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  1. #1
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    Need advise on rat rotation

    I have decided to start Rat breeding again but hopefully manage it better this time. Last time I had 10 concrete mixing tub with 6 breeding colonies and 4 grow out tubs, 4 to 5 females per tub and 1 male. I ended overwhelmed with rats once my female BPs went off feed. I gassed everything, fed off the bigger rats to my blood and boa overtime and sold the rest. I have decided to try again to reduce my rat bill but hopefully have better control of it this time. I have a chest freezer now, tools to humanely euthanize and I will rotate a male now instead of having a male per tub to control the numbers. I plan to euthanize and freeze at small to med size, my question is, if I go with a 10 tub set up again would you recommend a 6 tub breeding tub of 2 to 3 females and 4 grow up tubs and rotate 1 male every week or 8 tub breeding tub of 2 to 3 female, 2 grow out tubs and rotate the male every two weeks.

  2. #2
    Telling it like it is! Stewart_Reptiles's Avatar
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    I can tell you what I do not saying this is the way you should do it but it will give you an idea on how I do things

    First I rotate females not males I have 18 tubs with 18 males (I use the concrete mixing tubs) each week I add one female to each tub and each week I remove obviously pregnant females so they can go in individual birthing tubs (that allows to keep track of each female's production and avoid fights over babies which leads to loss), once the babies are 5 to 7 days the females are move to communal nursing until the babies a 3 weeks of age at which time they go back in rotation.

    I do over produce at times (breeding season) but I have always made sure to keep some animals on F/T for that purpose, this way when rats are 6/7 weeks they are euthanized unless they are held back as breeders.

    I hold back 3 new males each months (I replace males by group of 3) so males breed for a period of 6 months, I also hold back 8 females a months (females retire when the production falls below 10)

    Breeding tubs I keep anywhere between 1.2 to 1.3

    Communal nursing I keep 2 to 3 females depending on the size of the babies.
    Deborah Stewart


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    melaniemast (07-15-2019)

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