# Guess their age? Also, milkbands..?



## AnastasiaY (Dec 1, 2011)

Hello all!

Little backstory here:
A few months ago we had our pet rats in the garage in a Ferret Nation cage. They were taking up a bit too much space, so we decided to move them out onto out deck. It is covered and they seemed happy and healthy so we thought end of story.

I was cleaning out their cage this afternoon and discovered, much to my surprise, there were little babies!! What I think happened, is that a wild rat got her preggo through the bars. I had already put the momma and her cagemate into a smaller, temporary cage that I use while cleaning their F.N. so I just transferred the babies into that cage and brought then inside. We've got 9 little ones and they seem reallllly small and cold.







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I'm not sure if I should be worried yet..

Any info about them or any help would be appreciated!


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## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

On age I'm guessing a day or two.....of concern is that I do not see milkbands on any of them. Google milkbands on baby rats and you can see images of what a milkband looks like. Babies cannot regulate their heat so they absolutely must be kept indoors and mom needs lots of bedding to make them a proper nest. You can place a heating pad under the cage for added warmth. The two you have close up's of are just very thin. You want babies to be nice and round in the middle along with visible milkbands. Keep an active eye on them and mom, as you may have to take over for her. Also, please bring your other female indoors as she could well be pregnant also....and if not already, well, you see what happened.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

No, they are about a week old. Maybe a tad bit more or less. I do see some milk bands, not too bad to be worried.

Yes do bring your rats in side. Rats can be very sensitive to cold and heat. In the Wild they live in burrows that are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. a Cage sadly can never duplicate that to the full extent. You are putting your rats at risk as you can already tell.

Make sure to handle this litter everyday. since they are half wild you will have a harder time finding homes as they will have a natural instinct from their father to be scare of humans.


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## Faeleigh (Oct 29, 2012)

I would put them around 4 or 5 days old. Just because they look alot like my little pups and they are that age. If she is feeding them it doesnt look like much, maybe she needs better food herself. I had a lot of help on my recent post about what to feed the mom. Sardines, Puppy Chow, Baby food, stuff with protien in it. My ratties really love the Sardines.


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## mistymornings18 (Aug 13, 2012)

Personally i say around a week or so. 
I don't see milk bands on the two you have close ups of though. You need to bring them all inside and get the mom some extra fats and proteins. Eggs, Sardines, cat and dog food. Stuff like that. 
Also you need to provide the mom with a lot of bedding and nest making materials and provide a place for her to hide in with the babies. They cannot stay warm on their own just yet. 
Handle them daily as they are half wild. Be sure you let potential new owners know that beforehand and don't give them to anyone who isnt' experienced with rats. A half wild baby is NOT the best first rat for someone. Keep an eye on mom and babies and the cage mate as well as she could be preggers too. Please keep us updated.


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## AnastasiaY (Dec 1, 2011)

Thanks to everyone who's replied! 
I am keeping them both inside, with plenty of bedding materials and some of their regular food (oxbow) and supplementing with some dog and cat food until I can run to the shop and get some eggs and veggies and sardines. 
They seem to be around 5-6 days old from photos i've seen online.. 
I've got a few potential adopters lined up who are experienced with rats, and they are aware of the half wild side of these little guys (and gals!). 

The one thing I'm noticing is that Willow is barely showing any interest in them. She doesn't let them feed unless i pile them under her, and even then she will stay put for a minute and then walk away. In the past few hours she has been doing a bit better and finally started making a small nest. 

Should I put in a small bottle with some heated water covered with a sock, or should I leave them for the night and see in the morning? Any way I can get momma to feed them a bit more?

Thank you all again!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Are they well covered up when mum leaves them, or does she leave them in the open? Mums don't always sit on there babies all the time, as long as the babies are fed and cleaned and kept warm then they will be fine. Plus sometimes mum is more interested in being off the nest if your around, so you may not see her spend much time on it.

I'd say they look between 4 days and 6 or 7, it can vary a lot depending on how long they were inside mum. My current litter were born on day 24 and already had a fair bit of pigment, my friends born on day 22 didn't for a few days.


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## AnastasiaY (Dec 1, 2011)

Isamurat-
She leaves them in the open usually, a few times i've seen her cover them with some tissue paper. I'd agree on the age from what i've been seeing online. I'm thinking of just keeping an eye on them to see when they start opening their eyes and guess their age from that.

Momma has been doing much better about feeding them and keeping them warm! I checked on them this morning and the 3 of them I checked had *much* better milk bands. Her cagemate, Winter, is in the same cage with her and from what i've read it's pretty much a hit or miss with how they'll get along? They seem to be doing really well together, Winter will bring Willow food and check on the babies from time to time. I'm hoping they'll stay like this, and that Winter isn't pregnant! She doesn't seem to be any bigger or have her nipples enlarged. I don't have the funds to get her e-spayed so I guess i'll have to wait it out... Wish me luck!


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## AnastasiaY (Dec 1, 2011)

Hey everyone! Just an update, they're all doing much better! Warm and being fed much more frequently. They are still not as full as I'd want them to be, but they're getting there. 
I also had a better look at Winter today, and i'm pretty sure she's pregnant.. As much as I would loooove some more ratties, I doubt i'd be able to find homes for all of them. Anyone in Washington State want a couple? lol! 

Any guesses to what sex any of these babies are? I've read a bit online about it but I am not confident in my sexing abilities. 
















































(I couldn't get a good photo of the last baby on it's own!)













And of course I had to take a cute pile up picture


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