# The rats are due on Friday!



## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

And I honestly cannot wait!! It's been rather exciting lookin after pregnant momma's, watching them grow, learning about this new experience! There are only two rats that actually show positive signs of pregnancy out of the five which is a sort of releif. I say sort of because we are still being cautious with the other three 'just in case'. Two of them have been in heat once since we found out and that was last night and the day before. But because of the boys presence in the room (we don't have anywhere else to move them to or we would, it's not ideal keeping them in there with pregnant mums and neither of us like it, but no other room in the house is heated well enough for them to live) we are still taking precautions. We have so far separated one female from the rest as she was starting to get ganged up on and fights were starting. Bless her she's huge!!! She's gone from 220g to 480g!! But she appears to be coping very well. These days she prefers to 'sprawl' out to sleep instead of tucked up in a bundle of old tshirts and newspaper  but she looks calm and happy.


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

Exciting! Hope everything goes well. Hope you'll post pictures.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

piccies???


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Yeah, pics... When I get to see them too!!! It's all very quiet. No babies yet. The mothers haven't even started nesting... At all! Today is day 24.


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Senna's in labour as we speak! We've left her on her own for now and will check on her periodically. She's doing the whole stretchy thing and there are blood spots. She's tucked herself up in her nest for now that she made last night! Bree has also nested and I've not seen her at all this morning. No squeaking sounds yet. And we have discovered one that we were unsure of is def pregnant, nipples are now showing and she's, let say 'plumper' lol so she's now been placed in her own cage. Will keep you posted! I'm so excited!!!


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Senna is still in labour. We got really worried and she was taken to the emergency vets, they xrayed her and concluded that everything is fine. No babies are stuck, senna is still very alert. She just appears rather uncomfortable and I can see she's getting tired now. The vet said it looks like she's just not quite ready yet. She is still sitting blood and it looks like she's having contractions every now and then. Time will tell.


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## Sarina1285 (Sep 15, 2012)

Very happy everything looks okay  can't wait for numbers and pictures! 


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Senna has gone in for c-section. She's been trying so hard for 10hrs, she's exhausted. Here's hoping for the best!


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## Cassia (Dec 29, 2012)

Oh dear  keeping my fingers crossed for her! Well done you for getting her to the vets.


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Vets are without question. Guna cost me a bomb though :/ it's already cost £169 and the op will be another £100 + the antibiotics.It doesn't really matter what the cost is though, as long as she survives.


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

To update: Senna has had her c-section and out came 10 babies. One stillborn. We sat with her in the vets got about 49mins after her op with the litter. During this time another was also lost and mum was too exhausted and 'out of it' to care she had any babies. They tried to suckle but tbh not much happened. We have left her and her babies at the vets overnight and we hope by morning once she has recovered enough she will have started mothering them, but IMHO I think it's unlikely. I just feel that she may not have the same instinct after waking up from so much pain to be faced with babies she may not even know came out of her. But who knows, nature is a powerful thing. I will be upset if we lost them all as those that were alive when we left were very vocal, squirmy and lively, but I will expect it. The vet can't really say what happened. Senna was pushing for hours and nothing were happening, the babies just seemed to stay in the uterus big even preparing to depart to the outside world. None were stuck, mum is healthy, so that is a mystery. But all that matters now really is that mum is onward to full recovery.


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

I've been watching this story unfold - all the best to the new mum and little ones!


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Here is a picture of mum and babies just after surgery


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

Aw, poor girl... I really hope all it well with them.


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## Cassia (Dec 29, 2012)

I've got a lump in my throat! Come on mumma rat, you can do it darling! I've really got my fingers tightly crossed.


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

There is one baby left. Senna tried to eat them in the night. The vets separated the surviving ones and attempted to hand rear them overnight but only two survived when I spoke to the vet this morning. After speaking to the vet again to arrange to pick up Senna, another had died. But the remaining one is alive and fighting, drinking milk and urinating. After a long thought me and my OH are going to attempt to hand rear the remaining one. However, we've not got a clue but we are determined. There are still two of our rats rest to give birth at any time so we do hope it may be possible to keep it alive long enough and hope one of the other two accept it. Please help! We want this one to survive!!


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

Here's a link to an article on raising orphans:
http://ratfanclub.org/orphans.html

And some info on development:
http://ratguide.com/breeding/baby_development/birth_to_weaning.php

The absolute best thing would be if one of your other moms will adopt. Meantime, the Rat Fan Club article will have good info about what to feed and how often and how to help them defecate - important, because they can't do that without your help.


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

It died while we were feeding him  I tried to revive him but I didn't succeed. Meanwhile, we are still waiting for the other two mums to give birth :/ taking forever!!


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm so sorry. How is Senna doing?


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## Cloud (Jan 16, 2011)

Senna's doing great! We just have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't open her wound. So far so good though! We're keeping her distracted with snuggles and treats  will fix her done scrambled egg later too !!


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

That's great news, I wish her a speedy recovery.


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