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  1. #1
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    New to Rat Breeding

    Hey guys, I just recently picked up a 1.3 norway set of rats to start my colony. They are small size atm so they are not up to breeding just yet but hopefully soon. I was glancing through the stickies trying to get information on once they start producing and become prego and such what my process is. I feel very irresponsible not getting all my information straight before purchasing but I got a fairly good deal on them. I also picked up a Dumbo otw home from a local store so my colony is now 1.4 in a 66 quart hefty tub. I was hoping you guys would be able to help a starter out. I am just breeding for my 2 snakes and saving extras for me and my local breeder to use in the future. Any advice or link to other stickies or information is MUCHLY appreciated.

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran carlson's Avatar
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    Build a rack or two they are nice for rat colonies and I gotta build two soon here ha. You can separate the moms once they start showing into their own tubs to birth and wein for the first month. You can leave the moms in the tub and just remove the male letting the girls all just share the duties or you can leave the male and girls in and just take the babies out at around a month old. If you leave the male in with the girls your gonna have the moms giving babies once a month about so soon as she has a litter I put her last litter into their own tubs. Don't put two males in with females cause problems, don't give males oranges theres other foods too that are bad but no oranges or iceberg lettice I know. An build a co2 chamber for gassing them (look in DIY for planes for co2 and rat rack) buy a scale too ha read around lots of good info and people lot smarter then me will hopfully stop by and add some of their wisdom. Have fun I like my rats they grew on me cute little guys haha was gonna use a swear word
    Normals 1.3
    Spider .1
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  3. #3
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    Well I know I will probably have excess, so any assistance and advice is appreciated! Any great guides for making a small maybe just 4-5 tub rack? Concrete tubs probably. Gonna keep 1 breeding rack 1 for males and 1 for females then 1 or 2 to separate two prego moms from the other two. Honestly I was considering just leaving the 1.4 together all the time.

  4. #4
    BPnet Veteran ironpython's Avatar
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    Re: New to Rat Breeding

    I tried harem breeding and had whole litters eaten don't do it it doesn't happen all the time but you look in a tub that had new babies born and find parts of pinkies and you will be freaked out I built two racks its easy if you have any mechanical skills and have a breeding rack and a birthing rack with grow out tubs. Best way I learned the hard way. You will find some mommas get along better than others and you can put them in tubs with other mommas and they share the babies its funny when you see a momma with pinkies nursing with fuzzies.

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    0.3 normal 1.1 pastels 0.1 spider 1.0 fire 1.0 lesser 1.0ringer 0.1RTB 1.0 Savannah monitor.

  5. #5
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    I used this website to build my rack: http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/rat_rack/ratrack.shtml

    I choose to use the support from underneath and it seems to be working very well.
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~ Herm Albright

    The current zoo:
    Pets
    2.1 Felis catus; 1.2 Ringneck Doves; 1.1 Budgies; bunches o' Rats/Mice (pets and feeders);
    2.1 BCI; 1.0 BP; 1.0 Corn; 1.0 Honduran Milksnake; 1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa; 0.1 Dumeril's Boa; 1.0 Texas Ratsnake; 1.0 Calico Black Ratsnake; 1.1 Western Hognose; 0.1 Beardie; 0.1 Tawny Plated Lizard; 1.0 Blue-Tongue Skink; 0.1 Crestie; 0.1 Spiny-tailed Iguana; 0.0.1 Chaco Striped Knee Tarantula
    Fosters/Rescues
    2.0 BCI
    0.2.2 BP
    1.0 Corn
    1.0 Red-Foot Tortoise
    1.0 Greek Tortoise
    0.0.10 Leopard Tortoises
    0.0.1 Asian Vine Snake

  6. #6
    BPnet Lifer wolfy-hound's Avatar
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    I run 1.3 to 1.5 depending on size of the tub, and I harem breed. Rarely do I have any issues with doing it this way, although since I don't control when the moms breed, sometimes I have a glut of babies and a dry spell. If you're freezing most of the produced rats to use later, you won't have that issue.

    Don't put males together, don't handle pinks overly much with new moms. Listen for rats fighting, because occasionally two rats just plain don't like each other. And cull cull cull any biters, any fighters, any chewers... it's way easier to cull out undesirables than it is to deal with them. The only rat I've had to cull in months was a breeding female who decided to start beating up babies for no reason. She would grab one and stomp on it. So out with her. Otherwise, I don't have issues with my rats usually.

    Keep them clean and fed on a good diet and never let them run out of water.
    Theresa Baker
    No Legs and More
    Florida, USA
    "Stop being a wimpy monkey,; bare some teeth, steal some food and fling poo with the alphas. "

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