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What is an apropriate heating device for heating a 10 gallon aquarium for rat breeders?

Another question, I started my breeding project on mid september with 2 rats(male and female), both weren't old enough to breed. So by october the male's testicles dropped down and bought 2 new females, these were larger than the first one. These new females were "ready to breed" the guy in the store said. By this time, the hair on the first pair was growing. I mean, when i bought them they had hair but you can see the pink skin easily, then from head to tail more hair started to grow until there was no more pink skin at sight.
The problem is that the females haven't given birth, shouldn't they had birth already?

If i could categorize the first pair, they were between Weaned and Small. Now they are Medium. The second pair of females were Medium when i bought them.

They have food and water at all times.
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-Miki

1.0 Ball Python (Python Regius)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria)
0.0.1 Sinaloan Milksnake (Lampropeltis Triangulum Sinaloae)
0.0.1 Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chamaleo Calyptratus)
1.0 Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus Imperator)

Why do you want a heating device for your rats ????? They will usually have much more trouble with too much heat than not enough. If your rats are a good medium size they should start breeding soon, sometimes if you raise the male and females together from young age it takes a little bit longer to get them to start.I usually keep my male and female babies seperated by sex till they are large enough to start breeding then put them together and most times in about 4 weeks I start seeing litters.

Tom

I need the heating device because winter is comming and the room where they are gets pretty cold, and i want them to "focus" on breeding than on getting warm.
Right now they have newspaper on the outside bottom of the cage and on one side.

Should i remove the male?
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-Miki

1.0 Ball Python (Python Regius)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria)
0.0.1 Sinaloan Milksnake (Lampropeltis Triangulum Sinaloae)
0.0.1 Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chamaleo Calyptratus)
1.0 Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus Imperator)

4 rats in a 10 gal tank is pretty crowded. I would get them a larger cage. As for heating, a small ceramic space heater set to about 70F will be all you need to keep the rats warm.

>>What is an apropriate heating device for heating a 10 gallon aquarium for rat breeders?
>>
>>Another question, I started my breeding project on mid september with 2 rats(male and female), both weren't old enough to breed. So by october the male's testicles dropped down and bought 2 new females, these were larger than the first one. These new females were "ready to breed" the guy in the store said. By this time, the hair on the first pair was growing. I mean, when i bought them they had hair but you can see the pink skin easily, then from head to tail more hair started to grow until there was no more pink skin at sight.
>>The problem is that the females haven't given birth, shouldn't they had birth already?
>>
>>If i could categorize the first pair, they were between Weaned and Small. Now they are Medium. The second pair of females were Medium when i bought them.
>>
>>They have food and water at all times.
>>-----
>>-Miki
>>
>>1.0 Ball Python (Python Regius)
>>0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates Cenchria Cenchria)
>>0.0.1 Sinaloan Milksnake (Lampropeltis Triangulum Sinaloae)
>>0.0.1 Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
>>1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chamaleo Calyptratus)
>>1.0 Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus Imperator)

First, a ten gallon tank is about big enough for a single rat....like for a bachelor pad. Once you add pups there is not enough room. Overcrowding could be why your's aren't breeding. That and I am not clear how long you have had them together. A couple months is a given time for breeding.
It also sounds like you have young rats anyway. I usually introduce rats to breed at about 12 weeks. Yours sounded bearly weaned at 3 or 4 weeks so are just hitting age now.
Unless the ambient air is below 55 I wouldn't heat the tank. Rather heat the area or room if need be. UTH will cook babies, so go with some sort of distant overhead if it comes to that.
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Sonya

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