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Hi All,
I have a few breeder rats that I got as adults and now many of them are looking pretty old. After years of breeding mice I now retire them at 6 months. Someone told me that rats will produce for a year. I'm skeptical but I hope he's right!
At what age do you retire your breeder rats?
>>At what age do you retire your breeder rats?
Rats live, on average, at least two years. I don't start them breeding until they're at least 13 weeks old. They generally are good producers for at least 12 months from the time they start breeding.
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tricia
some rats can breed well into their 16-20th month.. while some just crap out after 10-12 (of actual breeding time.. not total age)..
i have females in my colony who are over 2 and still going.. ive got a male that looks like a small puppy LOL.. hes 18 months now.. and has fathered well over 500 babies by now 
so for an answer.. at least 9-12 months of breeding.. and just keep an eye on production levels at that point.. if they start to drop.. feed her off 
dan
I breed mine until they stop producing quality litters. When the numbers drop so do they. I have many females from other people that told me they were "retired" breeders. I bred them just to find out that they all produced 12-18 babies each litter. Needless to say they were retired too early.
Mike King
MK Reptiles
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