5 females in one tub might be a little crowded? I have 4 per tub but I also leave them together all of the time. I tend to thin out littes as they grow by either feeding off to my collection or freezing off for others.
I was assuming 5 by eyeballing the tubs. 4 may be a better number. I will check when I start adding them to their tubs...
I personally only keep 3-4 rats per mortar tub. It gets way too dirty and smelly fast with more. And if you're not on top of cleaning, the rats are more prone to RI in over crowded dirty cages.
I personally only keep 3-4 rats per mortar tub. It gets way too dirty and smelly fast with more. And if you're not on top of cleaning, the rats are more prone to RI in over crowded dirty cages.
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I hear ya. I will be cleaning 2-3 times a week. I am thinking of either a Sunday/Wednesday schedule or a basic every 2 day schedule.
I guess a lot of my questions will be answered when I just get rats in their tubs and adjust accordingly...
I hear ya. I will be cleaning 2-3 times a week. I am thinking of either a Sunday/Wednesday schedule or a basic every 2 day schedule.
I guess a lot of my questions will be answered when I just get rats in their tubs and adjust accordingly...
Whatever method you choose, cleaning 2-3 times a week gets old fast.
I use Deb Stewart's combination method. I keep 3-4 females in with a male until they are big pregnant. Then I move them to individual tubs in a maternity rack. They stay in those tubs until the babies are around 10 days old. Then I group three females and their pups (same age) in a big tub. Since the babies are older they all survive and the moms share the feeding work. Once they're old enough they get moved in to a grow out rack and the moms go back into the rotation.
BTW, any method will work. The KEY is using females that produce large numbers and bringing in new females before the old ones start producing less. I learned this the hard way.