My female rat is going to explode

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Watch your female for nest building activity, usually they prepare their nest about a day or two before birthing. Some don't bother though and will birth in one corner, finish up, go build a nest and move the newborns. Others will have a nest ready well in advance but generally it's a day or two prior. Make sure momma rat has lots of fresh water in her bottle, food to munch on and just wait it out. Don't be surprised if she doesn't eat or drink too much for a day after she gives birth. They consume all the afterbirth from each pink so it sustains the momma rat while she adjusts to nursing her newborns and she doesn't have to leave the nest right away.

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Thanks so much :carrot:

those are some great pictures!!!!! thanks im just now going to buy some rodent breeding cages because i had some "left overs" from last week and saw them "going at it" so i thought, what the hey LOL

I love breeding my ratties and have tons of pics LOL. It's very gratifying to produce top quality feeders for the snakes and to be honest, I do name our stable breeding group of adults and treat them somewhere between a pet and a straight up breeder animal. Rats are great fun, easy as spit to keep, don't smell if kept nicely and happily produce lovely chubbo babies with a nice regularity. Add that to the fact that they are smart, easy to hand tame and exist well in a colony (just manage the breeding or they will overpopulate) and you've got in my opinion an almost perfect little critter. Oh and they eat up all my dinner leftovers and that last darn handful of cereal the kids won't touch in the box! Gotta love that! :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Oh and they eat up all my dinner leftovers and that last darn handful of cereal the kids won't touch in the box! Gotta love that! :)

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Thats so true. I think they even know when dinner time is at the house.

LOL I swear mine know when it's pizza and wings night around here. I walk into their area with the bones and the pizza crusts and they are already on their hide legs jostling for the handout.

Mike totally spoils the male breeder group. Bunch of big ole boys that line up for him and take their treats from his hand. Nice life they have really....hang out with the boys....snarf down some good eats....take your turn in rotation to "visit the ladies"....back to the bachelor pad for more good eats and lazing about until it's your turn again. :D I'm always amazed how how well these mature males do together. Rarely a scuffle and they happily welcome a new guy into the group (well as long as he acknowledges that old Casanova is still King of the Food Bowl).

Ok i got home from work last night and there were 13 little babies in there with mommy. I will post some pictures of them tonight when i get home from work.

Excellent! Sounds like a nice sized litter. I have three females that are getting huge. We should have a lot of little pink squeekers showing up this weekend. :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Excellent! Sounds like a nice sized litter. I have three females that are getting huge. We should have a lot of little pink squeekers showing up this weekend. :)

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I have one more female that looks like she will be ready to blow in a about a week.

I just wish Betsy ButtPatch would deliver. Her first and only litter so far was 18! She looks even bigger this time. Basically a big round body with four little feet and a head stuck on it. Poor thing can barely waddle anymore. I keep checking her chanting "come on Betsy, push those babies out!" lol

Thats how this girl was, her belly was so big. I have a question though. Im worried that all the babies arent getting their turn to get milk from mommy, so what should i do? Also do all the babies make it normally, or is there an average of babies that survive?