# possible 2 litters *both born*



## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

so from the very short period i had the boy with my girls it looks like both are pregnant, i did try to get a cage for him asap but clearly it wasn`t soon enough!!!

both girls have a bit of a tummy and from experience look like a week till the bubs are due although i can`t be sure (they could justy have gained lots of weight though i aint taking chances so am preparing)! i`m thinking about separating their cage in 2 pieces.

the cage is around 4 foot high so i thought if i used the wire mesh to make it into 2 foot per rat that would be opk and was just looking for opinions on that??? i have lots of fabric to offer to them but was just wondering if splitting the cage into 2 was a good idea??


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

*Re: possible 2 litters*

your problem with this idea is that the upper level would have a floor in it that the babies could be injured on... both litters will need to have a solid floor.

babies... especially newborns could slip through the wire mesh. Even if only a leg, this could cause injury. The mother below may even pull or bite at those above.

best to divide place both moms in a single level nursery with no shelves.


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters*

would it not be ok if i covered the wire mesh with a thick fabric? i`ve not long bought a new cage so couldn`t afford to buy another, i can maybe look into separating the cage i have into 2 but i`m not sure how that would work yet.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

*Re: possible 2 litters*

fabric can be chewed

I can understand finances... see what you can do.

Have you ever heard of or seen the tub style temporary homes?


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters*

are you meanign the large tupperware containers that have the lid replaced with wire mesh? if so i have heard of these, i`m looking into possibly making 2 although i`m not 100% sure on how to go about making these. does anyone have any tips on how to do it??


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

ok this is a pic of monty`s tummy, i can`t get nesta as she is really nippy atm, monty is her usual self and constantly grooming me but i am not sure if maybe they`ve just gained weight so here`s a pic....


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## ChrissyGz0r (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

she looks pregnant to me and ive had 3 pregnant rats near enough all at once ! lol... but see what everyone else says


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

yeah from past experience i thought she did, but i`ve also thought a rat was pregnant when she had just gained some weight so thought i`d be sure i wasn`t over reacting again!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

That looks like the typical pear shape of a preggy rat.


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

monty looks fit to burst and has been really lethargic the past 2 days, she`s still really friendly as opposed to her sister he will bite if you so much as put food in her cage.

still no signs of either building a nest though, i don`t know how much bigger monty could possibly get.


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

ok so i just checked on monty there and she seems to have pulled all the bedding into her little house and pushed the substrate against the door so it looks almost impossible to get in or out, i`m thinking she could possibly have the babies during the night now....


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## Neuroticax (May 1, 2007)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

Good luck! Keep us posted! Make sure she has plenty of nesting material and a quiet environment.


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

As a nursery cage, all you need to do is get a big stacker box (they are about Â£4 and you can get them from Wilkinsons or Poundstretcher) and then put mesh (i got a sheet from either focus or B&Q for about Â£6 - 1cm square holes) on the top, or turn it on its side and put the mesh on the front. 
The mesh I got was solid so you could bend it around to make it more secure, or fasten it on with clothes pegs or wire, or even one of those bungee ties that people use on car roof-racks


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *pics**

thanks!
i got a friend to give me a ferplast duna cage for the time being, it`s probably not the best cage but at least it`s keeping them separated for the time being.

they both have lots of animal bedding, with is basically shredded soft paper and they have towels and a fleece blanket each, both have built a nest but as far as i can tell neither have had their litter yet!


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *first litter born**

i was just walkin past monty's cage and i heard weird noises so looked in and from what i could see there was a little bit of blood in the nest and i caught a tiny glimpse of one of the bubs!

she`s been sitting with them since they were born it seems, i can`t see into the nest so don`t know how many there are and i don`t wanna disturb them. they`re noisy little things already but for now i`m gonna leave them all in my room to get some rest


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## ChrissyGz0r (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *first litter born**

awww bless good to hear momma is being well a good momma lol 
keep us updated on the bubs 
the other ones will probs be here soon too like mine did they came on same day lol was like oooh pancakes has had babys then 20mins later fifi had hers lol so be prepared 
xxxx


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *first litter born**

thanks!
is there anything special i can give her to eat? i`ve been feeding her applaws, cheerios, egg, dried pasta and rat nuggets, she`s also been getting some soya milk. any help is appreciated!


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## ChrissyGz0r (Mar 3, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *first litter born**

i give mine chloes left over wheet abix and baby food! they really enjoy that


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: possible 2 litters *first litter born**

i never thought of baby food, i think i have a couple of jars in the kitchen so might try them with that, i just wanna make sure they`re getting everything they need ot keep their strength up and for the babies as well.


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

i just checked on nesta a while ago and she had her babies i could only see 2 and when i went back just there she was eating one and i couldn`t see the other or if there was anymore. i`m really hoping that if there are any left they`re all ok


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## Emster (Dec 9, 2007)

Many people recommend a small amount of cat food, it's a good source of protein for mum.


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

yeah i`ve been giving them both applaws which is an all natural cat food and they seem to love it


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## ChrissyGz0r (Mar 3, 2008)

what happend with 2nd litter? 
are any still ok ?
or are they all gone?
xx


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

i think she only had a couple then later on had a few more since i can now see 6 in the nest and she`s sitting with them so hopefully they`ll all be ok *fingers crossed*


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

monty`s babies are now 4 days old and i still have absolutely no idea how many of them she has, i was wondering what people thought of handling them now, or should i wait a bit longer? monty doesn`t seem to mind it`s more me being paranoid so just want more opinions


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

I think you will be ok to do a count now. As long as she doesnt mind, i dont see a problem. Just dont keep them out too long 

And get a pic


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## Rattiegma (Jan 23, 2008)

You can definitely begin handling them now. Just whatever you do, no matter how much mom doesn't seem to mind, lure her away with something yummy for some (much needed) space from the babies before you mess with them at all. Her hormones are going nuts right now, and even the sweetest, most loving rats can bite if they feel their litter is in danger. Plus, by now she's sure to want a break from them! lol So give her something good to eat to make her come out, but don't just reach in and pick her up and pull her out. That could be really bad! If you're worried about her rejecting them or anything because of your scent being on them (which rarely EVER happens), you could rub some of their bedding on your hands before you pick them up. You'll be okay to do a good head count, and oooh and aaaah over how adorable they are. lol But just don't keep them out too long, as they can't regulate their body temps yet, and can get cold really quickly. Also, depending on how well mom cleaned up after birth (we didn't see not even one spot of blood anywhere after Roxie's oops litter was born), you may want to remove just the bloody tissue in the cage, and replace it with clean bedding. But of course I'm sure you know not to mess up or take apart her nest. lol That would totally stress her out. And if you can, you should definitely try to get some pictures of them!


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

thanks guys! at the moment i have monty out playing with her so after she`s had her fill of love and cuddles and goes off adventuring i`ll take my chances at getting the bubs out, i already have a nice new fleece blanket to place them on. i should have pics within the next few hours of monty`s litter, i`ll leave nesta for a couple more days. right now my main priority is that monty gets her fill of attention before i leave her to explore


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

so here is monty`s litter:










and i on looking i think nesta actually has 10 but not 100% on that yet, will leave her for a bit longer before disturbing anything but i`m so happy with how healthy monty`s babies look right now


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

aww. am I counting 13?


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## RoRo (Mar 10, 2008)

I count 13 too. X_X SO CUTE


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

So... 23 babies... Thats not a handful in any way, shape or form..... 8O 

Have you decided if you are keeping some/all of them?


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## melon (Mar 27, 2008)

yup there`s 13, 23 in total possibly +/- a couple won`t know for sure until i`ve seen all nesta`s out!! i`m gonna keep a few of the girls for sure but i`d rather have no boys just to avoid any chances of babies in the future lol


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