What is a rat’s mating habits

Rats are some of the most abundant animals on earth and with good reason. These creatures are pervasive breeders and, because of their adaptability, they are able to find a way to survive in nearly any environment on earth.



The two most common rat that people will find on earth are the Black (often called the Old English rat) and the Brown (or Norway rat). These two rats are found all over the earth, but most often they are found where human beings are known to live in large numbers. They live off of the things that human beings do, like throw away large quantities of food and store large numbers of food. These are the perfect things for them to find as a staple of their own diets.

Being true omnivores only aids in their ability to reproduce and expand in numbers – large numbers. This is especially true of the Brown rat. This rat, also called a sewer, street or common rat is more commonly found than any other rat on earth. This is primarily due to the fact that they will breed throughout the year. Unlike many other types of animals, there is no specific breeding time for the Brown rat. It will go through the mating and reproduction period at any point on the calendar.

Rats live in large colonies, so there are always an abundant number of males and females to carry on reproduction. A female rat will make herself available to virtually any male who wants to copulate with her, and she will only stop this from occurring after fertilization has occurred. The gestation period for these rats is 21 days and litters can have as many as 14 babies, with the average being seven. Within five weeks the baby rat has reached its own sexual maturity and can begin to either fertilize or be fertilized by a male.

Just in terms of pure numbers, a female can become impregnated, have the babies and raise them, and then be ready to begin the process again within eight weeks. This means that in just 15 weeks a population of rats can increase by a factor of 10, which explains why they can be so hard to remove from any area. Black rats, also called ship rats, have a similar mating and birth cycle. They usually do not reach the same population levels, because they are slightly pickier eaters than the Brown rat. Mating and gestation follows similar patterns.

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