Starting to breed rats!

[artgecko]

Well.. No pics yet, but I did take them to the vet. He's put them on ivermectin for possible mites, tetracycline for possible infection of where some were scratching, and a topical anti-fungal / anti-biotic to put on the scabbed places on 3 of them. Trying to dose all 6 isn't fun lol.

But they did very well at the vets... No biting despite being stressed, itchy, and being handled by strangers, etc. Very good temperaments on these guys. They also got a lot of compliments. My vet hardly ever sees rats, so they were impressed with the cute not-nromal rats. lol

Since being on meds, they are doing better... Less scratching, the scabs look better, etc. Now, just to keep up the dosages for 3 weeks.. Fun times.

I currently have 11 rats now, but expect my older crew to start dying off in about 6 months (sigh)... So I'll be back down to these new 6 by the time they are ready to breed. I hope some of my old ones survive longer than that though (I have a cage that will hold up to 12 girls together, so I'm good on space).

[Thin Lizzy]

Well done to all of the rats for their good behaviour at the vet!
So good when you get a vet who shows interest in them!
Glad the 6 are doing well!
Your older rats may surprise you, I hope they live for longer!
What life expectancy do they give rats?

[artgecko]

Generally 1.5 - 3 years. I just had one of mine (I originally ahd 3 m / 3f) have a stroke and had to euthanize them.. My older ones are all from unknown lineage (2 from a petstore and 4 from a rescue litter), so the odds are not in their favor for a long lifespan. They are all still healthy and active though, so maybe they will make it to 2 years at least.

One of the girl's scabbed area is looking a bit worse today (I think the others are over grooming her or tussling and scratching the area) so I will probably have to seperate her out tonight when I get home from work... The others' scabbed places are looking much better though.

[Thin Lizzy]

I thought they had a longer life span than that. It seems unfair!

[artgecko]

I think 3 is about the max, except for unusual cases.. And to get 3 years, it really needs to come from a line that is being bred for a longer lifespan. I think there is a group of breeders in the UK called the "tabi initiative" or something similar... I think they are breeding for long lifespan. I do not know if they have been successful so far.

It is hard too, because some rats are so prone to RIs, which shorten their lifespan. For whatever reason, they just have weak respiratory systems.

I observed my dove female yesterday and noticed that she is the one making her scabbing worse... she is scratching it causing it to be an open wound. Too bad you can't get those cone collars for rats.. The others all appear much better now though.

[Thin Lizzy]

When I was in P@H today, they had some rats in and they looked so cute!

[artgecko]

Yeah, they're adorable when they're smaller especially. You just have to be careful with those from pet stores. Unless they have been handled from a young age, they can be standoffish and not social or even aggressive or fearful. One of the girls I got from this breeder is even very skittish and standoffish... Despite being handled from a young age.

I lost another one of my adult rats yesterday. Apparently I didn't follow quarantine quite well enough and the RI the little ones had spread to my adults. I am treating them all for it now (water-soluble tetracycline) but my adult male dumbo succumbed in 2 days... He has always had more issues with breathing and was always more sneezy than the others, so he was probably just more susceptible to respiratory problems. He went from showing symptoms to being dead in 3 days... Just a warning on these guys, when they do get sick it goes fast. :/ I'm hoping I started treatment soon enough to save the other adults.

Maybe I should have called this thread "the trials and tribulations of breeding rats" lol.

[Thin Lizzy]

So sorry to hear one of your rats died.
I so hope the other adult rats are OK.

[artgecko]

The others are not showing any signs of sneezing, etc. And for whatever reason the adult girls LOVE their medicated water... So I think they will be OK. Thanks for your sympathy.