RAT BREEDING
(Male & Female differance's, Pregnant rat, baby care info & more)


Please click on a picture to take you to each page

The following information is to help Pet rat owners who may experience occasional litters.
The information is not necessarily to help breeders breed.

Topics covered on this page.
Click on the section you would like to visit or continue scrolling down the page.
Colors & Markings Male/Female differences Pre-Breeding info Pregnancy Info Baby Info Determining Sex

Rat colors & Markings:
Rats have all sorts of colors and markings. It can be quite difficult to try to compare pictures and descriptions to your rat, since some of them look almost exactly the same. For pet rat owners it isn't all that important to know the exact term for what kind of rat you have, you can do your best at guessing.
Different rat shows and organizations have different qualifications to just what the patterns or colors have to look like to be considered "Show quality" Non show quality rats are referred to as "pet quality."
Different countries have different names and standards for colors and markings as well.

Below are general descriptions to help the average pet owner.

• Common -is a pet store term used for a common large sized rat, smaller than a Fancy, usually the white lab rats.
  
• Fancy -is a pet store term for rats with fancy markings and tend to be larger than "Common" referred to as Jumbo.
• Hooded -A hood covers the rats head to just below the shoulders. Hoods can come in many different colors, most commonly beige, gray, black or white.
  
  
• Saddle -The markings on the back of a hooded rat is called a saddle. If the markings are not fully connected to the hood and the tail, then it would be called a mis-marked saddle. If the pattern is unevenly patterned -not symmetrical -it would be called a Variegated Saddle.
• Variegated -Head and shoulders can be any color, with a variegated (Or uneven -Not symmetrical) pattern from the shoulders down to the tail.
• Blaze -Has a wedge shaped stripe in between the nose leading up to the head. The wedge stripe will be a different color than the rest of the rats body.
• Bareback -Basically a hooded rat with no markings on their back.
• Capped -Has a colored head - does not extend to the shoulders or throat area.
• Berkshire -Berkshire is any color rat with a white underside/belly. In most cases to be a show quality Berkshire, the rat also needs a triangle shaped spot in the center of their forehead, a different color than the rest of their body (most commonly white.)
  
• Rex- Has curly springy wavy hair.
  
  
• Hairless/Sphinx -The rat is not covered in fur but can have random hairs on their bodies. Hairless rats can have dark markings. Hairless rats have curly whiskers -not straight long whiskers.
  
  
  
• Manx/Tailless- Tailless rats are fairly rare and have a difficult time surviving, as rats sweat through their tails and without one they have a hard time maintaining a manageable body heat. Tailless rats also have a hard time maintaining balance and fall over easily. Some tailless rats have survived without any complications.
• Dark eyed rats -have large black pupils, with a sliver of color on the side.
• Odd eye rats -have one pink eye and one dark colored eye.
• Pink (red) eyed whites -Often referred to as PEWS or REWS, are white rats with pink (Red) eyes.
  Pink eyed rats tend to sway their heads back and forth to help them see better.
  
  
• Agouti - wild colored rat, reddish brown hair.
  
• Satin -The rat has a very bright sheen to their hair, the hair should be fine to the touch, thin and appear to be long in length.
• Self -The entire rats body appears to be the same uniform color.
• Silvered -a colored coat that is evenly mixed with white hairs.
  
• English Irish -any colored rat with a white triangle (equal on all sides) on their chest.
• Irish -Has a white marking on it's belly -not extending onto the chest or sides of the rat, as symmetrical as possible, white feet and tail tip.
• Dalmatian -White body with, Color splashes evenly throughout the body.
• Masked -Has a colored mask just over and around the eye area.
• Himalayan -White body with dark shading around nose and behind.
• Siamese -Usually a off white to cream color with Dark shading around nose and behind area.
  
  
• Blue -slightly blue colored hair, not to be confused with gray.
• Rats can have two different types of ears:
  The standard regular top ear rats -with their ears on the top of their head.
  
  and Dumbo ears that are usually a bit larger and on the side of the rats head.
  
  
  
  Male & Female differences:
  (Below is generalizations and is not true in ALL cases.)
  
• Female rats tend to be more petite (Smaller) than males.
• Females tend to be more active and have more energy than males.
• Male rats tend to be a bit overweight and lazier than females.
• Female rats tend to have soft silky shiny hair, while male rats hair tends to be more coarse and dull colored.
• Female rats tend to smell much like grape soda. (a sweet smell)
• Males tend to smell like tortillas. (all though, i have never thought my males smell like that, mine smell sort of musty.)
• Male rats can get rather stinky and dirty quickly and most need frequent baths if you want them to smell good and be clean.
• Male rats (From my experience) are much messier than girls and need their cages cleaned much more frequently.
• Baby rats no matter what gender are very active.
• Female rats are often referred to as "Does."
• Male rats are often referred to as "Bucks".
  
  A female in heat:
  
• Rats do not have a breeding season, they will breed all year round, but they do tend to breed more frequently in the spring time.
• Common signs your female may be in heat are:
  She sticks her butt up in the air.
  When you touch her back she arches her back.
  She is overly jumpy or squeaky when you touch her.
  It has been rumored females in heat will wiggle their ears frequently.
  She runs and stops frequently.
  Before breeding rats please consider the following:
  
• Do you know the background genetic history of both parents, siblings and are you sure they are in good health?
• Do you have/know of a responsible, reliable Veterinarian who will treat your animal if the need arises?
• Do you have the money to get vet treatment if birthing complications should arise, such as emergency c-section if Mom dies during labor or if the babies get stuck in the birth canal?
• Are you emotionally and physically prepared to deal with complications if they arise? (such as dealing with blood -and possible death.)
• Do you have money for down the road medical complications, food and cage expenses for up to as many as 20 baby rats as well as your current rats?
• Do you have homes or plans lined up for the babies?
• Giving the rat babies to a pet store is not recommended but if that is your only option, make sure that the pet store is a good store with clean cages, good knowledgeable employees and that the babies will be sold as pets and not for food for other animals. Putting an ad in the paper would be a better option.
• If you are thinking about Breeding rats to make money, you should think of a different plan, as the cost of caring, housing, feeding and medical bills for your rats properly is more expensive then the money you'll make off selling them.
• If the mother refuses to care for her babies are you prepared to feed and care for the babies every two hours until they can eat on their own?
• Letting males and females play together if you are unknowledgeable or unprepared for babies is irresponsible.
• Think of all the rats in the world that already need homes. The world is filled with many, many, many, rats that already need homes, please consider taking in rats that already need homes rather than bringing more rats that need homes into the world. (Contact an animal shelter or Rat Rescue organization.)
  
  Breeding Tips:
  What to know and look for before breeding:
  
• Breeding should be done with caution as breeding ill rats or rats with illness in their backgrounds can have devastating consequences to the parents and/or the babies.
• Some health problems are not noticed until the rat reaches old age, so just because the rat is young and appears healthy doesn't necessarily mean they don't have tumors, respiratory problems or even Mega colon in their blood lines.
  
• Do not breed rats that are temperamental or bite often, the traits can be passed onto the babies. (Temperament is not always genetic as it can be caused by poor treatment or care for the animal earlier in life but it is best to avoid breeding rats with temperament issues.)
• Not Breeding temperamental rats can be a bit difficult as in some instances people have noticed that they don't become aggressive until adults (8 months to around 1 year) and most commonly, rats will be bred before they reach this age, so it can be tricky to avoid.
• Do not breed rats who have Pneumonia, pneumonia can be passed on to the kids. This includes both the male and the female. Most often it would be spread by the infected rat sneezing on or around the non infected rat.
  If a rat is infected with Pneumonia as a baby, they usually don't express symptoms until they are 3 months old.
  
• Do not breed females who are under 4 months old, as their bodies are to small and giving birth *could* cause internal complications that could be life threatening.
  Petite or very young mother's, babies on occasion can get stuck in the birth canal if they are to large and cause serious complications.
  
• Young Mothers sometimes tend not to have any mothering instincts and will not nurse or care for their babies, sometimes they will not care for the babies for the first few hours or even days but then they will come around and take over their mothering duties. (you will have to hand fed the babies if the mother does not take care of them.)
• It is best not to breed females who are over a year old -and especially who are over 2 years old. Taking care of babies is stressful on a young and healthy Mom and on an already elderly rat it can strain them immensely and in the long run could decrease their life span or hinder the Mom's care of the babies.
• Only Breed Females who are strong and eating well, and who do not have any health problems. (This includes health problems currently, in the past and the parents, grandparents and other siblings history of illnesses.)
• Rats can mate/breed in a matter of seconds -a blink of the eye, so you should never let females and males play together unless you want babies. (Unless one is spayed or neutered) Even if you think you can monitor them, they are very fast!.
  
  Inbreeding:
  
• Inbreeding is not a good idea as it can cause genetic problems if problem traits are passed on.
• On occasion some breeders will inbreed which they refer to as line breeding in order to get a rat of a specific color or pattern. Such as breeding fathers to daughters or other family members together.
  Line breeding is mainly done if the parents are becoming to old to breed any longer and no other rats with that color or pattern are available to breed.
  
• Some studies are proving that inbreeding in wild rats is causing rats life span's to decrease -so it is suspected inbreeding in domestic rats would cause the same result. (Note: The decrease in life span is slowly taking place -not rapidly. I did have a link to a study about inbreeding decreasing lifespan but unfortunately the page no longer exists -if anyone finds it -please let me know.)
  * I do not condone inbreeding, i believe it causes to many health problems for the ratties.
  
  Rat pregnancy info:
  
• Pet stores make a lot of mistakes and it is very common for you to bring home a "female" that is actually a male or bring home a "male" who is actually a female.
  Do not rely on what the pet store tells you -check for yourself or you just may find a surprise of babies soon after getting your ratties.
  
• It is also common if you get a girl pet store rat that she is more than likely pregnant.
  Some Pet stores don't separate the sexes, or they think they have, but in reality haven't separated all of them. Also, sometimes males and females are mixed in the same transporter on their way to the Pet store -so they could be pregnant.
  
• When handling a pregnant female carry her comfortably, don't pick her up with pressure on her belly you could upset her or the babies inside.
• It is suggested to restrict a pregnant females climbing, as she may not be able to jump like she used to and could fall causing injury or complications.
• It is recommended to put the pregnant female in a cage of her own a week before she is to give birth. Aquariums make the safest place for a rat to give birth. If you have a wire bottom or sided cage the babies could fall through or out of the cage, causing them injury or possibly death if they get stuck and are unable to free themselves.
  Some pregnant females can live with other females without any problems, but some pregnant females get very protective and may attack their other cage mates.
  
• A pregnant female rats stomach will gradually start getting larger the farther along in her pregnancy she gets. She will look the largest the last week, especially the last 3 days of pregnancy. Sometimes you can't even notice the rat is pregnant until the last few days.
• Pregnant rats will eat a lot more frequently than usual -but not necessarily more than usual. Make sure Mom has plenty of healthy foods and is getting plenty to eat and drink.
• Pregnant rats tend to groom their hairs away from their nipples in preparation for nursing -some rats will do this before the babies are born and some will only do this after the babies are born. If the female uncovers her nipples before giving birth that is a very good sign that she is prepared to take care of them.
• Some pregnant female's will begin making their nests almost immediately after realizing she is pregnant, others will wait until the last week to make a nest, or sometimes they will make a nest when the babies are born or some do not make any nest at all.
• It is best to provide pregnant mothers a house, igloo, or box to hide in, as they are more comfortable if they have a darker area to rest in, than if they are left in an open empty cage.
• Rats are pregnant for 21-23 days.
• Rats will give birth to an average size litter of 6-24 babies. (Most common averages are 6-15 babies.)(Large litters are more uncommon than smaller ones.)
• A pregnant rats water will break before giving birth. The rats water can break several hours or even 24 hours before she goes into labor. The breaking water will look like water with a slight reddish/blood tint. (Most of the time us humans don't notice the water has broken, unless it happens in our presence.)
• The pregnant Mom will start bleeding lightly before giving birth.
• Signs your rat may be going into labor is stretching and moving herself around in sort of odd positions.
• Try not to watch the Female give birth to closely, she may get nervous which could cause complications or make the birthing take longer.
• Mom will use her hands and feet to help deliver the babies.
• Mom will lick clean each baby, chew through the umbilical cords and eat the afterbirth.
• Birthing usually lasts 1-2 hours. If your rat is in labor longer than 2 hours but is still continually giving birth i would not be overly worried, but do keep an eye on Mom. (if your rat is in labor for longer then an hour without continuing to deliver babies, call a vet immediately, there may be a problem.)
• Baby rats are very vocal and will squeak continuously -often this is the first sign to us humans that the babies have been born, the unmistakable squeaks from little rat babies.
• Some pregnant rats or new mothers can become selectively aggressive to other rats and/or humans while pregnant and while nursing their babies. They may allow some rats to see or visit with them while others they chase away and try to fight with. Also, one day they might be comfortable with you handling the babies, while the next day they may get upset when you come near their babies.
• Before fur growth begins baby rats are often referred to as "Pinkies."
• Many people call baby rats, kittens, puppies, or ratlettes.
• Be very careful with what bedding you are using around babies, some bedding is really dusty and can clog up the babies noses, some bedding can get wrapped around or stuck onto the babies which could cause injury or other complications. Especially DO NOT USE cotton fluff bedding! This bedding can and will get wrapped around the babies cutting off circulation, which could result in amputation or death. The cotton fibers are very small and can be very hard to see without examining closely.
  *I recommend laying down newspaper on the bottom of the cage and then covering the bottom with strips of blankets, fleece or paper towels -make sure the fabric does not have holes or strings -the babies and even mom could get wrapped up, stuck or injured.
  
• Be careful when handling the babies around mom, she may become aggressive, by grabbing the babies and not letting go, or she may bite. Be especially careful when handling the babies if mom is out for free range time and the babies are with you out of the cage, she may come around grab some of the babies and run off with them.
• It is best to lure mom away from the babies with a snack and put her in another room or cage while you handle the babies.
• The mother can become pregnant immediately after birth, so if you don't want more babies you should separate the male and female right after realizing she is pregnant.
  It is recommended to wait a few months between litters to allow mom to properly take care of her babies, recover and heal.
• The babies should be left with the mother for at least 4 weeks. 5 weeks is the recommended weaning time.
  
• At 4 weeks separate the babies from mom for a few hours (1-3 hours) a day and then put them back in with mom, everyday separate them for a little longer than the day before. This can be easily done by letting mom out to play and run around on her own. Or you can let mom and the babies all run around together somewhere safe such as on a couch or bed.
  Some people don't slowly wean the babies and just take them away but in my opinion if you slowly separate the babies and mom this helps mom adjust better and allows the babies time to explore and learn on their own.
  On the first day of 5 weeks -4 full weeks, separate the males and females and put them in separate cages.
  It is up to you if you plan on keeping all the females in one cage or several cages, and if you plan on keeping all the males in one cage or several.
  If you have multiple cages of the same sex and they get along, they can be allowed to play together.
  It is up to you if you are going to allow the girls to stay with their mother and allow the boys to live with their father.
  (If you are going to be placing the babies in homes, then it might be best to house the babies separately from the parents and other rats, so your rats don't get depressed or confused when the babies go to their forever homes.)
  
• Most females will reach Menopause at around 18 months. (Even if you think the female has hit menopause you shouldn't let her play with males, as she still could get pregnant.)
  
• Most Mothers and Fathers are great parents and will not hurt their babies, but -rarely some rats can become aggressive to the babies and hurt them -this most commonly will happen if their are many rats living in a small space and they have to compete for food. If the father becomes aggressive separate him. If the female is hurting the babies or isn't nursing them you will need to try to locate another nursing female.
  When adding babies to another Mothers litter, pick up all the babies and rub them in the surrogate mom's bedding and mix them up, this will help all the babies smell the same.
  If another nursing mother is unavailable you can try separating the babies for small periods of time to see if giving mom a few small breaks will help relieve her stress and allow her to calm down and nurse the babies.
• Mothers on rare occasions may eat the babies that have died during birth.
  On very rare occasions the mom may eat the live babies if the mom is not properly fed and starving.
  
• Do not introduce new rats to pregnant Females, they may react violently and hurt themselves and/or the other rats.
• If pregnant rats are kept together in the same cage, they will likely mix up the litters. On rare occasions the females may start a tug of war for the babies, injuring them, if this happens separate the females. It is good for multiple mothers to have multiple nests, this can help prevent fighting. A lot of mothers enjoy having another mother around as they can take turns nursing them.
• Females have 12 nipples so if they have more than 12 babies it can be hard to properly feed all of them, so you may need to rotate the babies if their is more than 12 to ensure they all get properly fed.
• If one mother has a large litter and is unable to properly nurse due to lack of nipples (they only have 12) or milk, you can try to place the babies with another nursing mother if available and if the surrogate mother accepts the babies.
• Make sure if your rat has a wheel in it's cage that it is off the ground high enough so that no babies will get stuck under it or in it. I would suggest removing the wheel from the cage if possible until the babies are weaned and/or large enough not to get injured under or on the wheel.
  
• Non Pregnant females who live with pregnant females on occasion have been known to start lactating and taking care of the babies -this is especially helpful to large litters, so all the babies can be properly fed.
• It is all right to let the mother out to play when pregnant but make sure to keep an eye on her so she doesn't get injured or go into labor in a space where you can't get to her. (such as inside a couch or under furniture where it is hard to reach.)
• It is also O.K. to let Mom out to play after giving birth but make sure she is not out longer than an hour for at least the first 2 weeks, as the babies may get cold and hungry. (After two weeks you can let the mom play a little longer than an hour but don't let her be away from the babies to long.)
• Babies will start nibbling on food at about 2 weeks of age, normally just picking things up taking one small nibble and then dropping the food, at about 4 weeks, they will almost completely be eating foods on their own and no longer nursing.
  
  Hand feeding babies:
  If your female refuses to care for and feed her babies you will need to step in or all of the babies will die.
  On occasion some females, especially hairless females have had problems lactating and are unable to produce milk.
  If possible try to find another lactating female that could nurse the babies, if one is not available then you will need to hand feed the babies.
  Babies can be nursed with puppy milk, goats milk, kittens milk, baby formula and soy milk.
  Baby formula should contain the least amount of iron you can find.
  Fill a needle-less syringe or eye dropper with the milk and insert the syringe into the babies mouth -they will wiggle and squeak and probably drool some milk out of their mouths. Slowly feed the baby the milk. After the baby has had some milk make sure to rub the babies belly/abdomen to help the baby digest the milk and go to the bathroom.
  Babies should be fed every two hours for the first week, after the first week feeding can take place with a little more time in between feedings, such as every 3-4 hours.
  If you are hand feeding babies leave food out at all times, to encourage them to eat dry food.
  After the babies open their eyes they will start eating a lot more dry food and you can put a small dish of milk in the cage and let them drink that way rather than syringe feeding them. (Be sure to have water available as well.)
  
  Things to know about rat babies:
  
• Baby rats are very vocal, and tend to squeak a lot, especially because Mom carries them, lays on them or tries to run away with nursing babies still attached to her.
• The Mother rat will carry around her babies with her teeth (in her mouth), this does not hurt them.
• The babies mostly just roll around for the first week, but will attempt to crawl.
• Some babies will start trying to drink the Mothers milk, even while she is still giving birth.
• Try not to disturb the babies much for at least a day, unless you sense a problem, the babies need to be with their mother -and mom may become protective of the babies and try to bite. You can look at the babies but keep the visits short.
• Look at the babies stomach for a "milk band" this will be a white/cream line across their stomachs, this will show that the baby is eating and it's belly is full of milk. (you can only see the milk band for the first few days)
• Humans handling pet rat babies will not cause the mother to kill them -altho the mother may kill babies occasionally for unknown reasons -commonly because of suspected poor baby health.
• On occasion the mother may refuse to care for babies she feels are ill or not going to survive. She may push them off into a corner by themselves or hide them under bedding. (To try to prevent mom from loosing babies in the cage or pushing them aside, you should count the babies when they are born and on occasion do a baby head count.
• Remove any dead babies upon discovering them.
• If a baby is born ill it is common they may die on the first night. If the babies make it through the first night they are likely to survive.
• Rats are born without fur and are pink for about 3 days.
• On day 3 you can start seeing hints of the babies markings, and some light fur growth, gradually getting easier to see the markings with each passing day.
• Rats are born with their eyes and ears closed.
• Rats ears are bent towards their heads appearing to almost be fully attached to the head when born and gradually will open and spread out.
  Their ears will be fully opened at about 9 days old.
  
• It will take about 10-14 days before the rat has a full light coat of fur.
• It takes 10-14 days for rats to open their eyes (Sometimes the whole litter will not open their eyes on the same day.)
• The babies will become very active once they open their eyes, and become very curious and begin exploring.
• Baby rats hair is very, very soft, unlike older rats hair which is usually more coarse.
• The babies should not be separated from their mother any earlier than 4 weeks. The first day of 5 weeks is recommended.
• If you leave the males in with mom and their sisters longer than 5 weeks they can and WILL become pregnant.
  
  Determining the sex of rats:
  
• To tell if your rat is a female look for nipples (12 of them) -if you find them you have a girl, you may need to move the hair around a little bit to find them.
• To tell if you have a male look for male anatomy -testicles.
• If you are having trouble telling the sexes apart when you are trying to ween the babies, if possible, put sexes you can identify in one cage, such as females in one cage, males in another and the unknowns in another, until you can determine their sexes accurately.
• Males can retract their manly parts, so look carefully. If need be press gently on the lower part of the rat stomach to make sure they are not hiding anything!
  
  How to breed:
  
• Put the selected Female and the selected male together and watch them closely to make sure they get along and will not fight.
• If they are friendly watch and see if they mate, if you witness mating, simply wait the 21 days for babies. :)
• If you do not witness mating allow the selected male and female to be together for about an hour a day for a week.
• If this is unsuccessful leave them together for a day or two (If they get along).
• After putting the male and female together, separate them and wait 21-23 days and then you should have babies. :)
• If after 21-23 days there are no babies and you think/realize the female was not pregnant after all then you can put the selected couple together and try again.
  
  Telling identical rats apart:
  If you happen to have two (Or more) rats that have similar markings and you are having trouble telling them apart here are a few ideas to help:
  
• Put a dab of hair dye on one of the rats. Make sure to only use a small amount and be sure to rinse the hair dye off completely and quickly after application, to make rats do not ingest any of it.
• Draw stripes or markings on one of the rats tails with permanent marker. Some permanent markers may contain harmful chemicals so use with caution.
  
• Using a Children's washable marker is a safer option than a permanent marker, but may need to be re-applied often.
• Dab a bit of food coloring on to the rat.
• You could also try using cooked beet root and rub that onto the rat. (The rat or other rats may eat it off quickly.)
• Another possibility would be to snip a small patch of hair off of one of the identical rats so you could tell them apart more easily. (Hair takes a while to grow back so this would last quite some time.)
  Here is the twins Punker & Felix, Notice Punker's green patch of hair.
  
  Spay/Neutering:
  In some instances people like to keep males and females together so spaying or neutering may be done to prevent pregnancy.
  Neutering is some instances can help aggressive males calm down and be less aggressive.
  If you have an option to spay or neuter -neutering the male is usually a safer option as a spay is a more difficult process.
  Spayed or neutered rats should be kept away from the opposite sex after surgery for at least two weeks (one month is better) to ensure they have recovered and healed from surgery.
  It can be difficult to find a willing Vet and rather expensive to spay or neuter a rat, but it can be worth it if you want to have both males and females play together.
  
  
  Email me if you have rat questions or more rat info.!!!
  Email: DiscoPanth@earthlink.net
  
  
  
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