I was wondering about breeding rats?

Question

how hard is it to breed two rats? i want to start one rat family and i was wondering if it was a good idea? i love my rats to pieces and i dont want to be evil and make them do something they dont want to do. what are your views on breeding rats? and has anyone done it and liked it?

Answer 1

Please do not breed your rats. Breeders that go into breeding do so for the betterment of the entire species, not for profit or fun. Actually, many breeders lose money by breeding as it costs quite a bit to raise the young and socialize them. You need to take into account the fact that they all may end up with respiratory issues that need antibiotics and vet visits. A good breeder will have all the babies checked by a vet prior to adopting them out (which is quite pricey) and they have their potential adopters fill out extensive applications. These same good breeders only breed when they have a list of adopters that have been researched and found to be perfect matches for rittens. They also have rats that they breed from that are several generations down and can tell you their parents/grandparents/great-grandparents, etc. and can tell you the health and history of each rat from the line.

Breeders use rats that are bred from other rats that have good health histories and great temperament among other things. Pet store rats should never, under any circumstances be bred. These rats have not come from good backgrounds and can have babies prone to tumors or infection.

Breeders as I said only breed for the betterment of the entire species from the best rats possible. They make the individuals that adopt from them sign a contract stating that those rats they adopted will not be bred. This is in part to ensure that others won't attempt breeding when the rat population is high as it already stands. There are many, many rats out there at shelters in need of homes.

You should not breed unless you understand rat genetics and if you have rats of your own that you know the entire health history of from parents to grandparents and beyond and if you are financially able to care for them and are able to keep those that you cannot find homes for.

You really should spay/neuter your kiddos. Spaying can help prevent tumors in the females. Neutering is really only necessary if you wish to house them all together (3 weeks for the neuter to take effect after it has been done btw).

I know having pinkies would be cute and fun and often I wish I had clones of my own, but it's simply not in their offspring's best interest.  You really could end up with megacolon issues, temperamental issues or other various heath issues.  

EDIT: I'm very glad to hear you reconsidered! I'm also quite happy you are getting some shelter rats. =)  Do make sure they are the same s*x unless they will already be spayed/neutered so that they can live happily with one another.  I myself just adopted two more fur butts to add to the family =)  They came neutered so after the three week quarantine time was up, they joined my girls.  It's wonderful to give a home to those that need one!

Answer 2

ditto yelliez .. please do not breed  

Answer 3

Getting two rats to breed is the easy part.

Making sure the female is of proper age, health, etc...

Making sure the female has a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery....

That's the hard part.

Then, knowing when to separate the babies by gender before they breed with each other....that can be hard, too.

In all truth, where did you get your rats from? Pet store? If so, do not breed them. They're not bred for health, and you would just be continuing a poor quality ''lineage''.

Trying to start one family, can easily get out of control and end up as multiple families. They don't exactly have small litters, so you can imagine how quickly it'll add up.

If you want more rats, consider taking in ''fosters'' (there are so many people who get rats, then get 'bored' of them, etc)