Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was curious if anyone leaves the males in with the females while they raise their young, or if you seperate the males out when you notice the females are pregnant. I'm talking about regular domestic rats, not ASFs.

Thanks.

Leave the males in-they won't molest the young.
-----
Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

I dont know I would take the male out just in case. I dont know what happened but once I had the male stay with the female the whole time she was pregnant and after birth and I dont know what happened or who did it but all the pinkies were decapitated and half eaten. I was told that they were hungry but they had food.

i take the female out when she is VERY pregnant, and put her in a birthing rack i have, then i put a non pregnant female in with the male that i just removed the prego from.

If you have a small colony that would be fine, the males are no problem. I prefer to remove them because I keep at least 5 to 1 and the nesting mother takes up a lot of space.
-----

It depends on the male and the female IMO. Some males can be left in without bothering the litter, some are compulsive decapitators of babies. I'll also separate males out if the female has a big litter (or usually has a big litter) so I can supplement her diet with higher protein and fat without worrying the male is gobbling it all up. But, I admit, all of my rodents are really just pets that tend to disappear into the snakes' cages. I tend to baby them all with wheels, play things, special treats, etc. Keeps them happy and breeding well.
-----
3.4 ball pythons
1.1 kingsnakes
0.1 crazy cat
?!.?! ASFs
1.0 husband

I keep 1.4 in each cage and separate the females from the male at cage cleaning if they are pregnant. I then add in females that have finished raising their litters to build back up to 1.4. They don't always go back with the same male, but that has never been a problem. I keep up to 3 females and their young in a cage until the young are all weaned or fed off. This method has ended all killing and allows the females to put all their energy to raising their young.

Derek

Cape Fear Reptiles

you can do either or, if you remove the male or female you loose time on the next litter. as soon as they drop the litter they go into heat within a few hours. it could put you back if you are trying to optimize your output.

Pitoon

I would agree on that point, but it seems like the difference is made up with the lack of killed babies and increased growth rate of the litter. Also, I seem to get larger litters when the females are separated for a while. I also compensate by having extra females to ensure that I always (or almost always) have 1.4 in the breeding racks. So, while I only have 5 males, I have 30 or so females. Admittedly, I have a small breeding colony, so my observations may be a little skewed.

Derek

Cape Fear Reptiles

I would agree on that point, but it seems like the difference is made up with the lack of killed babies and increased growth rate of the litter. Also, I seem to get larger litters when the females are separated for a while. I also compensate by having extra females to ensure that I always (or almost always) have 1.4 in the breeding racks. So, while I only have 5 males, I have 30 or so females. Admittedly, I have a small breeding colony, so my observations may be a little skewed.

Derek

______________________________________________________________

Derek,
Why have 30 females and only have ???? percentage pregnant.....while you can have all of them pregnant? what you don't use....freeze or sell off.

______________________________________________________________

and for everyone else........if you have a male or female that continues to kill/eat pinks......feed those off and replace them with others until you get a colony that is all happy dory.

Pitoon

I have been breeding for rats for about three years now. My colony is quite large 11 racks 6 males to about 43 females per rack. I would say Derek (cfr) has the right idea. In removing females on the weekly cleaning, or daily checks. You can increase production size, and quality, along the life of your breeders. Reduced stress, and proper nutrition can be given with this method. I would say no matter the size of your colony, you can always achieve optimum production with this method. Figure your weekly needs from pinkie yup and adjust the number you keep in your colony. I would suggest keeping no more than 1 male to 4 females. GL

I forgot to add the value of extended life of breeders from reduction of stress.

I'm sure that everyone has their own methods, but so far this seems to work just fine for me. I'm also sure that I will have to fine tune it along the way. Good to see that I'm not alone in my methodology. What do you find as the best feed? I currently use Mazuri.

Derek

Cape Fear Reptiles

My feed is a custom blend. Just look for a higher fat content along with protein. I believe Mazuri makes a couple different types of breeder food. Fat is most important for nursing moms. The Mazuri website has some pretty good information. GL

i have done both. either works fine, recently i have been separating them and putting the female in an enclosure all by herself

Hey,

I think it just comes down to your space. If you can give mom the space to be on her you do it. If you don't you hope for the best.

Good Luck,
Bill
-----
0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
2.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
0.1 Het Pied
1.0 Pied 50 percent
0.1 Clown
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

it all comes down to what you want to do............

if you want them to live longer...breed them less.

if you want optimum output... breed them more.

in my experience rats tend to start giving smaller litters at around 18 months of age. at around 9-12 months is when they are at their maximum.

once they start to give smaller litters it's time to replace them.

it all comes down to what works for you. at the end breeding is breeding no matter how you do it.

Pitoon