# Should i separate two females when one is pregnant..?



## wagz77 (Feb 27, 2010)

I have two girls. one is pregnant, im pretty sure. should i separate her from the other girl? the girls get alone perfectly fine, they're sisters. theyre nice, and never aggressive to each other.. i just dont know how the rat who isnt having the litter would react to the other rat having babies in the same cage... i could get a separate cage if i had to, but i'd hate to separate them.. does anyone have experience at something like this?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Rats won't usually purposely hurt the babies but you still need to separate as hormones can make even the sweetest moms protective. The main concern is the other girl may pick them up, then mom grabs them back and accidentally hurts the baby - which is a lot more common than you think. 

Mom doesn't need to be separated until about the last 4-5 days so she has time to settle and build a nest. She can still be taken out each day and put back in with her friend for up to 2 hours at one time, twice a day(you can use this time to handle, socialize and check the babies)


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## wagz77 (Feb 27, 2010)

Thank you a lot! and should i wait until a certain time before i start handling them? and could i "over-handle" them?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

After mom has cleaned them up and you know labor has ended. You can remove mom briefly and give the babies a once over, check for milk bands (they are transparent so you can see their stomaches) Remove any dead babies (it happens unfortunately) 

Theres no such thing as over handling them, the more the better. Just be aware they can not regulate their own temperature while they are babies and need to suckle every 2-3 hours.


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## wagz77 (Feb 27, 2010)

Alright.  Thanks.


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## Bacca (Sep 12, 2010)

I had to seperate my two girls because the other one started to get a little agressive. it is good ato seperate them because the mum will get protective and the other female may interfere.


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## wagz77 (Feb 27, 2010)

Well, i will separate them, but once the babies are weaned, the girls would be fine in the same cage with my two girls i have now, right?


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## ema-leigh (Jan 24, 2010)

Yeah once they are weaned, the girls can live with mom and her friend as long as the cage is big enough for them all and the bar space is ideal for youngsters. Mom can go visit her friend every day, giving you time to play with the babies and once the babies are 4 weeks old you can let them have play times outside the cages with mom and your other girl... then at 5 weeks they can all live in the same cage again!


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## wagz77 (Feb 27, 2010)

Alright. thanks.  im getting the r-695. ordering it tommorrow. would this cage be okay for six rats? ... girls, not boys.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Yep! That is a bit of a squeeze but if you clean it often it should be fine


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## wagz77 (Feb 27, 2010)

Alright. Well, i only have two females now. But im pretty sure one is pregnant.. so, im planning on keeping two-four girls, then maybe two or three boys if i get another cage. Then, my friend might take one girl, she already has two girls, and her cousin might take two boys. Still linning homes out, just in case. :/


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