my pregnant ratties

They are first time mothers ... they dont relax as long as any babies are around. This is why I usually take all pinkies from a first time female. By their second litter they are experienced pros.

The first litter is also stressful on the keeper. This is when most problems occur ... baby stealing, attacking cagemates, attacking the keeper, and cannibalism. With 30 new colonies giving birth over the last week and this week I'm fairly stressed. Ive already had one female go ape and kill all the babies in the tub and severly injure 2 of my "good" females.

Best advice I could give is try to cull each litter down to 6-8 and then leave them alone for a few days ... maybe put a dark sheet over most of their enclosure to help them feel more secure.

Bryan

they haven't given birth yet... so that may be a bit tought to do! LOL

Sorry ... I missed that part (blames it on his meds). Since they are going to drop at the same time Id try to leave them together. Put in a few boxes and some paper towels and tissues. Try to make the boxes the same size (one less thing to fight over).


My favorite boxes were the USPS flat rate boxes ... I would fill it full of long shredded paper, tissues, some treats, and paper towels, then close both the top and bottom (folding the flaps works alot better than tape ... they tend to fixate on the tape and it can be harmful). Get out your favorite knife and cut a hole in the side of the box ... you dont want it too big or they dont feel secure ... If its too small they will normally enlarge the hole themselves.

Pregnancy takes alot out of the females ... Once I know they are about to drop I start to give pasta every other day (carbs) or stale bread (more carbs), and chicken/turkey bones and/or boiled egss about once a week.

You should exercise a bit more caution as they get near and within a few days after dropping ... startled moms tend to get a bit crazy ... This is when I receive my worst bites.

Bryan

Sorry I missed your questions Aleesha. Well you have a couple of options. You can leave them together in a large enclosure to give birth together. It may or may not be a good thing. You won't know till they give birth and either do well together or start stealing each others babies and so forth. You can at that point seperate them and simply dole out half the babies to each female (they don't normally care whose babies are whose). Your other option is to seperate them again now.

As far as them running about trying to get out and so forth. It's not really anything to worry about. Don't think like a human, think like a rat. They are checking out a new enclosure, they are going to run about checking it out, kicking up bedding, snooping away madly at every nook and cranny. The more you check on them, the more you will excite them. They will settle in within a day or so. You can leave a few special treats for them in their new enclosure if you like but it's really not harming them to be seperated close to giving birth. They don't like to be alone all that much but if they are ready to deliver soon they will be busy enough with their new litters to not really care in a very short time.

Most of my females, when seperated into their maternity tanks mess about for the first day or so then settle in quite nicely alone. I figure the stress of moving them and leaving them alone is worth the benefit of them getting access to all the food, all the water, all the bedding and no other female rat around to mess with their litters. Plus I like knowing which pups came from which rats in case I see any genetic issues (good or bad).

You can really do it either way though Aleesha. Rats are very hardy creatures that adapt to almost any situation.

I always like to give my expectant ratties each their own 10g tank. I juts think it's less stressful; rats are "nosy neighbors" and if their cagemate is doing anything (including giving birth) they just Have to be all over the place, and I know the birthing is bad enough without another rat nosing in; this is just how I do it. I left 2 moms together once and like Jo saod, one ended up nursing and doing all the work; she got really thin and i ended up splitting them up.!

okay, i'll be tougher this time LOL i'll separate them again today and see how they do. IF they were bred the first night... they should birth tomorrow. becky is huge whereas rosie is smaller in her belly (but rosie was the first to start 'showing') - so this way i can also tell exactly how many babies they each have.

thanks so much everyone... i appreciate your support. this isn't nearly as simple as i thought it would be.

LOL it is simple hon, rats have been breeding and dropping litters long before we existed and will do so long after we are gone and doing in under trying circumstances and thriving the whole time! You're just worrying and overthinking it a bit but that's normal the first time you breed any creature and just shows you care.

Pop your females in their maternity enclosures and give them a little treat of bread and olive oil (just a bit though) then let them settle in. You'll usually see nest building activities just prior to birthing (within 24 hours) but some don't do that. They just birth then build the nest and relocate the pups. Each to their own, they usually know instinctively what to do.

While they are birthing you can quietly observe (heck I've quietly snapped photo's of one birthing). Just don't hover or fuss near them, they rarely have birthing issues. Experienced female breeders don't care much whose around LOL. If a pup or two is lost, that's normal and the female will likely eat it and you'll never even know it happened. They clean up all afterbirth and are one of the cleanest birthing animals I've ever seen. If any don't make it sometimes the females will just kick them away, so once the birthing is over just very quietly remove the dead pink then...not during the actual birthing of the litter.

We of course wants pics of your litters (that's just a given around this place LOL)

okay they are in their birthing chambers LOL and i'm about to make them up their weekly olive oil and bread... and i've closed the door (that way i won't be fretting about them LOL)

and i'm leaving them alone!!!

thanks so much everyone hopefully there will be some nice sized litters to take pics of sooooon :wuv:

Rats are very social, and I try to leave my females in with their general "gang" until they are very fat. Sometimes I will put two "fatties" in a maternity tub together to hang out with each other until one gives birth, and then switch them, but I also have all the maternity tubs near each other too..


Ive found that most of my females dont mind being separated the last few days before they give birth. They build a nest without having to worry about big Bubba stomping through and wrecking it, or sleeping in it, and once they have their babies I think that becomes the overwhelming focus for them.

so they were NOT preggers... so ricardo rodente has returned... for a nice long visit! he's staying for three weeks this time... guaranteed to make some babies... if they don't, then i know he's a dud LOL