Okay...I'm new to this breeding rats thing. I mean, we've bred pet rats, and in small numbers...but I set up 14 tubs in racks intending to do communal breeding (I had read decent things about it...). I've got .4 females in all of the breeding tubs, and introduced males for the first time on 7/30. Had a litter 2 days ago that was completely killed off by either the boy in the tub or the mom...not really sure, but they were gone 2 hours after being born. The mom got hurt pretty badly in the whole thing as well and I had to put her down as well.

I took the males out of the tubs I was expecting in after that event, hoping to reduce risk a bit. Today, babies in 3 different tubs, somewhere around 40 in all. 2 moms in one tub, 1 in another, and 1 in the last all dropped today. Moms were fighting over babies in the last tub, dragging them all over, one of them hadn't dropped yet. I moved her into another tub so they'd quit fighting. Babies are good, the other 3 are working together. 2nd tub is working great, they are all helping. 1st tub, one mom hogged all the babies and has 23 of them to herself at the moment, not sure she can care for that many but she seemingly won't let the other females help.

So is this communal breeding just for the birds? The female that was stealing babies in the last tub dropped her pinks earlier and they were all killed. I've lost 2 full litters, got 4 seemingly good ones, but two of those one mom is trying to do all alone. Thats a higher mortality rate than I'm expecting. Is it just a process of weeding out the moms who dont' cooperate? I had intended on leaving dads in there all the time, but I'm not sure about that anymore either.

I'm frustrated, worried, and saddened by all the babies that have died the last few days, and want to do what I can for the ones the one mom is hogging, I don't think she can nurse them all.

Any advice? Do I just ditch this whole communal thing and set up a birthing rack or can it work?

Thanks.