I just bought an adult male rat because it was $10 for him and the cage and water dispenser and other accessories. It was a deal I couldn't pass up. I then bought the closest thing to an adult female to breed with him. Here's the problem, the male Rat was rescued from a shelter by the people I bought it off of so I'm uncertain of the age, but I know that he was about a year back when they got it, making him close to 2 now. Isn't that over the hill for breeding already? If not, when should I introduce the female to him? They both seem freaked out by the new locale. If he is too old, what should I do with him? My snake is too small to eat him. Thanks for any help possible.
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May have already made mistake...help?
uiucguy88
May 26, 2004 08:27 PM
Replies (2)
zhenchok
May 26, 2004 08:54 PM
I think that rats live around the two year range and I think that most people get rid of theirs by around the second year because production begins to go down. I think you just bought yourself a nice pet, isn't that the intention of adopting one out anyways?
Sonya
May 26, 2004 09:48 PM
>>I just bought an adult male rat because it was $10 for him and the cage and water dispenser and other accessories. It was a deal I couldn't pass up. I then bought the closest thing to an adult female to breed with him. Here's the problem, the male Rat was rescued from a shelter by the people I bought it off of so I'm uncertain of the age, but I know that he was about a year back when they got it, making him close to 2 now. Isn't that over the hill for breeding already? If not, when should I introduce the female to him? They both seem freaked out by the new locale. If he is too old, what should I do with him? My snake is too small to eat him. Thanks for any help possible.
A couple of problems that strike me....one, yeah, that is an old boy and he may make no attempt to breed. Even if he does the second trouble is if the girl is 'older' and never been bred she may have trouble carrying and delivering. I think I would put them together and see what happens.
When you get back around to buying 'breeders' I would aim for small to medium rats and buy them together. They grow together and breed sooner than grown rats that don't know each other. And you get a fuller breeding life out of them.
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Sonya
Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron
