Male rats - age of natural sterility?

[pshuga03]

For male rats, is there an age where they become sterile?
My Meiko is 38 months and 8 days old and has serious HED (doubt he'd be able to mount a female, even if he was interested - which i doubt). He is my remaining original ratster, but I have the 2 old ladies that I rescued from Claremont last year. I wouldn't DARE put them together at a younger age, but Hubby says no more rats until we get this house sold and move, so I'm feeling the guilt of having him alone. He needs a buddy to help him stay clean, otherwise it's twice a week baths from me in the kitchen sink :giggle: He's turned into quite the stinker in his old age!
I want him to have a snuggle buddy in his old age, but the "no more rats" thing poses quite a predicament. Would he be infertile at this age?...and what about females? They are a little over 2 now and neither have ever had their own litter before.
Genuine question :heart: thank you!!

 

[Dazzle87]

Rats do become less fertile as they age, and some do become sterile, but there is never a guaranteed age where they can't breed. Even with HED rats manage to get around so I wouldn't count on him being unable to mate with the girls. Aside from not wanting more rat babies, at their age pregnancy would be very risky for your girls, so I definitely wouldn't risk it.

Have you considered fostering a pair of males from a rescue? That way there is no permanent obligation, but Meiko can still get a buddy.

 

[pshuga03]

I have thought about it, but when he said no more rats until we move, he meant it. He doesn't want to show the house and people come in and see a cage full of rats and turn around and walk out automatically.

 

[pshuga03]

Bump bump - anyone else have an opinion? I'm genuinely curious )

 

[victoria]

I think it's too big a risk to put them together, just because pregnancy could be fatal to your girls. You can ask to see if your vet does Deslorelin implants on rats and chemically castrate him that way. It's a very minor surgical procedure (I get my rats back 5 minutes after it's done and they are back to normal within 20 minutes) and it would neuter your boy... not sure how much it would cost though or if you'll find a vet that will do it.

 

[hopefloats]

I agree with dazzle, to test a male to see if he is sterile, wouldn't be fun. I am not really sure they make cups that small :laugh4: It isn't worth the risk. he may be less fertile, but he is still playing with live ammo and you would be amazed the life that is poured into an old man when a females starts dancing around. There isnt a surefire way to test if the girl can get pregnant now or not. Older girls have a harder time delivering babies, could have less babies but they could be bigger causing issues in delivery, so an emergency spay would be in the playing cards for you.

if you cannot get him an older man buddy, I would leave it as it, wash him up and love him. But to put him with girls could make the girls life in danger.

 

[Spork]

I have thought about it, but when he said no more rats until we move, he meant it. He doesn't want to show the house and people come in and see a cage full of rats and turn around and walk out automatically.

At this point, you already have them and 4 isn't a big jump from 3. It seems to me that if someone is going to be freaked out by rats, it wouldn't matter how many. And you could always hide them in a closet when showing the house :wink2:

Though I like Victoria's suggestion of the implant, it seems like the best option for you right now.

 

[Joanne]

I agree I wouldn't take the chance of pregnancy, small as it may be. And I also agree that one more rat in with your boy won't turn the potential house buyer off any more than having three...
When we were selling our house several years ago, I moved my ferrets from the kitchen to the basement while it was on the market. Same reason - some people are fussy like that. Also, then the scent of ferret wasn't in the kitchen either!

 

[jorats]

I know for a fact that a 3 year old male fathered a litter... So I'd say don't risk it.

 

[hprats]

Since rats are supposed to be like humans...
Don't human males pretty much never lose their fertility?

But this thread made me curious, does anyone know anything about female rat menopause.

 

[Spork]

Since rats are supposed to be like humans...
Don't human males pretty much never lose their fertility?

But this thread made me curious, does anyone know anything about female rat menopause.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Pet-Rats-353 ... e-rats.htm

You cant really tell if the rat has gone through menopause unless you have the Vet run some blood work to check the hormone levels.
Oh and THANK YOU for not wanting to breed. I have pulled my hair out left and right on this site before with some many people that breed, having no clue what they are doing, breeding older rats that have never had litters and not having money to pay for emergency treatment should the rat have problems with labor etc... its really frustrating!


Anyhow, it would be super risky to put them together otherwise. Rats go through menopause anywhere from 18 months to 24 months old, sometimes older. The common age is 18 months since many mammary tumors are seen after this age. Mammary tumors often develop after menopause because estrogen levels skyrocket, which in turn fuels the development of mammary tumors in the mammary glands.
I have also heard of some rats that are over 2 come in for an emergency c-section because of an accidental pregnancy.

http://www.worldofrats.com/ROUSBreedingFAQ1.html

Generally, females are not fertile after 1.5 to 2 years of age. However, as with all females, ages of menopause can vary wildly, so I find it is very unwise to place an unspayed female of any age in with an unneutered male of any age unless you are quite prepared to deal with a late in life litter, which can be riskier than litters for younger females.

I also came across an interesting article about scientists developing a sort of rattie birth control (as a more humane alternative to rat poison in highly infested areas)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 174052.htm

The Northern Arizona University researcher and her colleagues at NAU and the University of Arizona identified a nontoxic chemical technology that when applied to rodents, caused infertility in rats, which feast on crops intended for human consumption.

 

[Dazzle87]

Human males do experience a decline in sterility as they age, and some do become infertile.

 

[SQ]

You could get a younger boy or girl to be friends with him and have them spayed or neutered.
Then someday when he passes, the younger rattie could be introed in with whatever other rats you have.

As others have said, one more isn't going to make a difference when selling the house