Wow. Sounds like your friend needs to maintain his colony more. It's actually pretty easy to breed rats. It's not rocket science. Put male with a few females and let them do their buisness. All you have to do is clean at least once a week and maintain food/water. What I found easier and faster to clean is to have a big trash can nearby.
Clean and good bedding prevents sickness. I personally use Native Earth Aspen shreds and wood stove pellets from Home Depot($5/40lb). They work great. I clean enclosures at least once a week. I haven't has a respiratory infection yet. Types of bedding makes a difference in health along with good food.
Like others have said, get a good stock. I personally got newly weaned babies from a number of sources and raised them up to know me.
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