Allow me to state that I am a total hippie and vegan by choice and my methods may differ greatly from that of others that post on this forum. What I find absolutely necessary to the health and well-being of my animals, others may view as unnecessary and a waste of time. I firmly believe that just because an animal is being raised for food doesn't mean they have to live a miserable existence, however short. That's just my opinion and I neither approve or disapprove of other peoples' methods. Below I'll answer your questions based on my beliefs and experiences.

Rat pack: In the wild, rats can live in large groups, of up to forty or more. For a small scale breeding project, depending on how many animals you need, you could have one male and alternate a group of females.

Say you have three females in one cage, and the male in another. You could rotate a female into the male's cage, allow her to get pregnant, then switch her out for another female. That way one rat is pregnant at a time and no one is ever alone. I equate a lone rat in a small space to a human in solitary confinement. The negative aspect of this is that you're feeding animals that are not producing, and thus are, as some would say, "eating for free." However, in such a small scale operation, with food as cheap as it is, I personally don't see a huge issue.

Rat breeding: Prime breeding age in rats is between four and twelve months. I would suggest getting yourself another female or two soon, then after they are four months old, get a male. I always quarantine my animals, so there is a solid two week period when they are isolated from any group to ensure that no illness or parasites are present. I interact with them often, though, to make up for it.

I hope that your breeding operation goes well.

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