# rant abt my accidental liter



## emmkayl (Aug 3, 2021)

my baby pixie gave birth yesterday to 7(?) babies! the way this has been so unexpected makes me feel like im doing a bad job of making sure everythings going smoothly  she made her nest on the second level of the cage but i put mesh wire around the sides of the cage and attached cloth to the floor so they cant slip through any cracks. Im just worried that she might try to relocate them and end up hurting them so i bought a smaller cage today which i know i shouldve done before she gave birth. i want to transfer them just for peace of mind but dont want to touch the babies yet so i was thinking of waiting a week or so to transfer them over- what do u guys think abt this?? ive been so anxious about everything because this was so unexpected and i only had a week with her before she gave birth so i feel like she doesnt trust me yet :,) shes in the cage with another girl who pretty much knows not to go near her nest but when pixie comes out they wrestle around a lot which used to happen before but now im more anxious about it because i dont know if they should be separated or not.

Im kinda upset about the way the breeder has gone about this because she hasnt taken any responsibility at all or given me any advice. If anything it feels like shes ghosting me :/. If any of u guys have advice for me abt relocating the babies or separating the other female (or just anything in general) pls dont hesitate ! I want these babies and their mama to be as healthy as possible. 🐀💘🐁


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## emmkayl (Aug 3, 2021)

emmkayl said:


> View attachment 305958
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> my baby pixie gave birth yesterday to 7(?) babies! the way this has been so unexpected makes me feel like im doing a bad job of making sure everythings going smoothly  she made her nest on the second level of the cage but i put mesh wire around the sides of the cage and attached cloth to the floor so they cant slip through any cracks. Im just worried that she might try to relocate them and end up hurting them so i bought a smaller cage today which i know i shouldve done before she gave birth. i want to transfer them just for peace of mind but dont want to touch the babies yet so i was thinking of waiting a week or so to transfer them over- what do u guys think abt this?? ive been so anxious about everything because this was so unexpected and i only had a week with her before she gave birth so i feel like she doesnt trust me yet :,) shes in the cage with another girl who pretty much knows not to go near her nest but when pixie comes out they wrestle around a lot which used to happen before but now im more anxious about it because i dont know if they should be separated or not.
> ...


*more info: the reason i havent separated the other female yet is because pixie doesnt seem bothered by her presence and they play together when pixie leaves the nest which makes me feel like its good for her. when they do wrestle its usually over food even though they have an endless amount in the cage. i doubt its anything serious but i dont want to misjudge it and have any accidents happen.


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Hi emmkayl.
Congratulations about your new arrivals!
My advice for now would be to take a deep breath, and remember that you are trying to make the best of a less than ideal situation. 
I'm not sure whether to leave Pixie's friend in with her or not. We had accidental babies too but we chose to separate the females before the babies arrived. 
Because of the wire situation, it might be a good idea to put Pixie and babies into the small cage that you bought. It could also give you peace of mind. 
In the meantime, just do all the usual things you would do with them. Plenty of food and water, snuggly nests, talk to them and interact with the female-without-the-babies regularly.
Some people say you can move newborn babies on the day of birth if you wear clean gloves (like soft fabric ones). On day two you could probably safely just pick them up in your hands.


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## Clarkbar (Oct 28, 2020)

Information for accidental litters.


OK so heres some good info that anyone expecting an accidental litter should know to keep all rats healthy. 1 ) Gestation is 21-23 days. Signs of pregnancy are gaining weight (use a food scale on regular basis), enlarged nipples, and in later stages you may be able to see the pups...




www.ratforum.com












Baby Rats - A Guide To Baby Rat Care, Behavior and Development


A guide to life with baby rats. Discover how newborn rats develop week by week and how to look after them. A complete guide to baby rat care and behavior.



squeaksandnibbles.com





These were some good resources that helped when I had surprise babies. I only had my girls for two weeks, and I was pretty panicky at first.

If you keep the babies in the main cage, you will want to move them to the other cage once the babies start squirming and moving around, since they're on the second level. 
They can come back around 4 weeks, when their eyes are open and they've learned to walk well. 

When they're separated, bring Pixie back to visit for playtimes so she and your other female don't get too lonely. She can only be away from the babies for 30 minutes for now.

If Pixie is okay with it, hold the babies for a few minutes every day, so they can grow up tame and human friendly.

Take pictures every few days, because babies are really cute when they become little fuzz-beans.


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## Clarkbar (Oct 28, 2020)

I know you probably don't want 9 rats in the long run; you can make a post here in a week or two to see if any members who live near you are looking to adopt some babies. 








Adoption Center


A board for rats needing homes and homes needing rats. Please do not advertise intentionally bred litters in this section. Please post all Craigslist etc. listings in the classified sticky.




www.ratforum.com




Also! Be sure to separate the boys and girls around 5-6 weeks, so there are no new surprise litters.


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## emmkayl (Aug 3, 2021)

ratbusters said:


> Hi emmkayl.
> Congratulations about your new arrivals!
> My advice for now would be to take a deep breath, and remember that you are trying to make the best of a less than ideal situation.
> I'm not sure whether to leave Pixie's friend in with her or not. We had accidental babies too but we chose to separate the females before the babies arrived.
> ...


thank you so much for your kind words and advice! i was able to move the babies & pixie into a smaller cage with no issues and feel a lot better now  ive been letting her out for about 20 mins a day to play with my other rat & ive been making sure to keep the other rat entertained and happy! everything has been going well


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## IlooovesRatties (Jun 3, 2021)

emmkayl said:


> thank you so much for your kind words and advice! i was able to move the babies & pixie into a smaller cage with no issues and feel a lot better now  ive been letting her out for about 20 mins a day to play with my other rat & ive been making sure to keep the other rat entertained and happy! everything has been going well


That's awesome! I read this post and felt pretty nervous for the rats! But it looks like they're in good hands. Remember that the reason for having rats is for happiness on both sides. Just make sure that they seem healthy and happy, and you should be alright (but make sure to take this with a grain of salt, as I'm definitely no expert!). Peace out.


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