# Seperating pups



## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

Ok so tonight I will be separating boys from their mother and sisters. They will have to be in the same room but I am unsure if I should keep them beside mama and their sisters, or if I should put them on the opposite side of the room? I'm not sure how they'll react to being away from mom but their 5wk birthday is tomorrow so tonight is the best time to do it.Will it trouble them to be beside mama and sisters, or would it be more comforting for them to be closer?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I would leave them close by, also for the next few days pop mum in with them for an hour or so a night, it will help ease the transistion and they are too small to mate with mum yet.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

I thought they could mate at 5 weeks? Or is that just with their sisters?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

They can mate in theory when they ate physically ready, for girls this means when they open up and have there first heat, for boys it's when there testicles settle abd stop withdrawing. This is usually around the 5 to 6 week Mark but varies with line, rats don't have a firm schedule. But just because they can mate in theory doesn't mean it's physically possible. a young male is to small to properly mount his fully grown mother for some time. They also take a while to truelly become interested in girls, especially there mum. i wouldn't push it for long after the 5 week Mark and if they do start showing an interest i would stop it but it does help ease the transition. i actually do the same with my girls to as so far the babies and mum have been so well fed by this age that they do better with mum going back into her group.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

i should probably as that is also possible for babies to become sexually mature and mate earlier than 5 weeks if they ate ahead in terms of development, thankfully very rare but more common in part wildies where rats have to grow fast to survive.


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## Lita (Jul 10, 2014)

Oh ok, I'll try giving them some mom time tonight. She doesn't seem particularly concerned that she is suddenly 5 babies short, and she has been playing a lot with the girls, wrestling and popcorning with them. Even sleeping with them, which is something she rarely did once they hit about 2 weeks or so. The boys seem to be doing ok so far. Sleeping together a lot and playing a lot. I gave them some blankets from the main cage that their sisters and mom slept on with them and they seem to like burrowing in them. Only Matcha seems like he might be getting to the point where he'd be interested. His testicles look more formed and larger and solid compared to his brothers. And he is bigger to. I'm guessing he's an early bloomer. Mama is gonna have to stay with the girls till they are old enough to merge with our resident 5. We jut figure it will be easier that way. But she is treating them more and more like playmates then babies so I'm guessing it should be ok?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

yeh that should be fine. It doesn't harm them for mum to stay unless mum is really skinny from all the nursing or fed up of them.


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