Problems With Breeding - see if you know how i can improve

[JameyDboi]

Okay so i have a 6 Stack Breeding rack System with home depot tubs, i have 3 males but i really wanna get rid of 1 or 2 of them, and i want to have 3 females in each other tub but one of the males is a Butthole and fights until the other is bloody so i have him in a seperate tub, so thats 2 outta 6 tubs used for males

Okay ive breed and had some success after i knew what i was doin, so i have 3 sisters getting raised up to be breeders together in one tub,
In the other i have there mom alone she used to be with others but one was really old and the other died during birth, so shes alone for now,
then i have 2 hairless and 1 daughter W/hairless gene,
and another tub with 2 Random Females that have been together for about 2 months now, i got 2 rats off someone who didnt want them anymore so i put them together with a hairless gene Female, one of the Free rats died Unknown why, so now i have just the hairless gene and free together for now untill i have more grown up breeders

So my real problem is that my Two Hairless had a litter, at least im pretty sure it was both of them, cuz i counted and there was 12 with some dead ones, and then i counted again and found 5 more dead ones and the live total up to 13, so i kept a eye on them but they kept dying

i was thinking it was cuz they were all in the same spot, it looked like they either couldnt get milk because there was so many fighting for milk or they got stomped or crushed or something cuz they looked weird. and when i looked the next afternoon there was only 6... and they werent eating the babies all of the dead babies were on the bottom of the pile

so i took the remaining and put them and 1 of the females into a steralite tub with a water bottle.

Does anyone know why this happened and how to stop it from happening again because im spending a fortune on Feeders.

i heard that most ppl just have 3 females and 1 male in a tub but i just reuse the same male or 2 cuz i thought there was a risk of the males eating the babies and getting the mom preg before the pups weened

so im just so confused as to how to fix this problem, i really dont want to make a new rack that only holds 1 Pregnant rat per steralite tub, i just dont have the room,

i just want three females in 5 tubs and 2 males in the sixth tub and for the females to be able to breed without getting a ton of dead pinkys

Thanks in advance for all your help
Jamey

[JameyDboi]

Couldnt Find the EDIT button, but anyway

i also think next time i will put less bedding in because it kinda looked like maybe she lost most of her pinkys in the bedding even thoe they where all in the same corner area


oh and also i dont know if this is her first litter or not, i know i personal breed the other hairless before but i dont know about that one

[Rhasputin]

They won't have problems losing them in the bedding. They're surprisingly good at that. Someitmes they'll even bury them, go eat, then come back and dig them up.

Most likely, it's a problem with your feed or watering system. Check your bottles or nozzles to make sure they're working properly. What are you feeding?

[JameyDboi]

They won't have problems losing them in the bedding. They're surprisingly good at that. Someitmes they'll even bury them, go eat, then come back and dig them up.

Most likely, it's a problem with your feed or watering system. Check your bottles or nozzles to make sure they're working properly. What are you feeding?

I have an automatic Watering system, and i feed Mazuri rodent diet feed, not sure what kinda, but i know my local pet store/ rat breeder uses this kind.


It seems like every body i see and every video i see has it go so smooth and im having all these problems and i dont know why..
it really gets annoying ya know

[JameyDboi]

If anyone knows or remembers what they did when they first started or what they did wrong. basically take me threw everything. like :

Make a rack, Bought 3 female rats then mated and they gave birth,
.....................

i dont think my hairless rats were doing it on purposse because dont they usually eat the babies they dont just let them fall to the bottom of the pile,, and they should be used to each other

Would that be a problem,,,, like if i put 3 random rats in a tub and they were Preg, would they kill each others or soemthing

[artgecko]

I am just now on my first litter, but I have a couple things that might help.

1. I believe hairless females can have issues producing enough milk (someone correct me if it's just the double rexes). So usually they are kept with a regular female just in case, or have a regular female that will deliver at the same time so that you can give some of the pups to her if needed.

2. Some females will fight over litters if kept together when they have babies. If this keeps happening with yours, you may want to split them up.

3. Get rid of the aggressive male that fights the other one. Aggression is genetic and learned and you don't want to breed aggressive animals. If you want males that will live together, get rid of him and only breed calm males that get along. Keep a nice male baby from one of these litters to raise up and if he is calm as an adult, even after breeding, keep him as a breeder.

Good luck!

[Kat_Dog]

Double rexes have no problems producing milk.

Some strains of hairless do have trouble producing milk though. It is recommended that if you are using hairless rats and you do not know the strain to have no trouble producing milk, then you should breed a hairless male to a hairless carrier female instead of hairless x hairless.

[sorraia]

Since you mention it is a problem specifically with the hairless, I would consider that being your problem. Some lines and types of true hairless (distinct from rex and double rex) do have problems lactating.

If you want to get rid of a male, get rid of the aggressive one first. I would recommend keeping at least two males - so if something happens to one you still have another ready to breed. This is ideal in any breeding program. Periodically you'll want to replace one or both males too, with something better and younger.

[JameyDboi]

Since you mention it is a problem specifically with the hairless, I would consider that being your problem. Some lines and types of true hairless (distinct from rex and double rex) do have problems lactating.

If you want to get rid of a male, get rid of the aggressive one first. I would recommend keeping at least two males - so if something happens to one you still have another ready to breed. This is ideal in any breeding program. Periodically you'll want to replace one or both males too, with something better and younger.

ive had other problems with haired rats but i know what the problem was back them, and the only pinkys i have now are these hairless ones, and mice but they dont count lol

[Cupid]

As mentioned, some hairless have problems lactating. I would not breed those two again.