How do you clean?

[pigfat]

How do you al clean your tubs when you have litters born? I don want to disturb the mom too much, but can you just pick the babies up and put them in a clean tub alon with the mom?

[CCfive]

Bp's have clutches, boa's have litters.

[Luke Martin]

Um, I thought we were talking about rats here?

You can pick the babies up and put them in the new tub with no issues. They won't desert the young if they smell human on them.

[LotusCorvus]

Just move the mom into the clean tub first ;P Then you can handle the babies all you want (within reason, they need to eat very frequently), and she'll still take care of them.

[PitOnTheProwl]

First time moms might eat the litter but most of mine are use to me pawing their babies

Mice on the other hand will kill them almost every time, at least here in my shed

[Capray]

Distract the mother, take out babies and put them in a shoebox while you clean the cage, put the mother somewhere else, being out of the nest with her babies will cause her more stress than being away from them, and reduce the risk of being bitten if the rat is pissy. Just add them all into the clean cage together when you finish.

You don't want to have the babies away from the mother for more than 15 minutes even, they will get cold, and the mother will be stressed out and anxious.

[sorraia]

Depending on the mom... I'd just move babies and mom all at once if the mom was calmer and less concerned about babies being handled. If the mom was a little more nervous or a first-timer, I'd tempt her out with a treat, then move the babies to a separate container, clean, put babies back, then put mom back.

[carlson]

My momma I just take them out and put back. Biggest problem I have is getting her off the nest with out her biting me she likes to jump and bite

[Luke Martin]

Mice on the other hand will kill them almost every time, at least here in my shed

Never had that happen here. I've been breeding mice and rats for close to 10 years and the only time I have them eating babies usually, is if there are too many mice in the same tub, or first time moms will do it for some unforeseen reason. Never has touching the babies ever been an issue.

[Wapadi]

I keep a spare tub and mom goes straight from the dirty tub to the clean one, back to the rack and then I put the little ones in. If the babies are only a day old I hold off on cleaning. No real reason, but I feel bad distrubing her that soon!