I can't get rats to breed! :(

I've had a boy and girl rat together in the same cage for maybe 5 months now.
And for some odd reason I cannot get them to give me any babies!
I have done this before but I only put the guy in for maybe two weeks and then took him out, but this time I've left the guy in until I see mom starting to get fat, then I will remove him, but the magic just ain't happening??

Any suggestions?? I'd say they are both the same age, 6 months or more.

They are also getting big now and the boy is starting to outgrow the mom, so I'm worried that when they get into fights she is gonna get hurt sometime soon!

Where did you get them from and what color and coat markings do they have. Some colors/coats have higher incidents of infertility. Also, highly imbreed animals can have the same issue.

Also, how much do they weigh? If on the small side that can be an issue as well.

What is their cage setup? Certain beddings, poor food choices, etc. can also lead to poor breeding performance.

These are just some ideas off the top of my head on what could be wrong.

Hope this helps,
Sean

If they are only 6 months of age now and they've been together about 5 months then you put a male and female together when they were only about 4 weeks of age? Be glad they didn't breed back then as that's way too small for a female rat to carry a litter successfully. It's better for your female rats to be raised apart from the male until she's about 4 months of age and around 250 grams of weight.

It's perfectly normal that the male rat will outgrow the female in size. Most every male rat at maturity is bigger than most every adult female rat (not always, but most of the time).

Well, I got them from the Pet store. They came from different pet stores cause I didnt want brothers and sisters breeding.

They must be getting closer to full grown by now, but I dont really know the weight of them. They are getting heavy.
I feed them a mixture of foods. Some hamster food, mixed with small dog food, with some cereral when we have some in the bottom of the box. and maybe a treat now and then. Boiled egg or something special!

They live in a small cage, about the size of a 10g tank I'd say. They use regular wood shavings as bedding.
I've had a rat breed in the exact same conditions last year and she had 12 babies. So I can't see it being the conditons they live in.

The boy is black, and the girl is like a brown, white mix.

Good point Jo, I rerally should not have put them together that early and I am lucky they didnt breed then, but what about now??
and I'm not worried about the size they get in the end, I'm just worried that the boy will be bigger then the girl and I have read that they could inflict some damage during there regular boxing bouts if she can't defend herself?
Should I not worry!?

The male should be bigger and dominate. The only time I would worry is if he was overly aggressive towards her and can hurt her. If they are happy as clams, he can get as big as he wants. I think the ladies like the bigger males anyways.

Also, you should get a scale. Females should not be breed under 250 grams. Males are fertile at 5-6 weeks of age. Get some pictures, and we should be able to tell you whats up. Are you sure you have both a male and female? There are a lot of factors into why they arent breeding. But, I second the pics.

Ok, I will work on the pics!
Its funny you asked about the sex cause last night I had to double check, I was kinda wondering the same thing, but it is a boy and a girl...
Thanks!

One may just be infertile. Does the female even go into heat?

I would really change your food mixture. Hamster food is nowhere near what rats need, and it's definitely not helping. Dog food should be fed in small quantities, and it should be very high quality dog food(not the cheap junk from the grocery store). Grains, cereals, pasta, oatmeal, etc should be their main diet plus lab blocks to make sure they are getting everything they need.

And honestly, I would get them a bigger cage. Air flow can't be that great in a cage the size of a 10-gallon, and I'm sure their lungs are suffering because of it. Male rats produce ALOT of urine, which then produces alot of ammonia. High levels of ammonia cause lung scarring and other internal problems, so a wire mesh cage(made for rats or other small animals) would be best. It needs to have a solid bottom, and either solid or small wire mesh shelves. The suggested space for rats is 1-2sq ft of space.

I dont know what too look for when a female goes into heat???
How can you tell?

It is a cage, it's not a tank, so I can't see how you could manage to get more air flow when it's already a cage?! I think I'm confused! :confused:

And I will work on the food as well.. I know there is a sticky on here somewhere to do with rat food. No prob!

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

One may just be infertile. Does the female even go into heat?

I would really change your food mixture. Hamster food is nowhere near what rats need, and it's definitely not helping. Dog food should be fed in small quantities, and it should be very high quality dog food(not the cheap junk from the grocery store). Grains, cereals, pasta, oatmeal, etc should be their main diet plus lab blocks to make sure they are getting everything they need.

And honestly, I would get them a bigger cage. Air flow can't be that great in a cage the size of a 10-gallon, and I'm sure their lungs are suffering because of it. Male rats produce ALOT of urine, which then produces alot of ammonia. High levels of ammonia cause lung scarring and other internal problems, so a wire mesh cage(made for rats or other small animals) would be best. It needs to have a solid bottom, and either solid or small wire mesh shelves. The suggested space for rats is 1-2sq ft of space.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jonny2184

They live in a small cage, about the size of a 10g tank I'd say. They use regular wood shavings as bedding.

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Thats what I saw when i read it, I thought they were in a tank as well. It still wont hurt to get something a wee bigger. BUT I have never had a ten gallon tank. I've always used the sterilite tubs and now a rack. I also have a super pets cage, and its awesome. (Petco store closed, and everything was 50-75% off ^_^)

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you can tell when a female is in heat. Touch her back and see if she arches for you like a cat. They go into heat about every 5 days. Also, its funny to watch them when the male is interested in her during this time. Females are goofy. :)

They should not be bred until the female is already fully-grown anyways. Be happy that they have not bred so far.. smaller males can breed and I have had success with using a younger male and an adult female.