to order the stuff for a gravity watering system

Good luck with the rat breeding its awesome it definitely grows on you. I never thought it would be such an important part of my hobby.

SWEET RACK!!!! good job!!! :sunny:

Nice rack...won't take long to fill it up. :rat:

Thanks for the info, I really hope the female doesnt have a litter with a few beige hoodeds in there, if so im done for:P. I plan on picking up a few more females soon, is there any colors I should try to avoid? Or any colors that produce the best litters?

Try to avoid any rats with a blaze face or husky markings (I know there are others but my mind is stuck). If you need pics for examples just let me know. Husky and blazes can carry the megacolon gene. I have a husky female breeder whose been wonderful and never produced any problem babies but recently a breeder male in our colony who is a blaze faced with dalmationing produced a megacolon offspring and a number of others (all different mothers) who were just not right. He's out of the breeding rotation (will become Mikey's pet) and I won't use a blaze again....megacolon is terrible to see! :(

Personally I love hooded rats of any color and selfs (all one color). I have found albino females to be a bit more aggressive as mothers so I don't use them anymore and for some reason many of my pure black rats have a bit of attitude. That may be genetic though as my pure black stud rat (and their father) is a great breeder and not mean, but not particularily friendly.

Pics would be awsome if you dont mind, the shop seems like they only carry the color rats like I got, I dont think they have any other colors. The female looks like shes swollowed a baseball and has been building a pretty big nest (shes the solid color one).