Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've just started to breed some rats and had my first litter last week. I was wondering when the females are ready for mating again after giving birth? Should I wait until the baby rats are weaned, or should I introduce the male before then?

Any advice apprciated. By the way, does anyone know a good website that contains info on breeding colonies of rats?
TIA, Ryan

To answer your question, females come back into I think within a day or two after giving birth. They can get pregnant right away that and have another little just as they are weaning the last litter. If you are breeding for lots of number then you can breed back to back like that. I always kept my rats in groups of 1.2 or 1.3. The females usually had a litter every month. Otherwise they come back into heat various times during the month, so you could put in a male to mate then. Hope that help.

MarkSD

>>I've just started to breed some rats and had my first litter last week. I was wondering when the females are ready for mating again after giving birth? Should I wait until the baby rats are weaned, or should I introduce the male before then?
>>
>>Any advice apprciated. By the way, does anyone know a good website that contains info on breeding colonies of rats?
>>TIA, Ryan

If he is out now I would give them moms a couple three weeks for the pups to grow. Some moms will get overprotective and beat the crap out of a male reintroduced when they have young pups. That or, a male 'may' go and kill pups.....though I have honestly never seen it happen with rats. If I had your situation I would try him back when the pups are 3 weeks or so at the earliest. Otherwise I wait til they are weaned.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

leave the male out until the babies are weaned or until you take them out.

If you want a constant supply of rats you should just leave the male in the colony.

Also, even if the male is the father, if you put the male in there with the babies, he MIGHT end up killing all the babies because he thinks they aren't his.
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1.1 Ball Python, 0.1 motley amel corn, 1.0 western hognose, 1.0 red blood

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll leave the male out for a few weeks and then re-introduce. Sounds like the thing to do is just leave the male in all the time and not worry about it.

Thanks,
Ryan

yu
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Jaye- " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)