Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have 5.1 rats and today i seen one of them had babies like an idiot i didnt seperate the mom with her pups i cleaned the tub out and put them all back in and went back about 10 minutes later and the pups were all dead! im guessing it was the male but could it have been another female? its weird becuase the pups were probably a day old and when i changed out the bedding and put them back thats when i found them dead? thanks in advance!

Do you mean 1.5? 5.1 is 5 males 1 female.

Eating a litter could be due to overcrowding, insufficient diet or water, stress, lots of things. 6 rats is a lot for one enclosure how big is it? They'd probably do better split up into smaller groups with more room.

sorry I meant 1.5 the tub is big enough to hold them comfortably
its the biggest tub from big apple herp. I feed them mazuri 6f5m30
and they have plenty water! Trust
e they are kept in pristine conditions! Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Those tubs aren't designed for 6 rats plus a litter. More like maybe 1.2 in that amount of space.

Yup. Go to walmart and pick up some 35 gallon tubs from sterilite or rubber maid. Cut out a large rectangular hole in the lid and zip tie hardware cloth to the inside of it. Voila! perfect rat tub for real cheap. Easy to clean and most of all, roomy.

For 1.5 rats, I would get 2 tubs for breeding females. 1.3 and 1.2. (Yes, get another male so he has a companion while the females are nursing) That's easily 3 tubs. Not what I recommend, but it can work.

Also, 2 extra tubs for the weanlings. They don't have to be 35 gallons, a 66 quart will suit them well if you plan on feeding or CO2 them to freeze for later. Make sure to separate them male and female.

If your going to keep the females together while they nurse (which it sounds like from your first post) you really should pull that male to avoid back to back breedings and stress from not only having another female in the tub, but also a male to contend with. Highly stressful for rats.

Some people think it's ok to lose pinks here and there, and to keep the harem breeding going for rats, but I can't afford to lose a rat here and there when it's easy to avoid the extra stress and keep the mothers alone to raise the pups properly with no competition.

I don't know if you plan to expand your rat operation, but if you are, then perhaps you should look into plans for a rack. It's a small footprint, and super easy to maintain, clean and have all of your rats in one place. A lot easier and made cleaning day a breeze!

Hope that helps you.

I didn't think of this before I posted, but I realized you don't need two males necessarily if you are doing communal nesting.

Put the male in the first group of girls, and leave him in for 3 weeks. (Up to 3 weeks to prevent and litters while he is there)

Then put him in to the other tub for another 3 weeks while the first girls are nursing.

That will only really work if the pups are all born on the same day. Other wise, you may run into some females still having a young litter when it's time to move him back into group 1.

If that's the case, I suppose the male can be alone for a week, but even then, they can get depressed easily and it can lower their immune system. Rats are very social animals and need to be in pairs or groups.

no way! These are the biggest they sell they are made for 1.5

The largest size I found on Big apple herp is 21 x 15 x 7. That is not enough room for 6 adult rats to live in full time!

I have the medium concrete tubs, they are 26 x 20 x 6. I fit 4 adult females in there comfortably and maybe a male. But I rarely ever do that for long. It's usually 3 females one male.

Your expecting to have 5 females with 5 litters in this tub all the time?

I think your going to find it hard to get any litters with that set up. Is it you don't want to spend any more money after paying $50 plus shipping for 1 little tub?

You could build a rack for not even double that amount for 6 times the space.

So what's the real problem?

ok let me explain this better. i have 8 of those big apple tubs the large ones if i get a litter i move the female in one of those large tubs to take care of her litter. sometimes i put two mothers in at the same time. i do have 1.5 rats and they have a lot of extra room i dont always keep that number but in some tubs thats what i have. when i cleaned out the tubs the other day i didnt move the mother out with her babies because i had totaly forgot to and thats when i seen they were all killed! so as far as having enough tubs i have whats enough for me but i think your wrong saying that tubs is to small for 1.5 but as i said they mom does come out when she gives birth as a matter of fact i just took out the male out of there tub cause he has been in there for weeks so they are defintely pregos. thanks for your suggestions!

"they are made for 1.5"?

Says who?

that's way too crowded, and it explains why they instantly cannibalized the litter.

Why do people come here and ask questions then refuse to accept the replies they get?

Thats my guess. Someone else that he knows does it and it works for him ... *rolls eyes*

Maybe I'm wrong on the size of the big apple bin, but I'll take a picture of my bin (26 x 20) with 6 adult rats in it, and I can almost guarantee everyone will say it's not enough room. (There's always that exception that will loudly state the opposite of any situation)But generally, it isn't generally agreed to be enough room.

If you only have one female in each bin, then yes, it is more than enough room for her. I would say even two females. But 6 adult rats and babies?? You have got to be kidding yourself. Those must be some stressed out rats.

i guess you guys are right! i just dont see them being over crowded they are always laying on top of each other and when they move around they look like they enough room? but im going to only put 1.3 in these tubs? i guess after all this im going back to my original question. can i keep 1.3 with babies than remove them when they become weaned? thanks.

Why not try 1.1 in a tub that size.

I went to look at my maternity racks, they are 18 x 15. Only 2 inches shorter than yours on one side (If yours is truly 20 x 15). I keep one female in there with her pups up to weaning; it gets crowded and the build up of ammonia and feces is quick.

I guess you'll do whatever you want to do, but being a rat breeder with very good success, I will always suggest one mother, one tub, and always try to minimize the over crowding to the best of your ability. Not only for health reasons for the rats, but also stress. Stressed sick rats don't produce or live to their full potential.

If you have 8 tubs like you said, that's more than enough for all of the females to have litters at the same time, and have room for the weanlings too. (If you truly only have 1.5)

big apple herp has on there site those racks can hold 1.3 so thats what im doing. they really seem fine im an animal lover so even though there snake food i want them to live there life out comfortably. thanks for your input.

Wait, now its 1.3? I thought you said they were designed for 1.5?

2 more rats is a huge difference in a cage that small.

Hopefully they will breed and not cannibalize any more.

excuse for making a mistake!