Rat Breeding got a quick question?

[RestlessRobie]

I am new to rat breeding and have a quick question for anyone with a little more exprience

I have 2 females sisters that have been housed together all their lives
Lucky birthed her first litter 6-25 4 babies and has been a wonderful mother
Lucy birthed her first little this evening 11 babies and well Lucky has taken all the babies and bedding into her nest and left Lucy sitting in the other corner of the cage no babies. Lucy doesnt seem to mind this and is relaxing after the ordeal of childbirth. My question should I seperate them out or leave them together and see what happens
Thanks in advance as always guys
Erik

[Tfpets]

I would leave them together. As time passes they will both be taking care of them. I can just about guarantee you will create issues if you try to mess with them to much now. Rats are great mothers and they will take care of it no problem!

[meowmeowkazoo]

As long as they don't start fighting over the pups it's fine to leave them together.

[RestlessRobie]

That is what I was thinking just wanted to make sure I am leaving for the weekend tomorrow and well did not want to come home to an bunch of dead babies thanks for the quick replies guys

[tatboy89]

Make sure they have plenty of food to get thru the weekend. If they run out they will eat the babies.

[satomi325]

I would watch them for the first week. Once I had 3 mothers have babies all at once. 3 separate nests in 3 different corners. But then one mother started stealing babies from other nests and then all the moms started tug-o-waring on babies. I lost a total of 10 pups because they were all torn up. It was inhumane to let them live, so I fed them to my ferrets.

But if there aren't any issues like that, then its fine to leave them together. Most moms will share duties caring for all the pups once they're all sharing a nest.

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[wolfy-hound]

Plenty of food AND WATER. Running out of water will induce cannibalism faster than anything else I've found.

Mom rats will share babies, and will pile all the babies in one pile, put them in random spots all over the cage, bury them in shavings, leave them on bare floor.... they end up taking great care of the babies in the end, but they often do what we would think was "wrong". Probably what will end up happening is that one mom will nurse and care for them... then after a while, the other will take over. Sometimes you will have a lazy mom that lets the others do all the work, but normally, they'll all share.

I even catch my male rats laying on nests of babies to keep them warm and happy. Most of my males are normally laying around trying to nap with at least one baby climbing on their head or jumping up and down on them. Rats are generally great parents with only a few exceptions.

[RestlessRobie]

Well goot news bad news I guess Mom A wouldnt let Mom B take any babies no matter how hard she tried and well a few of the newborns got crushed I think. So next litter I seperate them when they start to look like they swallowed pingpong balls Thanks for the input guys