# milk line ??????



## mother ratty (Sep 1, 2009)

what's a milk line and what do u do if the baby rat doesn't have one


----------



## flying.spaghetti.monster (Aug 4, 2009)

It's a light coloured band around the babies tummy - if you hold the baby up to the light you should see it. If you check them all then you should see it at least on some of them... are they warm? Wriggling? Squeaking? Is Mum in with them or sitting away from them? Has she covered them up? Just look for signs that she is caring for her litter, and if she is, she'll do all the rest...


----------



## mother ratty (Sep 1, 2009)

thankyou i will check to see if they have the milk bands.
i got up this morning to her and 13 babies, i left her for about 6hours then i moved bubs onto some clean bedding and She then moved them onto some newspaper and is sorta laying on them. they all moving and squeeking about every 1/2 hour


----------



## flying.spaghetti.monster (Aug 4, 2009)

Sounds good to me - though don't mess with her bedding too much, just make sure she has access to lots. Also - what's your cage like? Make sure the babies couldn't accidentally get knocked out of the cage...


----------



## mother ratty (Sep 1, 2009)

thank u
her cage plastic tray 3cm deep 60cm long 30cm wide , with birds cage like top


----------



## ChloeLouise (Apr 5, 2009)

3cm might not be deep enough to keep babies in. Also, how big is the bar spacing because you may have to move them or cover your cage with hardware cloth when the babies start moving around. it is also a good idea to take out any shelves that are in you cage because mama could try and move the babies there and they could fall. 

I have heard this kind of "cage" are an inexpensive way to safely house mom and her litter. 
http://www.dapper.com.au/articles.htm


----------



## mother ratty (Sep 1, 2009)

I checked over the babies, 6 of them don't have the milk bands, will they be ok ? ??? I'm a bit worried, don't want them to die  The wire on their cage is way too close together for the babies to get out, even at 1 day old they couldn't get through. I have also removed shelves and hammock.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

the milk band only shows up after nursing, then its slowly absorbed so sometimes you just don't see it all the time. Do the bubs look chubby and pink and healthy? If they look pale and scrawny or have big black streaks on their belly then there may be a problem.

See how some have milk bellies and others don't? All 8 boys lived and are now 18 days old


----------

