Selecting for Large Litter Size

[snakesRkewl]

Our rats average 12-15 with 17 to 19 not uncommon.
We selectively hold back females from large litters and cull half of the litter early on so those hold backs get lots of attention and food.

[RobNJ]

Small litters aren't uncommon for first timers. They'll drop more babiein the next couple, then peak for anywhere for 4-6 more months and then production will start to tail off. I've had litters as small as 5, as large as 20, with 14-15 being about the average for those peak months.

[gsarchie]

Thanks yet again. I wasn't inteding to cull until I got another litter or two out of each of them, if for no other reason than the fact that I only have 6 breeding females at the moment and will take whatever babies I can get! Either way, I intend to hold back some girls from the litter of 11 just to have some of them around and hopefully making their own litters that size in 4 months or so.

[MrLang]

Just started breeding also so I can't give much input.

I had my first 2 litters on Friday. One was 17 and the other was 11. I got the breeders from the pet store attached to NERD so I'd imagine they select for large litters there and feed off the bad moms. These were rats from the pet rat cages, not feeder bins.

I tentatively plan to hold back females from the litter of 17.

- - - Updated - - -

Just started breeding also so I can't give much input.

I had my first 2 litters on Friday. One was 17 and the other was 11. I got the breeders from the pet store attached to NERD so I'd imagine they select for large litters there and feed off the bad moms. These were rats from the pet rat cages, not feeder bins.

I tentatively plan to hold back females from the litter of 17.

[gsarchie]

Our rats average 12-15 with 17 to 19 not uncommon.
We selectively hold back females from large litters and cull half of the litter early on so those hold backs get lots of attention and food.

Exactly how early on do you cull? I was thinking that I'd like to do this from some of the big litters and would either feed off some siblings or spread the babies out between other nursing mothers.

[snakesRkewl]

Exactly how early on do you cull? I was thinking that I'd like to do this from some of the big litters and would either feed off some siblings or spread the babies out between other nursing mothers.

I cull as soon as they are fuzzing up and I know what color they will be.
Typically at 2 weeks I start feeding off males and the black kits unless I want to hold back a black that carries multiple dilute genes.

[satomi325]

I cull as soon as they are fuzzing up and I know what color they will be.
Typically at 2 weeks I start feeding off males and the black kits unless I want to hold back a black that carries multiple dilute genes.

This is what I do as well.

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[gsarchie]

Excellent, thanks for the info. Why do you wait to see what color any females will be? Are you one that has had better production numbers with albinos as well? I heard that from another user here so I was planning to give it a try.

[snakesRkewl]

Why do you wait to see what color any females will be? Are you one that has had better production numbers with albinos as well? I heard that from another user here so I was planning to give it a try.

We don't produce any albino's(PEW's) just black, agouti, blue, blue agouti, black eyed whites and Siamese for the most part.
I can't recall when we last produced an albino rat
I don't know if that rumor is true or not, but I'm skeptical ...

[D&G]

My first time mothers have small litters. Their litters get bigger as they age. I started 4 months ago with 10 pet store rats and now have over 1000 rats. I keep track of every tub and I know all my breeders, my daughter has names for most of them. How she came remember them is beyond me. My record litter is 22 so far. It's hard for me to tell most of the time because they will have litters the same day and group them together. I have 78 tubs now and plan to double that soon.