Regurgitation & Breeding

[Eric Alan]

I have a virgin female Pastel (~1600 grams) that I have been pairing up with my Pastel Clown male. The last time they were put together was about a month ago, and as far as I'm aware they stayed pretty much in the friend zone.

Last night, however, she turned into an instant tail-wagging ball of breeding energy when I put him in with her, which lasted for little while. I didn't see that they were locked at all before I went to bed. This morning, I did my usual morning drive-by and I could instantly tell that something wasn't right. Inside of their tub was a rank-smelling partially digested rat and the two of them were huddled on the other side of the tub together (still not locked). I weighed my male when I took him out, and he was the same weight from when I put him in there, so I don't believe he was the culprit. This leads me to believe it was the female that had the regurgitation.

Her last feeding was on Saturday afternoon, and I paired them together on Tuesday evening, so there was a good 72+ hours between feeding and pairing. Since I've never experienced a regurgitation before, are they more prone to happening during breeding season? If you were in my shoes, would you do anything beyond the typically recommended observation and feeding hiatus for the next couple of weeks? Would you consider pulling her from the breeding program permanently this year? If not, at what point in time would you feel comfortable pairing her up again?

Would you do anything different with the male that was in the same tub? His last meal was on Sunday afternoon, so there had been 48+ hours since his last meal before pairing.

Thanks for your insight!

[MrLang]

It's more likely in the sense that they are pressing, tensing, etc. much more than in normal behavior during breeding behavior. My first season I paired after 48 hours and did have this happen, actually. I didn't feed her for 2 weeks but otherwise continued as normal. She produced 5 healthy eggs and had no other health issues. Keep a close eye on her but I wouldn't worry too much. How big was the rat and how big is she? If they're far along in development there is less room inside for a big rat to pass through, so many people reduce to smaller meals more often once building.

[Dave Green]

I was going to mention the size of the food as well. I only feed small rats this time of year, I feed each week but smaller meals.

[Eric Alan]

How big was the rat and how big is she? If they're far along in development there is less room inside for a big rat to pass through, so many people reduce to smaller meals more often once building.

This last meal was a medium (123g) and she was 1536g empty when I weighed her last.

I was going to mention the size of the food as well. I only feed small rats this time of year, I feed each week but smaller meals.

It looks like the consensus is in. For anyone I plan to pair in the upcoming week, small rats it is. Hooray for budget savings!

For the future, how long would you wait until you paired her again? I'll for sure hold off on feedings for a few weeks, but should I hold off on pairing for a shorter/longer/the same time?

Thanks!