# Normal mother rat behaviour? and uh, other questions >&gt



## Jewlzeh (Jan 5, 2008)

So I have two female rats, BOTH who have had babies 2/3 days ago.

One of them is chewing on the bars often.
The other's next is like, GIGANTIC. its piled things all over the place. This one's been biting everyone heaps, even if we're not even in the cage >< The other one seems okay. It'll lick water off my fingers :/



Both of them have like.. boxes as homes, which they've put their babies in. Is there any harm in leaving them their boxes?
And I get the feeling they dislike being separated. Will I be able to put them together before 5 weeks when I separate the males/females?


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## Cate (Nov 12, 2007)

*Re: Normal mother rat behaviour? and uh, other questions &gt*

Do they have lots of stuff to gnaw on in their cage? Or it may be she just needs a little break (5-10mins) away from the babies - if she hasn't had any time away from the nest since the birth then gnawing on the bars could just be a boredom thing. 
huge nests are a good sign and she may just be biting because shes over-protective of the babies, in which case she might be back to normal in a week or two.


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## Desire (Feb 29, 2008)

*Re: Normal mother rat behaviour? and uh, other questions &gt*

Hiya, i'm by no means experienced having got my (Hopefully NOT pregnant) girls recently, but apparently some do get aggressive (Even if they never ever have before) when anyone goes near them. I'd say if they never used to gnaw on the bars it's probably what the above person said, I know they need to be able to escape the kits (Not just when you let them free range but whenever THEY want to aswell) other than that, horses gnaw things if they're deficient in some things, but i'd doubt it's that!

I assume the boxes are within the main cages? I'm picturing cardboard boxes in the cages? No harm in that, it'd be easier for the Mum to keep the kits together & not loose them! As long as she can get out & has room. Apparently rats love kits & will fight over them & steal them, so it's probably safest to not put the adults back together until the kits are at least weaned, not sure if they'd need introductions then or not.

Sorry, i'm sure someone with knowledge will see this soon & help, gl!


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## Rattiegma (Jan 23, 2008)

*Re: Normal mother rat behaviour? and uh, other questions &gt*

As far as your girl chewing the bars, it sounds like she may be bored or need a break from the babies. After Roxie had her litter, by the second day she was begging to get out for a little break, and she barely even knew us, because we'd only had her for about a week when she gave birth. Try letting her come out for some free range time, but not for too long at first, as the babies will get cold since they can't regulate their body temps yet. But make sure you don't reach your hand in there! See if she wants to come out on her own, or you can try coaxing her out with some yummy food, which will give her a break and give you a minute or two to check the babies for milk bands and such.

And to answer your question about the big nest, don't worry, it's a good sign. It may be irritating that she's piling everything in the cage on top of the babies, but it just means she's protective, which is a good sign for those little ones. =)

And as far as the biting goes, just as the other two said, even the sweetest, most affectionate rats can become aggressive when pregnant, or while nursing. It's just their hormones going crazy, so just give her some space so you don't stress her out, and you don't get a nasty bite. She will most likely calm down once the babies start getting older, but just remember, even the one who is seemingly calm with you, watch out. Their hormones can cause attitude changes really quickly, so just be really, really careful.

Also, the boxes are actually a good idea. Roxie had an igloo and a cardboard box in the cage, and she always had the babies in one or the other. We didn't touch the babies for a few days bc we didn't wanna stress her out, but every few days we'd know she was irritated with us for messing with them, because we'd look in the box, and she had moved the whole litter to the igloo, or vice versa. Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyways, yes, the boxes are good. It seems to cut down on stress, because the babies are hidden, and it'll keep them a bit warmer when mom's not in the nest. 

I really can't answer your question about how long to keep them apart though, but I would think just to be safe, you should leave them apart until the babies are weaned.

Sorry I rambled so much...I didn't mean for this to be so long! But I hope it helped! lol Good luck with all those ratties, and keep us updated!


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