First time breeding rats

[lilcountrygirl]

Yesterday I bought a large buck, and a doe that had given birth recently. She still had 4 of her pups so I brought them home too (3 of them are still nursing occasionally).
Right now I have them in a converted bird cage, but it's only one level...when the doe stops nursing her pups (or I use them for food), should I create a second level to house just the buck and doe?

Also, I have had pet rats in the past and had them using a litter box...is this possible for breeders and if so I totally forgot how to go about it. Any help appreciated =)

Thanks ya'll!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

A bird cage make a poor choice, depending on the space between the bars don't be surprise if the babies manage to squeeze once their eyes are open and escape.

As for separating yes separating once weaned is a good idea, you also want to separates the offspring in 2 groups (males and females)

[artgecko]

I only have pets now, and am on the fence about breeding, but what I found with litter boxes was the following: different kind of substrate than the rest of the cage, put a smooth rock in the center (which will encourage peeing), move poo, and dirty bedding into the box to mark it, and remove all poo from other areas dilligently.

I had my two males completely litter trained when they were small... When I purchased females and another baby male, they didn't take to it so well.

It may be easier to just provide a deep pan in the bottom of the cage and use very absorbant litter that will help with odor and be easy to change. I use a layer of tractor supply pine pellet horse beeding with shredded aspen over it and it works well.

As to whether to seperate or not... Most people that breed for food use rat racks with bins... I've found with just 6 rats in wire cages that the smell gets bad, fast, due to peeing on the bars of the cages, etc. The racks also provide more space to grow out rats to the right size.

You need to decide how many rats you will need and in what frequency. Most people suggest 1 female per snake. Then you have to decide what you will do with "extras".. Many people CO2 gas them and freeze, while others try to sell extras to other keepers. If you don't want to produce that many feeders, you will need to breed each female and separate out the male, give the females rest periods, then put them back with the male when you want her to breed again. If left with the female, the male will breed with her right after delivery and you will have a constant stream of babies.

Personally, I'd have at least 3 cages: breeder pair, growout males, and growout females. If you want to seperate out the male / female, you could keep the adult male in a separate cage while the female is recovering.

[somnambulant]

You'll probably want to ditch the bird cage as soon as you can. Even an aquarium is a step up. When we first started out, we had babies that would get stuck in the bars or escape. If you plan on breeding more than one doe, I highly recommend moving to a rack system or at least having seperate bins/tanks for your moms & their babies. When too many nursing moms & babies are crowded into one space, they can smother each other to death, or sometimes not all of the babies are able to get access to their moms to nurse so they end up staying very small. Also have seen normally really docile mama rats start fighting each other and hoarding bedding and babies. Also, when you have too many rats in a small space, it gets really stinky really fast.

[lilcountrygirl]

Thanks all...the bird cage actually has smaller bars than most even hamster cages...it was used for finches...it's just really tall. I used metal zip ties on any place that could be a method of escape. I will be moving the female out when she's ready to give birth...the grouping is just for now. I only have one snake (for now), so one female is enough for me. The buck actually seems to be taking better care of the pups than the doe so I'm not worried about all that. My snake is still eating rat pups so those will go quick....I have about 15 unused aquariums so extra caging isn't an issue for separating the male and female pups.
As for any unwanted or unused offspring my neighbor has snakes as well and will be taking them =)

Thanks for the reminder on how to "potty train"...definitely going to go that route. Even though they are food I am still treating them like pets...don't want aggressive or unhealthy rats!

Any other tips or tricks are appreciated! <3

[somnambulant]

Even though they are food I am still treating them like pets...don't want aggressive or unhealthy rats!

I always love that attitude!

Good luck with breeding. Rats are usually very good parents, so that makes it pretty simple. Just one more tip for you -- the moms require more protein when they're carrying and nursing. We give our moms boiled eggs as a treat and they loooove it! In addition to that, make sure you're feeding them a rat block that is providing them with enough protein.

[lilcountrygirl]

I always love that attitude!

Good luck with breeding. Rats are usually very good parents, so that makes it pretty simple. Just one more tip for you -- the moms require more protein when they're carrying and nursing. We give our moms boiled eggs as a treat and they loooove it! In addition to that, make sure you're feeding them a rat block that is providing them with enough protein.

Thanks! Hah, I actually just got done hard boiling a carton of eggs so this is perfect!

[Smarion0006]

This was a really good thread. It answered my questions as well!

[BPSnakeLady]

When I had the rats in hs, we used to give the moms chx bones as extra protein.

[Rhasputin]

Measure the bars. Baby rats can manage to squeeze between bars 1/4 inch apart. So if they're smaller than that, you're probably fine. Anywhere near 1/4 and I'd be careful, maybe put up some kind of guard around the bottom so they can't get to the bars until they're too old to fit.