# rat babies? :/ HELP!



## cheyenneobvious (Jun 29, 2009)

Okay so here is the story of what exactly happened.


Me and my fiancee's friend wanted to get rats so we coached her into not getting them from petsmart and getting them from kajiji if possible or from rattie owners that couldn't keep their rats anymore. She agreed and we started looking into rats for her to purchase and take home as pets. She found 3 neutered boys that she instantly fell in love with and soon started looking into how she could make them her new pets. When she messaged the guy/girl about the rats they said that the rats were neutered and healthy but they just couldn't afford to feed them anymore so she agreed to take them in. WELL.. they didn't come in a cage so I took them in for a couple days (maybe 3 or 4) until she could get an appropriate sized cage for her new pets. We had them separated just in case they weren't neutered and didn't think anything of it. Well, on the second day my mother decided it would be a good idea to put the rats in the same room as the other ones, and pressed the two cages together to "make the room look neater and take up less room"

To make the story short, one of our girls is pregnant now for sure, and I'm in question about two others. I don't even know where to begin now! I have the three girls in question all in separate cages and I guess I'm asking you guys what the next step is? I read that rats cant impregnate other rats through cage bars, but 3 out of our 4 girls have huge nipples and are getting really territorial, the one I'm certain on that is preggo has started to nest and get very aggressive when you touch her belly

I read that I have to separate them as soon as I assume they are pregnant, but I haven't found much information on what to do next.. should I keep them separate from each other just in case? What do they need? ect ect.

I'm no longer taking in "neutered rats". NO BOYS ALOUD


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## juliebug (Aug 13, 2009)

i have never raised babies so these are just things ive learned from forums.

it was good to keep them separated if you suspect that they are pregnant.

mommas need higher protein in their diet while pregnant and nursing so you can supplement her with things like egg and chicken.

this is the one time when an aquarium is ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED as babies can possible slip through the cage bars. fleece bedding is preferred as it cant get stuck to the babies delicate skin as aspen and other beddings can.

make sure she has somewhere to nest.

be prepared to have to supplement the babies in case for whatever reason they're not getting fed. the babies should have little white lines on their bellies called milkbands...this is a sign that they are being properly fed. although they might not all have bands at the same time due to which ones have nursed most recently.

i would get a headstart on rehoming now in case they are pregnant. rats can have VERY large litters.

anymore experienced people wanna chime in? and correct me if im wrong of course.

heres hoping that the others are pregnant. hope everything goes well and you have healthy bubs.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

-Make sure she had lots of nesting materials at all times (paper towels, newspaper, etc).
-Seperate her from all other cage mates
-Give her extra protein, this helps lactation. Nuts and yogurt are good options to feed as well as eggs. Give about one
teaspoon a day
-Make sure shes in a cage with no bars, you dont want babies to fall out. Use at least a 20 gallon aquarium or buy a 
big clear rubbermaid container at the store and make sure there is plenty of air slots cut in the cover (not the best
option but will work just the same)
-She will probally have the babies at night, do not bother her. Leave her be or you may stress her out and cause 
problems.
-Continue to feed her extra protein
-Dont touch the babies for a few days, mom will keep things clean
-When its time to clean the cage put the babies in a shoebox to keep them safe
-They will wean on their own and you will notice lots more food being consumed then normal for one adult
-Mom will probally bite more as she is protecting them
-Continue to let mom out to play and have free time everyday. Not more then 20 minutes at a time while they are still 
nursing but at least get her out an hour a day
-Always give her plenty of nesting materials even after they are born
-Becareful handling them once they start to move and open there eyes. They can pop right out of your hands.
-Make sure to seperate them by 5 weeks of age according to sex or they will breed with each other, mom can become 
pregnant right after giving birth also. 
-Have fun with them, they are so cute and adorable you will find good homes for them fast (hopefully).


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I still don't think your girls are pregnant. There's NO way to mate through a CN.  But if you are still worried then you buy a digital scale and weigh all suspect girls once a day at the same time and record the weights. Breeders and rescues do this to determine pregnancy and the health/state of the pregnancy.

THIS is the only way to tell for sure.


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## juliebug (Aug 13, 2009)

juliebug said:


> i meant ARENT pregnant


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