# Didn't expect my Sweeney to give birth so soon!! Help!!



## Yuuki (Sep 29, 2010)

Hi there!

Ah, just around 30 minutes ago I went to check how my pregnat rat is doing and give her some fresh water since I separated her from her male partner and bought her a separate....water...thing...so yeah, when I come back and place the thing I hear a tiny little "squee" and notice that Sweeney, my poor darling, was licking something- and then, OH SURPISE ! I see a little pinky below her. I've seen about three right now, but I'm scared of stressing her out and stuff...
What worries me is that I had been told that the pregnacy lasted more... =/ I thought she had still weeks to go.
And now I didn't even give her things for her to build up her nest, and today I've got no way to go out. (Father took the car).


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## catsandscales (Oct 21, 2010)

Rats have a gestation period of about three weeks... If you have any kind of soft bedding or towels I guess you could let her use that to nest with for now, and give her a little hidey-house (can be anything, an old cardboard box for now) that she can hide herself and her babies in until you can get a better set up going.

And just as a heads-up, you'll probably get a lot of flak for breeding your rats... this forum generally doesn't allow discussion of intentional breeding. There are lots of places online that have info on taking care of pregnant mothers & raising their babies.


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## Yuuki (Sep 29, 2010)

I can assure you, it was NOT intentional at all...I had bought my rats thinking they were two males and turns out that one was a female, but really, it was OBVIOUS that she had gotten impregnated, so I was kind of "aware" of what was coming to me, but didn't expect it to be so soon, I had been told the gestation lasted about...month and a half or something. I do know it's in part my fault for not doing much research, but I've been busy lately.

She also has an igloo for hiding, but she just turned it upside down and put it away, she does have some cotton-threat thing but she used that to build some sort of "wall" around them, the inner part itself only has the bedding and that's it.

I'm also pretty much frightened about carrying them, because I've been told many times that if you carry the babies the mother will kill/eat them later since they have a strange smell or something like that...


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## sarah19 (Jul 18, 2010)

no that hamsters you can hold rats straight away just give her some soft bedding then just leave her to make sure she has finished having them and time to rest then you can hold them if she will let you


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## Yuuki (Sep 29, 2010)

Hmm, still, I believe I'd rather not risk it...is carrying them a "must do"?

I mean, once they're about 10 days old or so I do think I might start carrying them, just like, they are so dependant on their mother now that I do not want to risk loosing even one of them and feel guilty afterwards...Ah = =


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## catsandscales (Oct 21, 2010)

Oh! That happens a lot. XD You're not alone. =P

You DEFINITELY want to start handling them from day one (or two, if you're really worried about it). =P Mama might be upset at you, but she won't at all hurt her babies because you handled them. As a matter of fact, the more you handle them the better pets they will be! Just for a little while each day take mom away from them and pick up each one in turn, just get them used to being handled the way you would want to be able to handle them as adults (so that they are comfortable being inspected for health, etc). They will get cold easily, so only a few minutes at a time is good. =)

Someone who has more experience with baby ratties will probably chime in an be able to help you out better. I'm just parroting what I've read. XD


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

Aww, I cannot believe that pet stores are that stupid that they cannot properly tell a male from a female. Even at a young age, I find it rather easy to tell them apart. And if she was old enough to become pregnant at the time, wouldn't that have been even easier to tell genders? lol.

Anyways, at least mama is doing well and caring for the babes like she should. I hope everything works out well for you and that you find a good home for the babes that you are not keeping. :3


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## sorraia (Nov 10, 2007)

you WILL need to handle the babies sooner than 10 days... if for no other reason than to clean out the cage. If the mother is going to kill the babies just because you touched them, she will do so when you change the cage too, HOWEVER you CANNOT leave the cage untouched for that long. The mother and babies need a clean cage, especially after birth. You need to clean out the poos and soiled litter to keep the environment safe and health for the. If you do not, the babies can suffer health issues, especially respiratory issues. You do not want to set them up this early in life for issues, so really should do everything you can to help them out now. In addition, it is better for their socializing if they are handled early on. This is especially true of animals whose background you are unfamiliar with. Lines that were bred specifically for excellent temperaments, and have proven over generations they do have excellent temperaments, may be more "tolerant" of less socializing early on (doesn't mean they shouldn't be socialized though). Rats who do not have this genetic temperament would be much more friendly and sociable if handled early on. This doesn't necessarily mean a rat that isn't handled as a baby can't make a good pet, because most rats can be socialized at any point in their life, it just means you will have less work to do with them if you start early versus later. 

For bedding, do not give her anything with "strings" in it. These can get tangled around the babies and lead to amputations or strangling. Instead give her soft "fiber" material, such as plain white paper towels or toilet paper. You can tear it into shreds so its easier for her. If she doesn't use it, don't worry about it. You can't force a mother rat to make a nest, and not all of them make huge elaborate nests.

Personally I would take the igloo/hidey box out of the cage. You want to be able to see the babies and see what's going on. Not all babies will survive their first day, and some can be stillborn. Most mothers will dispose of the bodies themselves, but not all rats will. If this is the case, you want to see the baby and know it so you can remove it right away. If you do not, it will start to decompose and will pose a health concern for the surviving babies. In addition, some mother rats become territorial and aggressive when they have a box to hide in and protect. You do not want this to happen to your mother rat. Not giving her a box can help prevent this kind of aggression. Furthermore... if she gets used to having the box on her all the time, it can be stressful for her when you remove it to handle the babies or clean out the cage. By not having the box in there, she is used to having the babies in the open and it won't bother her as much to have you looking down over them.


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