# yay my first litter



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

My girl is having her babies will be posting pics when she is done so excited any info for first timers


----------



## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

What kind of things do you already know/not sure about?
Congratulations.


----------



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

well first of all i read around and tried to get a count of the babies its weird my girl never bits and its been like 3 hours and she wnt let me near em i wanna see if thery have milk rings and make sure all her babies are gettin fed


----------



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

here she is she is feeding them right now sorry get better pics later 9 pups super cute she is doing good for a first time mom


----------



## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

She seems like she really knows what she's doing which is great.

Her coat does look a little dry a coarse at the mo, what are you feeding her on. It may just be the pic but nutrition is particularly important for mums and babies so if your not sure let me know and I'll give you some info.


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

She looks like a rex or satin almost. Try giving her a bit of bread soaked in olive oil or maybe some spinach cooked in olive oil. Will help out, along with maybe some extra Iodine.

They are cute.


----------



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

i just have rat food from my local pet store its fiesta brand any suggestions on food brands or fresh food that will keep her healthy and make her coat shine


----------



## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I'm no expert on US food brands but I don't think that's the best. What she needs is a diet that is high in protien, vitamins and minerals, and a bit higher in good oils. To start with I would make her some high protien wet meals, some good ones is some eggy rice (beat some egg in some cooked rice and microwave until its set, let it cool). Tinned fish mixed with some cous cous or similar is nice too (look for fish in spring water or tomato sauce). Shell fish is brilliant too. Some decent quality cat or kitten wet food is another option. Cooked chicken on the bone is a brill addition too, or failing that the bones on their own. These will add protien and a bit of fat to her diet, as well as some calcium and vit d. 

Next get some dark green leafy veg (you can add other veg too if you have it in, a mix is best). This is things like kale, spring greens, pak or bok choi, dandilion leaves and so on (be careful with spinach, it should only be fed 1 to 2 times a week). Introduce it slowly, a few prices at first, up to a small handful. This adds lots of important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, copper, vitamin k etc.

If you can get hold of a broad vitamin powder or some salmon oil these are great to add to the food occasionally too.

In terms of dry mix, you can up the protien level of what you've got by adding some dried protien such as small bite dog kibble (9 scoops dry mix, 1 scoop protien). It may be worth looking to switch your mix to something better quality (like a home made mix or good quality lab blocks) but the most important stuff for her needs right now are above.


----------



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

does the wet food mess up their bowels in anyway or make it smell bad


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Fiesta is one of the Worse brands in the US. I agree with Isamu.

For fish it's best to get Sardines, in water. That way she will get some calcium along with it due to the bones in it. For green leafs since I've never seen Kale here (Seriously, I haven't) Cilantro and Parsley are high (Parsley is one of the highest) in Vitamin K which is really important in a rat's diet. Yeah Spinach should only be fed once a week since it is Super high in other vitamins but for a quick boost if she is having skin oil issues it would help out a lot.

Personally I wouldn't do any dog or cat food, way too processed and is often treated with Ammonia here, plus it's made with meats that rats can't digest in the first place. a vegetarian dog food would be nice as a treat but not as a main staple for rats here as once again they are highly processed and you Blue buffalo (a good quality dog food) does not make vegetarian dog food (Once again, dog food contains a lot of meats which rats can't digest so I wouldn't do it, it might be different in the UK though)

Another thing that is important that people forget to add in is often enough fat. They hear that seeds are bad and don't feed it to their rats when Seeds and Nuts provide a lot of nutrients and fats that rats need, here it would be better then dog kibble. (Once again things are different in the UK with brands and the way things are processed)

For good quality lab blocks Oxbox or Harlen Tekan is the best. Do not get Mazuri, way too high in protein for rats and they are well known for over dosing on Vitamin D3 (or was it B3?) which is the main ingrediant next to Fluoride (Which is found in tap water believe it or not in most US States) in rat poison.


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Oh and yes wet food smells Terrible. due to my cat's bladder issues she has to have wet cat food in till we can get her on the a raw diet (sadly going to be a while) and it smells terrible and I have to clean out the bowl every time i give her food or else it will attract flies, even then they still come. 

But yeah for protein Some Scrambled eggs, Fish, Maybe some meal worms or crickets (from the pet store) and yogurt would be really good.


----------



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

what about fresh fruits and such i know i am asking alot of questions lol sorry i rescued these rats from a friend and all he did was feed em junk and whatever he was eating which im sure is not good for the rats at all. when can i put the babies in the bigger cage? i asked around at petco petsmart and they really didnt know what they were talking about


----------



## RatBreeder (Oct 29, 2012)

You have to separate them by gender at 5 weeks. Males are sexually mature at this time. 
What exactly do you mean by move them? (while they are still babies, older, etc.)


----------



## synshadows (Nov 2, 2012)

im gonna sex them tomorrow and im refering to putting them in a bigger cage they are in and aquarium with mom right now


----------



## RatBreeder (Oct 29, 2012)

They are fine in the aquarium. You don't want to put them in a cage until they are older, because they could get hurt, stuck in the bars, etc.


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Oh yeah she can have fresh fruits and vegetables. My guys are on a fresh foods diet and get mainly fruits and vegetables. Some will say it will give them diarrhea or make them fat, but they will only get dairrhea if they are not used to it (So don't give her only fruits and vegetables all at once, go slowly to adjust her) and I've never had any issues with obsess rats.

You can move her and her babies into a bigger cage when they are about 2 to 3 weeks old, they will be big enough then. If your worried about bars you can get a larger plastic tub and convert it with wire mesh on the top and around the sides (at the top of the sides so they can't get out).


----------

