Maybe I need to foster these babies? HELP!

My two double rex sisters in the same cage just both gave birth overnight with about 20+ babies combined.
Problem is I cant see any milk in the babies bellys yet. The mothers are sitting over the babies and seem to be caring for them. These are young females that I didnt really want to get pregnant but it happened. Maybe because they are young they arent producing much milk?
Anyways I have two other sisters in a seperate cage that are caring for eachothers babies as well. These babies are at their hopper stage and are just starting to wean. The mothers in this group still nurse the group a few times a day.
How could I go about fostering the newborns to these mothers? I dont want the newborns to die because of not getting milk.

Many times double rex rats do not lactate properly. It takes A LOT of selective breeding to get double rex rats that do lactate properly. I would foster all of the babies immediately.

Ok but how do I go about that?
Do I just put all the newborns in with the other mothers and their hopper babies? Or am i risking them being eaten by the moms because they dont smell right...etc.
I need to know how to properly introduce the newborns in the other tank.

Most of my mothers will readily accept any baby, but then again I cull any females from my colony that eat babies.

I've had something similar happen before. I had two females with babies that were 10-14 days and one female that had 17 new born babies and wasn't able to care for them. I placed a few babies of the new born litter in with the female I wanted to foster them. Leaving her babies in there at first. Then over the next couple of hours, I removed a few of her babies and added a few of the foster babies. Her larger kits (pups) were put in with the other female with the older/larger kits. Mixing newborns with much older babies will lead to asphyxiation and starvation of the younger ones.

Well looking at the babies now I can see a little bit of milk in them. Not A LOT but I do see some.
Ill give them a few hours and if theres not more milk in all the babies then ill split them up.

Since we are on the subject and it seems there are some experienced breeders commenting here, I had a question.

I have been breeding now for about 2 months or so. I have 3 trios that are producing very rapidly so I am very happy. However due to feeding off pinks, pups, and hoppers in the past, this is the first time that I will have the opportunity to have weaners and put them in a grow out tub.

My question is, what's the best way to determine a safe stage to seperate the weaner's? How do you know when they are eating blocks and not nursing anymore? I'd love to just sit and watch the hoppers/weaners for an extended period of time to see what they are eating or still nursing but being so busy it'd be much easier to just have a couple of easy indicators.

i'd appreciate any advice/comments! Thanks guys!

Oh, and I meant in no way to hijack the OPs thread, I just thought this would be easier then starting a new thread. And it seemed most of the questions above were pretty much already answered. If the OP wants me to bounce, just let me know and I will happily take my questions elsewhere :) Thanks again guys/gals!

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Originally Posted by cdavidson9

Since we are on the subject and it seems there are some experienced breeders commenting here, I had a question.

I have been breeding now for about 2 months or so. I have 3 trios that are producing very rapidly so I am very happy. However due to feeding off pinks, pups, and hoppers in the past, this is the first time that I will have the opportunity to have weaners and put them in a grow out tub.

My question is, what's the best way to determine a safe stage to seperate the weaner's? How do you know when they are eating blocks and not nursing anymore? I'd love to just sit and watch the hoppers/weaners for an extended period of time to see what they are eating or still nursing but being so busy it'd be much easier to just have a couple of easy indicators.

i'd appreciate any advice/comments! Thanks guys!

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i normaly watch them and see if there eating but the best way to know when to take them out is when you see them drinking from the water bottle or what ever it is your useing.mainly if there drinking water then you can seperate them from mom.i breed asf rats and mice and i been doing that for a long time now with no problem. if you have runts or any that are realy small leave them in with mom for a extra week or 2 so they can faten up alittle.hope that helps

Most are ready to wean at 21 days. All are ready to wean at 28 days. Just put them in their own tub by sex and they will figure the rest out.

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Originally Posted by tomfromtheshade

Most are ready to wean at 21 days. All are ready to wean at 28 days. Just put them in their own tub by sex and they will figure the rest out.

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Once weaned they cannot be mixed by sex? they have to be in their own grow out tubs according to sex? Is that because the males can impregnate the females but since they are so young it can kill them or something? HELP! As of now the male and female weaners are all in the same tub.. It sound like I need to make another tub set up then...

Once again, thank for all the advice guys. Being new to breeding rats I need all the help i can get.