Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I don't usually post here, but I can use some help from people who breed Sprague Dawley rats. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

1) What is the average litter size?
(I've been on certain websites, and they claim the litter size is 10.5, but they also claim the average litter size for swiss webster mice is 12.5, and a lot of people tell me that the s.w. mice throw out litters in the high 20's.)

2) Are they bigger then normal pet store rats?
(A friend of mine told me they get a lot bigger then the average pet store rat.)

Thanks
Jay Cassidy

I don't know anything about the SPrague rats but regular domesticated fancy rats can have litters at least 8 or more easily. I had a female rat recently who's first litter was 14, then her second was 13 before I had to get rid of them all. (had to move and couldn't take the rats with me, otherwise, I was growing up daughters to add to a breeding colony). Most other people I have heard that breed rats get litters of around 10-15 on average.

This said, I don't see anything special about the sprague dawley rats that would make it worth paying the extra cost to get them.
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PHLdyPayne