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>>1) Does it take more food to breed 3 female rats and raise the babies to 3 weeks of age, or to breed 3 female mice and raise the babies to adulthood? (I want to know if I want to continue feeding mice or switch to baby rats for a few of my snakes, once I'm breeding. I'll be breeding both, but I need to decide whether I go for 3 mice and 6 rats, or 6 mice and 3 rat females)


If you don't need pinkie mice I wouldn't breed mice at all. They are so much more of a stink, socially anal and just not as easy to shuffle groups. Plus by the time they are two weeks old pups are as heavy as a grown adult mouse. The extra room they need is worth it.


>>2) Since I'll be cycling the rats, would it be possible to introduce TWO females at a time with the male and leave them in for a week before I put them back into their living/nursing cages? My set-up would be three female rats per cage, each getting one week with the male and three weeks off for giving birth and resting - if I get more babies than I need, I put all girls back one week. BUT, I was thinking have two sets of girls, and have one from each with the male for that week and then get them back with their orriginal set...
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You could shuffle rats any way you like. The only time I would worry is if I am putting someone new into a cage with tiny pups or new moms. A defensive mom will massacre an 'intruder'.


>>3) We'll also be building our own cages, and I want to make sure there is enough room for them to breed and grow in. My husband is a woodworker, and I am wonding what the best wood is to use for the cages. I know it has to be fairly hard and thick, but is there anything you might suggest? I don't really want to just resort to the plastic tubs for them if I don't have to.


Personally I can not see using wood for anything other than the frame of a rack system. All wire cages is the way to go with an aluminum tray. OR go with the typical tub rack systems and use smooth tubs without ridges to chew. Mortar trays, cat litter pans. Wood soaks up urine and is chewable. Two strikes.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

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