Quote Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny View Post
As far as breeding, are rats pretty dependable as far as having litters? Is there risk of aggression from re-introduction?
My rats are very dependable at getting pregnant and having a litter 3 weeks later. They are all on a set schedule for breeding, cycling, and while we have more dominant girls that have to cause a fuss when moms are reintroduced into the big cage, it's nothing that doesn't die down in a half an hour. And I have some real bossy girls :p

About how much food should they be given per day? I feed Mazuri lab block and Becky's mix to my mice. I usually buy the 5lb bags from Petsmart but will go with a bigger bag if I get rats since they probably eat a lot more. Basically, how much do you feed your rats per day? And what kinds of human food can they eat. Sometimes we have extra veggies, fruit, pasta, and such that we can give to our rodents.
I buy the large 40 lb bag of Mazuri, I also have a lot of rats. It depends on your productions, how many rats you have etc. I use hardware cloth hoppers and the rack system. I have no wasted food and fill it once a week.

My rats get scraps about once a week, no citrus and certain foods. I know you can find a list of what not to give to rats at Ratguide.org (.com?)


Lets talk space. What is a good sized breeding group and what sized enclosure would they need? I plan on using tanks and tubs until I can get a rack either built or bought. Currently I have 2 10g tanks, 1 5g tank, 2 20L tanks, and a 3 tubs, each equaling the space of a 5g tank.
I personally think the 5 gallons are small, maybe enough for one mom with a young litter, but I personally wouldnt use them. I use the tubs from sterilite, cut the lids for ventilation etc. I know there are stickies hanging around on how to make rat breeding tubs and racks, you should check them out. Also lord_Jackel had a nice sticky answering questions on how many to breed etc. It's a lot of information to go over.


Where to get breeders. I know you are not supposed to breed a rat until they are a certain age. However, no store around here sells rats of that age and if they do, they are always male. So I would need to get some rats from someone who breeds them. Anyone willing to let some of their rats go so I can start a breeding colony? Name your price. (Preferably not albinos because I like the females to be different colors so I can keep track of them)
I think it's best to buy young rats. Very rarely will adults calm down well enough to be handled freely if they were not introduced to humans often enough. You also know that these animals are getting a premium diet, and they will acclimate to your program easier when young.

If your just starting I suggest browsing the feeder section for info on rat colors and patterns. Be choosy about what you buy, there are certain risks to be aware of. Health, temperament, genetic diseases etc.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...42&postcount=7
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...63&postcount=4

If you have any more specific questions, go ahead and ask away.