Breeding Rats

[austcold]

After opinions to some questions I have regarding breeding rats for snake food. Due to my location I am having difficulty getting food at the right price, couriers, fuel etc.

1. How long is a rat pregnant?
2. worming etc?
3. When is your breeder to old?
4. What age do you take the young away from mum?
5. How many in the average litter?
6. Survival rate?

[VixenBabe]

1. 21-22 days

2. Optional - however I do mine every 3 months

3. Some people have different ideas of this, and depends whether they are allowed to rest between litters. I give my females 2-3 weeks rest, so they will most likely be stilling breeding at over a year old.

4. Again some people have different opinions. The longer they are with mum, they get more of a growth boost and nutrients from her milk. Generally 3-4 weeks though.

5. Usually around 10-12

6. I assume you mean with the babies? If she is a good mum, most should be fine. However its often best to take away some babies if she has more than she can handle, this will reduce the pressure on her, and allow the remaining babies to thrive.

[spilota_variegata]

Originally Posted by austcold

After opinions to some questions I have regarding breeding rats for snake food. Due to my location I am having difficulty getting food at the right price, couriers, fuel etc.

1. How long is a rat pregnant?
2. worming etc?
3. When is your breeder to old?
4. What age do you take the young away from mum?
5. How many in the average litter?
6. Survival rate?

1. 21 days - give or take
2. Worming is a good idea - internet is a good source of knowledge for correct product.
3. When the number or offspring declines, they become snake food
4. I used to try to restrict the number or males, particularly just after birth. Also depends if you want pinkies to feed your snakes or larger. Any rat that showed any hint of aggression became snake food.
5. Around 8-10 or so. Had smaller and larger. If a female didn't produce enough offspring, she became snake food.
6. Survival rate is good so long as you don't let them get too hot. They can huddle around each other to keep cool but getting too hot will kill them, particularly the young.

I gave up breeding rats because they bred like rats and needed constant cleaning. I also found it heartbreaking having to kill them, especially the young ones.

Good luck.

[austcold]

Thanks for the info,

I also found this link helpfull,

http://www.ratfanclub.org/repro.html