# My rat just had babies. Need some advice.



## DarkHaven (Aug 30, 2012)

Hey guys, here's the situation.

My rat Miss Peepers accidentally got pregnant by my male rat. I didn't notice the size difference until about 3 days ago and after doing some research, concluded that I had a few more days until she delivered. I woke up this morning to find out I was wrong. She gave birth to 14 cute little babies (more than what I was hoping for, lol)

She has not taken an aggressive stance with me being around her cage, which is good, but she keeps darting off into her house on occasion, leaving a trail of of the babies all over the cage. As of right now the babies are all spread out with only a few with her inside the house, and the rest are around the cage, some laying on the bare cage floor. I was wondering if I should just leave them alone as she may round them back up, or for the safety of the babies, should I round them up myself and re-nest them?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

First off i would tempt mum out of the cage for a snack or a run. Then get some of the beding on your hands to mask your smell and quickly check the babies, you want to make sure they have a nice milk band, you can see one clearly on this 2 day old pup for refernce.










Then pop them all back in the nest and cover them up, add mum back and see how she goes. If she is regularly scattering them and not bringing them back within 15 - 30 mins then you may need to try mum and babies in a much smaller cage or carrier, especially if the little ones haven't fed yet. At that age they loose heat fast and cold is not good for them.


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## Critter Maze (Jul 31, 2012)

I never knew they got milk bands... very cool!


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## Babs (Jan 26, 2012)

In my experience, female rats will sometimes go off about their business while their babies are suckling, leaving a trail of pinkies in their wake. My friend's rat (I feel guilty because I just fostered her throughout her pregnancy and birth, yet I can't remember her name...) but anyway, she was always at this. Mostly I left her to it, made sure she always had food and water and after a while she usually rounded them back up again. 

The only thing I'd advise from personal experience, is to make sure none of the bubs are hidden under bedding or in a corner somewhere. Sometimes mom will miss one while she's gathering them about again. If she does (and you're positive that she genuinely did "lose" the baby), just tempt her away with a treat, get the lost baby and place him back with his littermates before she notices. And yes, milk bands are the cutest and coolest thing ever.


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