# Problem number 2!



## leanne000 (Jun 1, 2010)

Hello again,

I posted over a week ago after my parents discovered some surprise little ones, whilst they were looking after my females.

Well everything seemed to be going fine, mum is doing well, and is being very (perhaps too) attentive, and the little ones are growing well... there are 13, all of good size etc. Mum has been getting extra treats to help her along.

Everything has been great until today, when my mum was handling the babies... She has been doing this pretty much everyday to begin to socialise them, however rattie mum took a real dislike to it today, and drew blood... Since then she has been up at the cage every time anyone goes near. She has been OK up until now, but since we have only owned her a few weeks, we dont really know how well socialised she has been. We were told she was very friendly...Before she had the babies, she was a little nervy and needed a lot of encouragement, but there was no aggression. I had put that down to being in a new environment.

Im a bit scared that shes a little monster, and I dont want the babies to turn out this way either! Im also concerned that if she gets too aggressive we will be completely unable to handle the little uns.

Any advice (or reassurance!!)? Thanks


----------



## Nienor (May 1, 2010)

Hi,

your rat is no monster, she is just a good mother and wants to protect her babies. A lot of mummies bite to protect their babies. Some even bite during pregnancy. It will go again when the babies are grown up and rehomed .. It is just a hormone thing 
When you want to handle the babies make sure mummy is outside having fun while playing outside the cage  And don't forget to record their weight to make sure they develop properly.
Good luck with mummy and her babies.


----------



## leanne000 (Jun 1, 2010)

Hehe that sounded terrible, I didnt mean that I think she is a monster! She is really sweet normally, im just not used to handling aggressive rats and dont want to upset her or make her worse.
I was going to give her a cage upgrade, as she is currently in a cage with only one level, and think she could do with more places to catch a break than just on top of her house!
Is it OK to move them? The babies are about 2 weeks (and adorable!). I dont want to stress her!


----------



## Nienor (May 1, 2010)

I would not move them yet, just let mummy out as much as possible. Being outside and playing there is a good way for mummy to have a break.
You could move mummy and her girls in two weeks time and leave the boys in that cage. Moving might be too much stress for them at the moment. In addition a level might be dangerous for the wee ones starting to crawl around and falling down and not getting back on their own if mummy is moving the nest to the top.


----------



## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

When I had an accidental litter I always allowerd my female to climb out of the cage on her own. She was usaully ready for a break from the little ones and once awasy from them she was very sweet like normal.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

If the cage is too small you can definitely move them to a bigger one, just make sure the bar spacing is still baby-safe sized.

Once those eyes pop open they will wobble around getting their landlegs for a couple of days then off they will go...zoom!

Your mom should improve on letting you handle them soon after, they have a very strong hormonal imperative to protect their young, when they are defenseless.


----------



## noMoreFaith (Apr 28, 2010)

what happened is natural...she was just being protective. it doesn't mean she's not well-socialized. if she's in a quiet room, it would help her feel calm. and possibly not too much handling? :-\ maybe they don't want human hands around their babies...


----------



## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Yeah once the babies are crawling around, she wont be as protective. It would be fine to move them, but I would suggest taking the bedding from inside the nest and adding it to the new cage. They can get worried and start hoarding babies a little too forcefully. (which since shes so hormonal about them, would be my main concern) 

Also you might find if mom is removed and taken to a seperate room that she calms down. So this could be your way of getting some handling in etc.


----------

