Mentoring Program for New Breeders

[Kim]

This forum is starting a Mentoring Program for all those members who wish to breed rats.

The mentoring program will put experienced breeders with less experienced breeders.

We thought that this would be a good way to learn as you go.

If you would like to be a Mentor, please email me at [e-mail] or PM me here on the forum, with the subject as : Being A Mentor.

Mentors you will need to tell me the following...

1) Your name and user name here on the forum if you email me.

2) How much rat breeding and owing experience you have had.

3) What area / state you live in.

4) If you are willing to have face to face contact with phone and email as well or would you prefer phone and email contact only or would you prefer only email contact.

5) If you are currently breeding or if you no longer breed.

6) What type - colour, marking, coat - are you most experienced with.



This is so we can match you up to a person who has similar answers to you.



For those of you wishing to be mentored by an experienced breeder, you will need to answer the following questions..

1) Your name and user name here on the forum if you email me.

2) Have you had any litters at all yet.

3) What area / state you live in.

4) If you are willing to have face to face contact with phone and email included or would you prefer phone and email contact only or would you prefer only email contact.

5) What type - coat, marking, colour - are you hoping to work on.



Again this is so we can match you up to a person who has similar answers to you.

So if you would like to have a Mentor to help you when it comes to breeding, please email me at [e-mail] or PM me here on the forum, with the subject as : I Need A Mentor.

[Kim]

Just a little breeding info for those who do have or are planning to have a litter for the first time.

• Females should be at least 6 months old before they have a litter.
  
  
• Rats can breed from 5 - 6 weeks old but body wise are not mature enough to have babies. - a pregnancy will stunt the growth of the mother if she is under 6 months old and sometimes the babies will also be stunted.
  
  
• It only takes a second for a male to mate a female.
  
  
• Pregnant females need a lot more food - cooked egg, tinned oysters, fresh fruit and veggies, cooked meat and bones, tins or jars of baby food, goats milk or soy milk, plus their dry food mix.
  
  
• Litters can be anything from 1 baby to 23 babies.
  
  
• At one week old you will be able to see nipples (small dots) going down the side of the female babies. Only females have nipples so you will be able to see how many are female and how many are males.
  
  
• Pregnant females and those with babies can become aggressive and over protective, due to hormones, so understand if your girl suddenly bites you.
  
  
• Pregnancy lasts 21 - 23 days
  
  
• Rats can have birthing issues and need vet assistance to deliver their litter, but most rats will do ok on their own.
  
  
• Male babies should be removed from the females a few days before they turn 5 weeks old and they shouldnt be allowed near another female after that age. - Even their mother should be kept away from them.
  
  
• Baby rats open their eyes at 2 weeks old, and from then on will start to eat food, so make sure they have soft food as well as dry food, but they will still need their mothers milk for another 2 weeks at least.
  
  
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[luvmyrats]

I love the idea of this.

A friend put me onto this site as i had trouble with one of my girls. I have had one succesful litter from a first time mum (all rittens had homes to go to & not the pet shop, we dont have any breeders in tsv).

Our 2nd litter (bred for personal use, not to supply for petshops, there is a small group of us that have rats and thats where they go) for another first time mum went wrong though, but thankfully we got her to the vet in time and she had a c-section and mum-rat is ok. The vet said she had 4 babies stuck inside and were wedged in the birthing canal.

I would like to learn about breeding and ways to prevent things from going wrong (although sometimes things do just happen). Bu you can always learn so much from those more experienced.

[dimruthien]

I'd like to breed in the future (probably in the next few years when we own our own home), but have considered breeding one litter for myself first.

I only have one doe now and I kind of really wish I'd bred her when I had the chance (3 years 7 months and still going!), and I don't want another doe for a while so that is kind of out at the moment. Oh well, one day

[Nutmeg]

I think that's a Brilliant idea! I wish I'd had a mentor when I started all those years ago...