TTFR's Rat Blog

[ttfr]

Hey you guys,

I have decided to start a small 1-3 ratio rat bin so that I can have a supply of ferret food in the freezer.

Right now I have a small bin that I will be putting mesh in the top as a starter bin and will be moving on to a bigger bin once I pass the initial starting gate.

I am getting 7 rats from a breeder. 3-4 to keep. the rest to cull/ feed/ or freeze.

[ttfr]

Hey you guys.

Heres what I have to start with.

I bought a young hairless male, 3-4months, and a older pregnant female. They are in a pretty big deep panned guinea pig type cage with a nesting container, a level made from a fn ramp, and a rope cross walk made from hay strings.

If y'all have horses...You have hay strings. ^.^ Make yourself some ropes and secure them with a zip tie. Instant toy in 10 min or less.

Right now..I have no plans on feeding any. I think I'll be growing on 2-3 more females to breed with this male and maybe one more male depending on space and if I get another cage.

I'll get you guys a photo of the pair and a cage photo when I charge my phone. My camera has misplaced itself. :rolls eyes:

Food will be a mix of Dry Cereals, Oats, Corn, and a Pig feeder, chick feed, or rodent blocks depending on whats available at a decent price when I go shopping again.

I think my lelloo will be VERY happy when I give her a meal of goose legs & Rats.

[Deleted]

how exciting. Just an FYI, if you end up with any hairless female rats, dont try to breed them. They have a VERY hard time maintaining a litter, and will usually cannibalize a fair amount of the pups, if not all. Female hairless rats have inverted nipples, making it hard for them to nurse pups. If you want to breed hairless rats try crossing one of the hairless male's female offspring with him. Chances are you'll get a fair amount of hairless babies. Good luck!

Good luck!

[ttfr]

Yup!! I had heard about that and will be avoiding that. Right now momma 1. is pregnant by a furred male so who knows what color will come out!

[Deleted]

do you know if rats smell less then mice?
my mom is being less then understanding that i want to try and breed rats/mice again after the disaster we had when i didn't have a set up.

[ttfr]

Yup I know they smell less but I do have a question about smell. What kind of litter keeps the smell down? Pine so far has to be changed every 3 days. Could I use that bird corn cob bedding you see at wally world?





That's my set up for now. Not sure how safe it is for younger rats but than Hopefully I can have a cage to grow up young rats for feeding.

Mamma B is very much preggo and about to pop.

[goingpostal]

I use wood pellets for the mice and give them a bit of aspen to make a nest, plus various cardboard things to rip up themselves.

[ttfr]

Jun 19, 2011 8:49:44 GMT -5 @horse656 said:

do you know if rats smell less then mice?
my mom is being less then understanding that i want to try and breed rats/mice again after the disaster we had when i didn't have a set up.

Opps. Yes they smell less and they are much cuter and easier to breed than mice. I just set up a big cage with 2 females, 1 male. Get a good mix of food going in a bucket and let them at it. If you keep a big enough cage, tall with levels and long, you can usually fill the space with extra females. I plan on keeping two girls from this litter and ether buying a new male or keeping a another sibling.

Question:
I would like to breed another food source and was thinking about guinea pigs? I use to have them as pets so I know how to build a cage for them.

Are guinea pigs easy to breed for food or should I stick to 1-2 indoor rabbits?

[ttfr]

Yay! 10 Babies left out of 12. I culled 2 out of pitty. Lelloo kept giving me the stink eye.

Keeping 2 or 3

So if in 1 month- 3 females had 12 babies. 12 x 3= 36 Rat Pups