It's not unusual to lose females here and there when birthing all it takes is for the first baby to be too big and getting stuck , nothing can be done about this, it can happen to first timer like it can happen to females with several litters under their belt.
Now how do you get big litters? With optimum weight and age we first bred and selective breeding.
My females will produce 12 to 18 babies at their peak.
I only hold back future breeders from the largest litters and my female only start breeding at 250 grams.
Now if your original stock comes from a store or seller it's a little harder but you should buy small rats (never buy breeders) and raise them up to 250 grams, and once they start producing you should only hold back from larger litter.
I started with pet store rats and build my colony as it is now little by little.
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