Question about litter size.

[LNL222]

Started breeding my girl Esmeralda when she was 6 months old. I got 15 babies both times. She is now 11 months old and I bred her a few weeks ago and was expecting her to expand a lot like the last 2 times but she hasn't yet and she is due in the next few days. I'm pretty sure she is pregnant because her belly is slightly round but not nearly as big as before. Would her age cause a smaller litter? Is it common for a female to produce large litters and then suddenly tiny ones? I hope she is actually pregnant and I'm not just seeing things haha.

[I-KandyReptiles]

Generally, the older a rat gets, the less babies they'll produce.


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[LNL222]

That what I thought but she still seems so young! I didn't think this would happen until a little over a year. So strange. I guess I will know in a few days.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Fertility pick in rats is between 3 to 10 months, in labs and for people that breed feeders retirement age is usually around 10-12 months.

They can breed past that age but the size of the litters is usually what determine retirement age for people who breeds feeders as they seek maximum production. (Keeping a rat that produces 5 or 6 babies or less does not make much sense in that case)

[LNL222]

Tomorrow is day 23 and still no babies. She looks very uncomfortable though. I hope she is okay. She has always given birth on the 22nd day and never struggled at all. Does older age also mean longer pregnancy/labor? Even if the litter is small?