Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all...we (Hubby and I) are starting a small rat breeding business here in Kansas. We have done alot of research on rats, but the more info we find, the more questions we come up with. Quite a bit of the info on the internet is about fancy rats, rescuing rats, etc.
We bought 3 rats apprx. 2 weeks ago, 2 females and 1 male. We went from 3 to 26 in about 72 hrs. One female had a litter of 14 and the other 9. Obviously they were pregnant when we bought them. Luckily enough we were already set up with extra cages, water bottles, etc.
We have them on Aspen bedding and are being careful not to feed them any treats that have red dye. They are all happy and healthy and we want to keep them that way. What are some other do's or don'ts that we should be aware of to be able to provide a quality feeder? We don't own any reptiles so we are unaware of what owners are looking for in their feeders.
Any rat tips or info would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Sure, plenty on the net as well, thats how i got my ideas, and then theres your own nitch. There will be people who will want frozen as well, so start freezing rats in different stages and figure out prices for them. It's good you have them on aspen as i heard cedar oil is harmful to the boas sensative stomaches and thats what i have so im on pine over here. I also find a variety of fruits and veggies on a weekly basis is good also and I wean my pups with rice,apples etc and get them started that way. I like to share food with them when i can, oatmeal,chicken bones(except for nursing moms) for the marrow and tons of things. I think variety is good. Hope you have great sucess and I will be switching to plastics as appose to the tanks i have now. Oh and i handle the babies and parents to make them friendly so when live feeding comes their not spastic and try to take out the snake. All this has brought me large litters up to 23 with all surviving, so thats my nitch on rats.
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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.

Thanks Diggy for the info.
What do you mean you wean with apples and rice? Is this after they stop nursing? (I know that's probably a really dumb question, but I want to make sure I'm not missing something here)
We most definitely have spoiled brat rats! We handle them all the time and started handling the babies the day after they were born. We are planning to keep most of the females out of the litters for more breeders. Why not chicken bones for nursing moms? We haven't given any bones at all. I think our dogs might have something to say about that.

I don't give anything special to wean my rats off, I just let them eat the adult food at their own pace. I don't separate the babies from their parents till they are 4 weeks old and obviously eating and drinking on their own. (by this time they should be as rats wean between 3-4 weeks).

Cedar bedding is not only bad for some snakes but is bad for rodents as well. The same oils cause alot of irritation in rodents and even respiratory infections.

There is alot of hints, suggestions etc about rat breeding right here on this forum, if you scroll down and read old posts. You will find alot of tips, techniques, what to avoid/watch for etc. as well as useful links to racks, cages, bedding options and food.

I get whizzing from both types of shaving from my mice and rats and what sounds like chattering but its chest wheezing. Aspen isn't sold in bulk that i could find other wise i would go with that. A friend had her mice on pellett stove pellets, they expanded when wet, but absorbed the odor and didn't hurt when consumed.
I stated how i wean my rats and mice, i put apples and rice(soft things) in with them and their momnma, when they are seen drinking and eating, I seperate them and once one learns how to drink from the bottle the others follow. I can put peanut butter or something on the nipple of the water bottle and they all clamber to it, I personally wait 2wks when they are running around on their own and pull them, have had no problems and get in that exta petting as mom gets relaxed up before next breeding.
I like feeding chicken bones, steak bones to males or females but not expected mothers, babies chew on them too for their teeth, it's just me is all. They say if you feed any meat product, the mothers will turn carniviourous, I havn't lost a rat pup to that yet, mice yes.
Well time to watch the football and R&R for a bit. Good luck.
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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.

>>I stated how i wean my rats and mice, i put apples and rice(soft things) in with them and their momnma, when they are seen drinking and eating, I seperate them and once one learns how to drink from the bottle the others follow. I can put peanut butter or something on the nipple of the water bottle and they all clamber to it, I personally wait 2wks when they are running around on their own and pull them, have had no problems and get in that exta petting as mom gets relaxed up before next breeding.
>>I like feeding chicken bones, steak bones to males or females but not expected mothers, babies chew on them too for their teeth, it's just me is all. They say if you feed any meat product, the mothers will turn carniviourous, I havn't lost a rat pup to that yet, mice yes.

I wean at 4 weeks, 5 if they are going for pets at a pet store. I do tend to feed my moms and babies more of the fatty food 'treats' like breakfast cereal, bones, cooked chicken or beef, rice, pasta and other good leftovers. I see absolutely no correlation with feeding bones and meat and cannabalism. My rats never cannabalize healthy babies and the extra protein helps them build up to raise the litters.
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Sonya

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

Sonya..at 4 weeks do the pups start weaning on their own or is there something we need to do to encourage them to wean? Everything is pretty new to us right now. These are our first litters and are unsure as to what to expect next. Experience is the best teacher, however I would like some hints as to what to watch for.

Thanks!

>>Sonya..at 4 weeks do the pups start weaning on their own or is there something we need to do to encourage them to wean? Everything is pretty new to us right now. These are our first litters and are unsure as to what to expect next. Experience is the best teacher, however I would like some hints as to what to watch for.

They will be weaned at 4 weeks. I leave some till 5 if I know they may be going to a stressful situation.(pets to kids) You can usually tell when the cage empties a water bottle incredibly fast. Dehydration will get many pups that are weaned too early. They will eat solid food at 2 weeks, but not drink enough to sustain them and they NEED milk for two more weeks.
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Sonya

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

Let's clear this up; cedar AND pine are BOTH bad, so I'm glad you're keeping your rats on aspen, I use the same. I feed my rats Mazuri 6F, it's a complete food for breeding rats to keep their energy and size up. Try to stay away from anything with a protein higher than 25% as it causes health problems. Ditch the hole fruit and berry, seeds and crap, if you're going to be doing this medium-scale, the Mazuri 6F or equally good lab diet is more than sufficient. There's so much info, if you'd like more assitanvce, feel free to e-mail me with your questions, I'll be happy to answer them.