HELP Rodent birth

[Moriar]

well a rat i didnt know was near term just gave birth to 9 babies i moved her to her own tub with the new borns on newsprint and papertowels... is this ok? what else need i do? i am ill prepared for this since the rat i think is about ready to pop hasnt! the babies have some debris on them do i clean it off? let mom do it! please someone give me a hand here im running around didnt have a chance to search!

[Sunny1]

From what I know about breeding gerbils (basically similar I would imagine in how they care for their young) as well as from some of the posts that I have read on here, you don't really have to worry too much about the babies right now. Just make sure that momma has plenty of food and water, I would keep them on regular bedding (wood pellets, aspen, whatever you usually use, I used to notice with my gerbils that they will push it all towards where the nest is, I believe that rats may do the same also, plus you wouldn't have to change it as often as paper towels and newspaper), and give momma some nesting material (some old cloth, torn up newspaper, I used to use old phone books... just tear strips out of the pages). But mostly at this point just take care of the momma like you would normally do and she will do the rest. I would just be slightly more cautious at first around the momma, some of my gerbil moms used to be okay with me being in their cage, others would try to run and nip at my hand (they were just being protective mommas, normally very nice girls). Good luck with the new babies!

[frankykeno]

Just make sure the momma rat has food, water and time with her offspring. They are normally very good, very instinctive mothers and know what to do. She'll tend them without any real help other than just keeping her in good shape to do so. I've moved newly birthed litters and it's a rare thing for that to cause any problems. Some mother rats are very protective of their litters, mind your fingers with her until you see how she is with you around them.

[RambunctiousRatzSFL]

I'll second that mind the fingers comment. In all my years of handling rats this is the only time I have ever been bitten.

If you need to put your hand in her space, be sure to do so on her terms.

Give her around 24-48 hours to adjust. You will want to check to see if they have milk bands within the first 24 hours just to be sure all is going well. Since tomorrow is Christmas & all the stores where you would find rat supplies are closed you wouldn't be able to get any supplies if needed. Maybe you should get a can of formula tonight "just in case". You can use the puppy (esbilac) or kitten (KMR) formula & a small eye dropper. Both have been well received from babies I have hand fed. Don't open it until you need it & if you do open it, freeze what you don't immediately use into small ice cubes & store them in a zipper sealed bag. Mix the full strength formula with equal parts water when thawing. Even if you don't need it & Mom does well on her own, you can offer it to her while she is nursing.

Consider having formula & an eye dropper on hand "just in case" as a staple when you are breeding or have a pregnant rat. (especially if you want the babies to grow up beyond pinky aged feeders)