Buying heterosexual decorative rats, not everyone thinks of features of behavior and reproduction of this species of animals. As a result cases when "interesting position" of recently acquired rodent becomes the real surprise for the owner are frequent.
Instruction
1. The female of a decorative rat can be impregnated aged from 5 up to 9 weeks. However the age of 5-10 months is considered more suitable for pairing. The owner of a rodent should be guided by this age framework to receive healthy posterity.
2. Those who for the first time decided to be engaged in cultivation of rats need to know the following: the first-born samochka of a rat has to be aged not more senior than 8 months and 5-6 months a joy are not younger, otherwise there can be troubles at childbirth. If the female is younger, that is risk that she will not be able to take out posterity. If she is more senior, then will not be able independently to give rise, very often at rats of advanced age the pelvic channel is narrowed and childbirth without veterinary intervention is almost impossible.
3. Fertilization of a female happens in the period of a techka which passes each 5 - 10 days and lasts for 12 - 24 hours depending on breed of a rat (before being engaged in cultivation of rats, it is necessary to study physiology of a certain breed).
4. The act of pairing happens within several seconds. It is necessary to remember that the female can not admit to herself a male. If the samochka behaves aggressively, then the male needs to be changed.
5. Signs of "interesting situation" of a rat become noticeable only last week pregnancies. During this period the body of a rat gets a grushepodobny form. The incubation period on average lasts 20-25 days – it depends on quantity of embryos. At the end of pregnancy it is possible to notice how kids begin to move in a stomach at a female. It is extremely undesirable to play this period with a samochka as it during this period can show aggression.
6. At the end of pregnancy, approximately one week prior to childbirth, the samochka begins to equip a nest. At this time to it in a cage it is necessary to enclose soft papers and a dry grass – it is construction material for a nest. It is important to know that during pregnancy and during feeding of kids, in order to avoid irritation of a female, a male it is better to keep in a separate cage.
7. Food of a female of a rat during pregnancy demands a special diet. In the first two weeks of pregnancy, healthy food is a fowl, apples, cottage cheese, fish, willow branches, a nettle, chicken cartilages. It is occasionally possible to add a lettuce, an egg yolk, cucumbers to a diet. It is necessary to exclude onions, paprika, garlic, tomatoes from the menu. In the last week the same diet is recommended, it is only not necessary to give raisin and grapes. Drink has to be plentiful and contain proteins, mineral salts and vitamins.