How to Breed Fancy Rats

"Fancy rats" is a commercial term referring to rats that are meant to be sold as companion animals and pets, rather than as food for reptiles. Fancy rats may be bred for interesting coat coloration or simply to ensure that their babies have good temperaments. Breeding rats is a simple process. If you are interested in breeding fancy rats, take a few extra steps to ensure that you yield a good, healthy litter.

Things You'll Need

  • Rats
  • Aquarium with lid
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select your breeding pair. The female should be at least 4 months old, as females bred younger tend to have difficult births. Both male and female rats should have good temperaments and be easy to handle. Male rats especially can pass aggressive tendencies on to their young.

    • 2

      Watch the female to see when she comes in heat. Females come into heat as often as twice a week when they are not pregnant. Signs that a female rat is in heat include pushing her hindquarters up in the air, wiggling her ears frequently and agitated behavior. If you touch a female rat's back when she is heat, she will raise her head and tail, lowering the center of her back.

    • 3

      Place the male and female rat in an aquarium with a lid on it when you see that the female is in heat. While rats bred for feeders may be left in a tank and allowed to produce as many litters as they can in a short amount of time, fancy rats should be bred carefully so that you know when to expect a litter.

    • 4

      Leave the male and female rat in the aquarium for four or five hours to ensure that mating takes place.

    • 5

      Return the rats to their regular cage.

    • 6

      Watch the female rat to see if she is pregnant. After a mating, it takes 22 to 25 days for a female rat to give birth. After two weeks, she starts to put on weight. If the rat does not start to put on weight, repeat the process again.