[fuffles]

I have two adult female rats that live together, can I put a male in to mate with them or would I have to take one female out 1st? Also if one gets pregnant do I have to take the female that's not pregnant out. I no I have to remove the male.

[JudyKayTee]

The females will fight if they are with a male. And, yes, adults eat babies - their own and others.

Did you do much research before you purchased these animals?

[fuffles]

Yes about my two females who are happy together, I am not getting a male until I no more, That's WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION

[odinn7]

They likely will fight... probably with the male because he is now invading their territory. You are better off to get this breeding fantasy out of your head if you actually care about the rats you have now.

[fuffles]

How do I not care about my rats just because I want to breed them, I'm obviously trying to do it properly otherwise I wouldn't have asked the question I would have done regardless. I love my rats very much for your information and would not do anything to harm or upset them.

[Wondergirl]

I love my rats very much for your infomation and would not do anything to harm or upset them.

Then do NOT breed them!!

[odinn7]

Then do NOT breed them!!!

I seem to agree with WG... if you care like you say you do, then why take chances?

[JudyKayTee]

Typing in caps is the same as shouting at me - please stop.

People who love their animals don't breed them.

[APoetCalledAnya]

The females may be too old to safely breed. Rats who have never had a litter and are older than 6 - 8 months tend to have complications with pregnancy and birthing. (A c-section near me cost $600+ for a rat.) Rats older than 10 - 12 months who have never had a litter should not be bred. (By the way, breeding increases the risk of mammary rumors and may forever change the personality of the rat.)

The male may become overly excited and severely beat them up and injure them. The females may hurt him for invading their territory. New rats should be quarantined for at least 2 weeks prior to coming in contact with your other rats. Then the rats should be introduced on a neutral territory to reduce the chance of fighting.

Females can be housed together when pregnant and when they have a litter. However it is not recommended as females often steal each others babies and this can lead to fights and babies getting injured.

How old are they? Where did you get them from? If you do not know their age (within a week of it) and you do not know their background genetics then you should not breed them. Many pet store rats were breed for the sake of NOT being pets and not expected to live long. So concerns of the females being prone to tumors and passing that increased chance to their offspring was not factored in when they were breed. Hence you would be breeding a tumor prone line and not breeding to better the line.

Just for my curiosity's sake... Do you know how often a female rat goes into heat? How long their gestation is? When do you separate the males babies from the females?

[RatMama20]

If you want to mate them it's a good idea not to have two females in the same cage while its going on... This is from a site I rely on and ill also give you the link:
-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.
-Some pregnant rats or new mothers can become selectively aggressive to other rats
-Most females will reach Menopause at around 18 months. (I don't know how old yours are, but that may be helpful?)
There's more in the link, it has everything you need to know about breeding your rats, and mixing two females. Rat Breeding/Rat Babies
One very important thing is to be prepared for complications that you may need to take your momma to the vet for. And that site is a godsend I hope it helps you :)