Reproduction of the domestic rat

Dernière mise à jour : 30 septembre 2023 à 6h14 → pas de commentaire

Reproduction of the domestic rat within the Chimère rattery

I believe that one must have lived on Pluto not to be aware that reproduction in rodents is particularly prolific and that with regard to reproduction of the domestic rat, this one carves out a place of choice on the podium of rodents. As a rat breeder, I have to think carefully since each raccoon must be adopted by a human, which can sometimes be complicated to find a person who respects animals and who is looking for a rat to adopt, at least this approach can be complex in the beginning of a raterie. When I plan a mating between two of my pet rats, I always keep in mind that many pups will be born just a few weeks later (the gestation of the rat lasts between 21 and 23 days), because many this union, about ten pups will be born and this is an average since it is not uncommon for my rats to give birth to an impressive number of baby rats easily climbing up to 12-14 pups. In short, the number of pups can vary between 1 to 24.

Sexual maturity in the reproduction of the domestic rat

When can the Domestic Rat be bred?

As part of ethical rat farming, I ‘m waiting for my rats to reach the age of 5 months to decide to find them a partner so that they reproduce. However, the female reaches her sexual maturity at the age of 5 weeks and at a maximum of 8 weeks. Ditto for the male.

Why do I wait until my female rats are 5 months old to breed?

The reason I wait until my rats are 5 months old before breeding them is quite simple. Rat growth is complete at 5 months. For those who would like to try the adventure, know that it is unwise and dangerous for your rat to get pregnant when she is 12 months old since she risks having a spontaneous abortion and you can also fear complications. . So forget the plan to reproduce your beloved rat, too old, even if you want there to be descendants of this little cutie because you risk, at worst, causing her to lose her life, and I don’t think that’s at all. that’s what you think about when you have that sudden urge to remember your rat’s personality, or at least certain traits of it passed down to some of his baby rats.

Reproductive cycle in the domestic rat

The role of a breeder is precisely to take care not to create a proliferation of rats by a total loss of the birth control of the pups, because if there is no Don’t be careful, a single female rat that can be fertilized every 3 to 5 days can easily have 6 litters a year. It is important to separate the males from the females because as soon as the pregnant rat gives birth, she is again in heat so it is also imperative to remove her pups which are males from the cage in order to avoid unwanted inbreeding. (the little ones that mate with the mother or between brothers and sisters).

How do you detect heat in a domestic rat?

Wondering when a spleen is in heat and can reproduce?

Every time I see my rats butterfly their ears, I know they’re in heat. They are not all shaking their ears because some will simply arch their backs when their companions pretend to protrude on them or they will jump when their lower back is touched by their fellow creatures. The female is therefore fertilizable as mentioned above every 3 to 5 days on average and the male can mate with the female during these periods.

Mating in domestic rats

The Chimère raterie is made up of females and males who like each other since each female and each male knows each other very well, so when it comes to mating of one of my females and one of my males, the union occurs quickly. A few hours later, my rats are pregnant. So I don’t have to make a presentation before the mating. All my rats and rats already love each other even though they live apart. I can afford to round up my females and my males after making sure my females are not in heat. For now, I don’t like the idea of imposing an unknown rat on my rats and that’s why I think I will always keep both sexes in my rats. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, but that’s how I think and that’s fine. Everyone has their own opinion on this aspect and I respect that since I am the first not to understand the attitude of people who seek to impose single thought. I think rat farming should not become a religion where dogmas are fixed. Everything can evolve and it’s the same principle of life, no stagnation but constant movement.

If you want to experiment with a litter just for fun, it is essential that you note the date of mating to ensure that the pregnant rat give birth within 21 to 23 days of gestation.

Recognizing a pregnant spleen

Wondering how to know if a rat is pregnant? Here is a list of 6 criteria that can tell you that your rat is pregnant.

1. Disappearance of heat.
2. Change in behavior in the rat and manifestation of aggression for some.
3. Your spleen is calmer, less playful.
4. Increase in your spleen’s appetite.
5. Spleen weight increases.
6. Hair loss around the udders evident for some rats.
7. Construction of a nest for some rats but it is not systematic.
8. The spleen takes on the shape of an Orangina bottle.

His heat will stop immediately after mating. The pregnancy of the spleen begins to be visible from the third week because a greater weight gain is then noticeable.

Arrangement of the cage for the reproduction of the domestic rat

As a rat breeder, I make sure to arrange a cage according to the needs of the pregnant rat. A rat needs to feel safe in order to give birth without stress, a cage without any odor that could make her suffer in the respiratory tract so I avoid plexiglass maternity cages which contain too much vapors of ammonia from his urine. In these cages, the rats have only one desire, to escape. So it’s far from being an ideal context for the rat to want to take care of its young and with good reason! I only have to put myself in his place to have only one desire, that of throwing away this type of cage with a flagrant lack of ventilation. Rats have fragile lungs and they need an airy cage so as not to get sick or experience respiratory discomfort of all kinds.

For my part, I prefer small cages for dwarf hamsters that are neither too small nor too large, in which I incorporate paper towels.

This type of cage also allows me to install inside:

• a small hammock
• one floor
• a hiding place
• a bowl of food
• a bottle of water

Cage size for a pregnant rat

On the one hand, a cage that is too small will stress the rat, which will feel stuck with its offspring, which quickly becomes full of life and moves a lot, which tires the mother, favoring the abandonment of its young.

And on the other side, a cage that is too big will once again unnecessarily stress the mother who will risk changing her little ones regularly because of too much space and this space is responsible for creating a feeling of insecurity in the mother rat.

Integration of the pregnant rat in its cage

I put another rat in her cage, the one she gets along with the best, her best friend! When the pregnant rat reaches 20 days of gestation, I remove her friend from the cage and I leave her in a quiet place and, of course, sheltered from drafts. I also remove the hammock, the floor and the hiding place. I add more paper towel if the spleen has soiled it and hasn’t used it to nest yet.

Which cage should I choose for my pregnant rat?

I can show you as an example this cage below whose bar spacing is less than one centimeter, which is preferable to prevent baby rats from trapping their heads between the bars however other cages can perform the same functions as this one as well as the second one listed here:

Cage for dwarf hamsters, Pad – Living World

Key Features:

• 360° view of the animal
• Easy to clean
• Easy to assemble
• Dimensions: L. 42.5 x W. 31 x H. 37 cm (16.7 x 12.2 x 14.5 in).
• Diameter of the bars: 1.5 mm / 2.5 mm.
• Spacing between bars: 9.05 mm.

Content:

• Water bottle
• water bottle holder
• food bowl
• climbing tube
• platform
• grid platform with stairs
• exercise wheel
• hiding place

Plexiglass cage versus bar cage for dwarf hamsters

I have already told you about my opinion on plexiglass cages in relation to the well-being of the mother rat who finds herself in this type of environment for the end of her gestation and the breastfeeding period. However, I will still list their advantages. There are not only negative aspects for this type of cage and that is why I will make the comparison between a plexiglass cage and a cage with very close bars.

Advantages of the plexiglass cage

• Prevents the pups from being exposed to drafts.
• Prevent baby rats from getting their heads stuck between the bars, which are almost non-existent, except for the opening hatch on the top of the cage.
• Easy to maintain.

Advantages of the dwarf hamster cage

• Prevents the air from being quickly saturated with ammonia, the one contained in rat urine. A Plexiglas cage does not have sufficient ventilation and can greatly contribute to making the mother rat more vulnerable to respiratory infections. A mother rat and her litter quickly dirty the cage with their urine and excrement, and even if the cage is regularly maintained, the smell of urine is quickly felt, hence my reluctance to use this type of cage since ammonia is toxic to their lungs when present, and the cage does not have effective ventilation.
  Usually, by making sure to always keep the cages with bars clean, this problem is ruled out, hence the usefulness for a maternity cage of the cage with bars for dwarf hamsters which, for its part, is as well ventilated as the cages life of rats, those that serve as their usual home outside of gestation, quarantine or isolation cages.
• Easy to maintain.

Farrowing following the reproduction of the domestic rat

Are you wondering about the criteria on which to base yourself to know if everything is going well when giving birth to your pregnant spleen?

It’s not very complicated to memorize the following three criteria which ensure that you remain vigilant throughout the birth of your beloved spleen.

If you opt for the reproduction of the domestic rat for pleasure, here are 3 criteria to respect to save the life of your pregnant rat

1. The birth of a pregnant rat takes between 2 to 3 hours, 4 hours at most.
2. Beyond 4 hours, it is imperative that you contact your veterinarian
3. After 10 am it is clear that it is an absolute emergency, GO VETO