Baby rat

I completely agree with Becky on this. Get him a buddy his age and he'll end up a happier better adjusted male rat (you do not want to deal with a bad tempered big arse male rat believe me). You'll also have two male rats at your disposal so you can keep your genetics less muddy if you end up expanding your rat colony and keep some to raise up as future breeders. There are lots of time with smaller rat colonies that the males have nothing to do as the females are busy being pregnant, nursing young or resting up for another litter so having the two males will ensure he's got someone to hang out with in the male only cage. I did start out with only the one male but as soon as his first offspring were weaned he was always with one of his own sons for company. I've found it better though to have at least one pair of males that are always together other than for their rotations in for breeding activities.

Alrighty! I'll definately get him a buddy this coming weekend since tomorrow's easter and the shop will be closed. He's in a little critter cage with another rat at the moment (a hopper, so about 4 1/2-5 weeks old) until Monday (feeding day) for my BP.I feel really bad for the guy, because I usually don't do anything on impulse. I've always planned things out for all of the reptiles that I have now, and this is the first time that I really havn't had much prepaired for any of my animals.

You can always feed mice :) They're definitely not very cute when they latch onto your finger!

Kasi!! I don't see any pics yet!! As sweet as that face is, how have you not plastered it all over this page! You are in the dorms...I will come take the pics if I have to.... haha ^_^

So some questions as well, I was looking at getting into the breeding rats as well, so Kasi and I can rest up the breeders, or just to insure that we have the right size for out snakes. I've been reading up on the breeding as well, but do rats eat their young like some rodents? And how long should you quarentine them when you first get them?

My mom is going to freak when she finds out I'm going to breed rats.... haha :D

Quarantine should be for 3 weeks in a different building and not sharing the same air.

It is very rare for rats to eat their young.

If they are extremely stressed, starving, no water supply or eating a very poor diet they may cannibalize their young.

But well cared for rats with a good lab block diet, plenty of water, nest box and sufficient space shouldn't be eating their young.

Give them a big enough cage or tub and they should do ok. For example, 10 gal tank is much too small, though it would work for 1 pregnant female as a delivery/nursery cage while the pups are still young, like under 2 weeks.

Ah, so since I (well both of us) live in the dorms, and we only have the one room we are in to keep the rats in, would it be better to just buy them at the same time? There really isn't any other way to seperate them, since Kasi already has one in her room... =/

:edit: frankie...your avitar is what I look like during all the holidays where candy is common... *not gonna eat it...not gonna....CHOMP!* haha

Yes definitely buy them both at the same time. Obviously no quarantine is needed or possible in that case.

Quarantining like Flagg described just isn't possible for the vast majority of people breeding rats for a few snakes. If you introduce new rats the best way to lessen the chances of illness is to simply buy healthy young rats from a clean supplier that doesn't overcrowd their enclosures and feeds appropriately. Basically the same when you care for them. Rats are naturally very hardy and if well kept tend to do very well.

As far as eating their young, which is seems mice are more wont to do, rats do this very rarely in my experience. Certainly a female might cull some of her young at birth if they are not healthy or the litter is massive but it's not all that common and if done then you aren't even likely to know it happened.