As with everything in breeding rats there are particular items for continued breeding selections. Rats that bite meet a demise poor breeders meet a demise, cannibalism, etc. Mothers that don't do well in communal pens can be another reason. However feeding off a mom just because she can't share is a bad excuse IMO. Which is why Data cards can be a vital asset.



Like Dave has said before often the best tool in the rat barn is the data card. Like many reptile breeders I keep data cards with on each cage for each animal. These can be incorporated to be used in rat barns as well.



Particularly with larger operations like Dave's and some others it is vital as sheer memory alone isn't enough. A quick search for his posts in this forum will revial the thread he discusses this so I won't go into detail. However its not a requirement to remember rats names etc. Each tub can be a mis of traits than you simple have to identify the characteristics, tan hooded, black, albino, etc.



Getting off track a bit so back to communal breeding like Dave said age plays a factor. Although I've never heard this I think relation in regards to gowing up together will play a factor as well. I'm testing this theory ATM. I have 5 bins of 1.2 all raised together from hoppers, males are unrelated.



They are coming up on 12 wks so we will se how it works. My thinking is they have shared a tub, shared food and water, why would they not share parenting. I will post my results.



I hope to incorporate some of Dave's techniques in communal breeding if my hypothesis doesn't pan out. I also plan to begin using data cards to better cycle my harvest. As the barn gets closer to completion the operation will become large enough to justify the cards strict use.



Cheers



P.S. to answer your question, I can't speak on the emotional stability of your females but unlike Humans and Dolphins most animals don't enjoy the act of breeding...



P.S.S I'd love for you to pay me to breed my rats, oh wait that's not what you said...LOL
-----
Jeremy Payne

JB Reptile



1.0 Snow "Kahl"

0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"

0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard

0.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow

1.0 Ghost

0.1 Possible Super Hypo

0.1 DH Ghost

1.1 "Kahl" Albino

1.0 Hypomelenistic

1.3 Pastel Hypo

0.1 Anerthrystic



1.1 Morelia Clastolepis

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