I would like to breed rats?

Question

parents, what would it take for you to give your child permission to breed rats?

it is not for the money, it is for the love of these creatures. my mom needs some serious convincing. how do i convince her...i am 13

Answer 1

To start off I have 12 rats. I have 4 males and 8 females.  Of the 4 males 1 has to be on his own because of personality issues. and one of my females has to be by herself because some others will attack her. It is hard. If you can train them to eat small and use the restroom in one spot, that will be easier. I recommend getting a custom cage. Cleaning can be gruesome. Try not to have  lone rats in cages. They need at least 4 hours a day of human interaction. You might have to seperate rats that fight. If not there will be a vet bill. I recommend finding a cheap vet.

BE ORGANIZED.

It can be done, but they need a lot of room. Save money for tumor removal. They will get tumors.  Remove them. Do not let people talk you into goverment approved execution...aka..euthanasia. I think its wrong and that rat has only 1 life..you may have 12 - 13 rats, but that rat has only 1 life.

Its hard, but being successful in life is hard. If you have the passion to do it, do it, but maybe you should start off with a couple of rats.

I started out with 2 and then 4 and then 13.....Mija REST IN PEACE BABYGIRL.

Answer 2

Your moms a smart women. I'd say no - no matter what you came up with. Do you realize how fast they breed - the room you'll need, the mess they'll make, the stink they leave behind, the chewing they'll do..??! If you like them that much - wait to breed them when you have your own place.  

Answer 3

Well, at 13, you are way too young too breed rats. You have NO IDEA how hard it will be.

I understand it's tempting, but if you really loved these creatures, you would know that not enough are adopted and there is an overpopulation.

Why don't you just ask if you can adopt several rats instead of breeding them?

I agreee with your mom, I would say no regardless.

Do you know how much it will cost? I don't think you're going to want to pay for it...and rats smell, plus you need lots of room.

Where will the rats go on vacation?

EDIT: I'm not saying you COULDN'T do it. I'm saying it's a bad idea! I know you really want to do it, but think of the poor little rats that aren't being adopted.

Even when you are grown, it's still a bad idea. And your family might not know so much about rats, what if something went wrong, and the rats kept breeding? I totally agree with Kenzie K. She's right!

Answer 4

sorry, your mom is right.

do you know how many babies it could have?

do you know how many cages you'll need?

do you know how much money you'll need

to get the cages new food etc that you

probably wont have at the time?

its hard, even if you love them.

are you sure you're even ready to take

care of maybe 16 rats (including the parents)?

think first. ok?

Answer 5

i dont understand why you would breed rats when there are hundreds of homeless rats needing love and attention. if you were a true rat lover you would adopt some shelter rats because breeding rats is not what the rat wants

Answer 6

Don't but if you want more just ask for another one you shouldn't or you can reallly end up with like 20.  There is already an overpopulation of rats you shouldn't add anymore.

Answer 7

dont do it!!! i conviced my parents to let me have my rat have babies and it had 13!!! it was out of hand

Answer 8

You have to consider what you will do with the babies. If you keep them, you should invest in a seriously bigger cage. Try posting an add on craigslist just to see if anybody would be interesting in getting rats. If you do seriously get into rat breeding, I'd suggest making a website. And your breeding pair need to be bought from another rat breeder, not a pet store. As for convincing your parents, try convincing them to let you try it out just once, and see how it all works out. Otherwise, you could get a boy and girl, tell your parents that they're both boys, and "accidentally" have babies.  Make a list of reasons why you should be able to:

-It will teach you a lot, and you will have a fun hobby (and better than what some other 13 year olds are doing these days)

-You will do it all yourself, and they will hardly even notice that you are doing it

-You will pay for it all

Don't give them ANY reason for them not to let you. Try making a deal with her. Like, for every litter, you clean 1 or 2 rooms of the house (or the whole house)

or anything like that.

Good luck!

Answer 9

I really don't want to sound mean, but you really shouldn't breed rats for the same reason you don't want to breed dogs. Do you have enough homes? What will you do with the male rat? Do you have a separate cage for when the males and females mature sexually? Are you absolutely sure the parents have good temperaments and good health history? Do you know what KIND of home they're going to?

If you really loved them try adopting them, because there are lots and lots of rats that need homes. Don't add. ]:

But if you do, make sure you have homes all lined up. There could also be complications during birth, and after. And only breed ONCE. Only once. Just so you get the experience, or try adopting rats that are pregnant so you can foster the babies. Contact local rat rescues and etc.

And educate your mom on rats..They're not icky

Answer 10

Listen to your mom. You are no where near ready enough to breed anything. Are these rats healthy, pedigreed rats from a reputable breeder? Do you have a mentor? I'm sure you know that you can't breed pet store rats whose genetic health histories you don't know. Do you know everything there is to know about rat genetics? Do you know what megacolon is?

Breeding isn't a game, it's a very serious endeavor best left to the professionals. There's enough homeless pets in the world (yes, even rats!) without people backyard breeding. Please read and make a responsible decision:

http://www.petinfopackets.com/aboutbreed...

http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

Answer 11

trust me i dont think you want to do that no matter how much free time you do have. My hamster had babys (i know its not a rat but they are similar in this situation) and they were so cute i couldnt give them away so i ended up with 8! I was Happy and was willing to do all the work but then the fun wears off, it starts to get expensive buying all those cages, food, bedding, toys, and just cleaning up after so many animals takes forever. Also if you dont clean their cages often they start to stink and imagine how bad it is with a lot of rodents, trust me you dont want to do that...i say just have a  couple, one or two