{"topic_id":"exotic_breeding_rat_mouse","category":"exotic-breeding","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_breeding_rat_mouse\ncategory: exotic-breeding\ntitle: \"Rat Mouse — breeding (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner version (merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets), first-hand consumer care text saved to source_file; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3. Pulled 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/owner-care/merck_rat_mouse.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 840\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 12\n  passed: 12\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: exotic-breeding/exotic_breeding_rat_mouse/01_exotic_breeding_rat_mouse.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (all-other-pets)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), pet owner version\"\n  title: \"Rat Mouse — breeding (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner version — rat mouse care\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary manual (consumer version)\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source is a copyrighted, non-Open-Access animal-care reference (see citation); per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n\n# Rat Mouse — breeding (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)\nSource: a copyrighted, non-Open-Access animal-care reference (named in the citation). Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Avoid ammonia buildup from urine by changing litter often enough.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Rats breed prolifically, so keep only same-sex individuals together.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Aggression is uncommon among litter-mate rats raised together.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Temperatures above 30°C (86°F) can cause heat exhaustion, especially if the cage is overcrowded.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Male rats reach sexual maturity at about 6–10 weeks; females at 8–12 weeks.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Average gestation is 21–23 days; pregnancy may be detected at about 2 weeks via abdominal palpation or weight or mammary changes.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Keep the cage quiet and do not disturb the litter for at least 7 days after birth, especially for a first litter.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Females can become pregnant again soon after birth; being pregnant while nursing is unhealthy.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Give females at least 2 months' rest between pregnancies and litter-rearing to recover.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Reproductive problems are uncommon in healthy rats.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Rats breed prolifically, so keep males and females in separate cages.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Aggression is uncommon among litter-mate mice raised together.\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: a copyrighted, non-Open-Access animal-care reference (named in the citation below). Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, every claim above is a paraphrased derived fact summary (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not a verbatim quotation.\n\n- https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets","sources":["exotic-breeding — Rat Mouse — breeding (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-breeding","title":"Rat Mouse — breeding (owner-practical care, Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (all-other-pets)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/owner-care/merck_rat_mouse.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (all-other-pets)","source_file":"pdf-raw/owner-care/merck_rat_mouse.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":620,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}