# Questions: young mother with young babies...



## lottieloveheart

Hi, I just posted in the 'say hi' section but this is best placed here so I will copy it over...
I've recently had an unexpected litter, this forum helped me so much when I became suspicious she might be pregnant... The babies are 5 days old today and so far everything is going surprisingly well, I have some questions I'm struggling to find useful info on so if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear from you  

1.	How long is it okay for a mother to be away from her babies to play? (If the babies are under 1 week old)
2. Has anyone experience of a mothering female let to play with friends losing interest/forgetting about her babies?
3. If your mother rat is young and quite timid around people is it best to keep working on trust training while she is nursing or wait until her babies are older to avoid excess stress?
4. Has anyone experience with introducing (bonded) girls to their friend’s litters? How is this best done? Would 2 ½ week old pups be too young to interact with other rats under close supervision?
5. If your mother and her nest are housed in a fairly small maternity tub is it okay to move them to a larger area when the babies hit 2 weeks old to give them more room or is it better to not disturb their nest site? (I am planning on splitting my current cage and housing mother and her babies in the bottom half so they have room to explore and play but not fall too far...)
6. When a mother's babies hit 3-4 weeks old how much time does she need to spend with them a day?
7.	What age would be the most appropriate time to let baby girls live in the same cage as older female? Is 5 weeks too young (for girls who have already met and played with the older rats? 
8.	Does the older rats own age have any effect on how successful introductions are, if the older rat is 3 months old would this be okay or is it more to do with personality than age? 
9.	Has anyone experience of neutering males (to house with females) and what are your opinions on this? Would it be more humane to keep them in separate cages with parts intact?
10.	What age is best for males to be neutered, I know it has been done (in a lab experiment) as early as 1 day old but why do some people suggest it is better to wait till maturity at 6 months? I've also read that they tend to be calmer and friendlier/less likely to fight if neutered before reaching adulthood? 

Thank you!


----------



## Moodlemoo

I can only answer 7-10, but it's better than nothing. 7.) I think that might be too young to house with adult females. The babies may get hurt or even killed. 8.) I believe its better to introduce younger rats to older rats rather than older rats to older rats. They're less likely to fight over dominance. 9.) I had a neutered boy with my girls and he did just fine. He was basically the grandpa of the group. 10.) I thought that too but when I took my boy in to make sure he was ok for surgery, they put him down for the procedure the next day. He was about 4 months old. I think it depends on the vet. My boy was very calm and a snuggle bug and very sweet. As for the other questions, it might be best to ask a breeder for help. They are the most knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. I don't think the area you're in matters, just find a breeder and message them with your questions.


----------



## athenianratdaddy

1) I would keep the mother with the babies all the time until they get 3-4 weeks old. 2) No. A nursing mama rat would only loose interest in her babies under conditions of extreme environmental stress (in which case she could also kill them). 3) No. Babies have priority over everything else. 4) It depends. Baby rats are usually not perceived as a threat but older, more dominant animals. However an aggressive male could injure/ kill the babies. Female rats should be OK with them around. 5) I would not disturb the mother and the nest until later (3-4 weeks). 6) Once the rats are weaned (at about 4-5 weeks) they could even be removed completely from the mother's presence. 7) It depends on the female. Most females will not perceive young rats as a threat. Supervise the exchange VERY closely. 8) The younger the rats are introduced to each the other the less conflict there will be since they haven't yet developed their sense of territoriality. 9) Generally I'm not a 'chopper' unless in cases of extreme aggression of health issues. 10) Not too young and not too old. Definitely before the first is completed in the animal's life.


----------



## athenianratdaddy

Before the first year is completed in the animal's life


----------

