Before thinking about breeding a rat careful consideration should be given to the potential parents with regard to their general health, temperament, any genetic defects present or carried, etc to ensure that they are a good match for breeding likely to produce healthy babies.

Careful consideration should also be given as to what is to be done with the babies produced. The average litter size for a rat is 6-12 but they can have up to 18 babies in a single litter.

It is vital that owners make plans for the babies produced before taking the decision to start breeding rats.