Ages And Growth Rates

## Time Ratio

In this Roleplay, in order to speed things along such as growth and pregnancy times, 1 week equals 1 month, and if we follow this ratio then 1 day in real time equals 4 days Rp time

## Notes:

* It is always possible for any animal to have a litter or clutch of one, but in this Rp rodents can have a minimum of three babies, and Prey birds a minimum of 2 chicks. For predatory animals this number can tend to fluctuate a lot
* Adders can have up to 24 eggs at once in real life, and since we could have the hawks prey on them too they can have as many children as you can design and name within the incubation time as long as the number is manageable and within reason
* The maximum litter size on most creatures is a very rare possibility, the average is generally half the max
* No, these are not by any means the only creatures in the entire forest, if they were, then the predators would gobble them up before they had a chance to reproduce and everyone would die. No, these are just the ones we are focusing on and I can bring in a new character at any time if we need more creatures for mating and such, and since it does take a little while for babies to grow, I won't have the predators eat from the main characters every day until a little while when the first litters/clutches for all the prey animals have grown and the population is flourishing

## Rabbits

### Pregnancy duration

A rabbit's pregnancy lasts around 31 days or one month, so in the Rp, from start to finish, a rabbit can get pregnant and give birth in one just week real time. They can also get pregnant only a few days after giving birth. So if you want to (sometimes *I* will make it happen if the population is fairly low) you can have your rabbit character get pregnant the day after giving birth. Rabbits litters can consist of anywhere from 3-12 babies (also called kittens) in a litter. Rabbits can have anywhere from 1-7 litters a year, although the average is 3-4

### Other Growth Stages

* When baby rabbits are born, they are small and helpless, their eyes and ears are closed and they have no fur,
* For the first 2 weeks(4 days real time), baby rabbits will start growing fuzz, but during this time they have no fur and will have to cuddle together for warmth
* After 10-12 days (3 days real time) the rabbits will start to open their eyes and ears and will start exploring a bit, they are wobbly at first, but gain strength quickly as they nose around curiously outside the nest
* As the baby rabbits gain strength they become more independent, more playful, and more energetic
* Baby rabbits will still feed off their mother's milk for 2 months after they are born (2 weeks real time) but will eat some solid foods when they are 3-4 weeks old (1 week real time) as they explore and find new things
* when they are born, baby rabbits don't have a fully functioning immune system, so they depend on the antibodies and such from their mother to build theirs up
* Rabbits are teenagers at 2-6 months old, (2-6 weeks real time) and this is when their personality will start to show and they become much more independent without needing to feed on their mother's milk

### Young adult

Some male rabbits can reach sexual maturity as early as 10 weeks old,(18 days real time) but most don't until 4 months (28 days real time), while female rabbits don't reach sexual maturity until around 6 months old (around 42 days real time) and I *strongly encourage* you to make your rabbit reproduce like mad in order to keep the predators fed and the population stable. When they are young adults this is when their personality is a little and they are fully independent from their mother

### Fully grown

Rabbits are fully grown at 18 months old(18 weeks real time) and this is when their personality is finally present, before 18 weeks it is very hard to determine their personality, but I will have you fill out personality early on so that I can finish their page quickly

### Average Lifespan

Rabbits will typically live for under 2 years in the wild depending on predators, weather, and food availability

## Mice

### Pregnancy duration

Since mice are very small, their pregnancy only lasts for 24 days, so that would translate to only 6 days real time from start to finish for a mouse to get pregnant and give birth, but keep in mind, this means you only have 6 days to name and design the entire litter. they will generally give birth to about 3-8 babies and can mate and get pregnant the day after giving birth, resulting in having anywhere from 5-10 litters a year.

### Other Growth Stages

* When mouse pups are born, they can't see or hear, and have no fur, they are tiny and helpless and are completely dependent on their mother
* By day 4 (1 day real time) baby mice are able to hear
* They start growing fur by day 6 (2 days real time)
* By day 10 (3 days real time) the pups will have a protective coat of fur
* At day 13-14 (4 days real time) they will open their eyes
* The pups will be weaned from their mother at day 21, (6 days real time) at this time, the males will leave, and the females will tend to stick around their mother, but will take care of themselves

### Young adult

Mice are old enough to mate at 6-8 weeks old, with females being mature at 6, and males at 8, so for a female mouse you could have her mate 11 days real time after birth and you could have a male mate at around 14 days real time after birth.

### Fully grown

Mice are generally fully grown at 2 months old (2 weeks real time)

### Average Lifespan

Mice generally live for 1 year in the wild before they are caught by a predator or die to harsh conditions

## Squirrels

### Pregnancy duration

Female squirrels have a 6 week gestation period (11 days real time) and will give birth to anywhere from 3-9 babies a litter, and they will bear up to 2 a year

## Red Tailed Hawks

### Average Lifespan

I did *SO MUCH* research to make this page, I really really hope you appreciate it TwT