# Gauging Baby Rat Feedings



## WhimsicalArtist (Sep 18, 2016)

Hello there! Well, it's official -- my fiancee and I are grandparents! (Yay!) We had our first oops litter on November 19, 2016. Our girl Cyborg gave birth to 9 beautiful baby ratties (7 of which we are keeping and have the means to provide for, 2 of which we are adopting out to my niece and nephew once they are weaned). 

The babies are a few days old at this point, and they definitely have a bit more pigment than they did when they were newborns. As such, I'm kind of having a hard time seeing the milk bands on their tummies now. I was wondering if there was anyway to identify (other than viewing the actual act of feeding itself) whether the babies are getting enough milk now that their colors have darkened and I can barely see the milk bands. Cyborg was an excellent mommy from the get-go, and they've always had full bellies when I could see the milk band. 

I would really like to know whether they're getting enough food now because if they're not, I'd like to begin feeding them myself to prevent disaster. Is there any way to perhaps make the milk bands more visible underneath their pigment? 

Thank you so much for all of your answers!


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

You stop being able to see milk bands  So no worries. If they had good milk bands at the start you are likely just fine! Just watch to make sure they are growing well. 9 babies is an ok size so it shouldn't be an issue.

Some helpful links for the babies development & sexing:
http://www.afrma.org/babyratdevdaily.htm
http://tigertailrattery.weebly.com/growth-picture-journal.html
http://ratguide.com/breeding/baby_development/birth_to_weaning.php
http://mainelyratrescue.org/rattieblog2/?p=42
my pages:
http://www.onceuponamischief.com/sexing
http://www.onceuponamischief.com/baby-development


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