Is this normal?

This evening, Scarlett has decided that burying her babies is a good thing. Should I be concerned?

probably not. one of my females in particular does this, especially after i clean or mess with anything in her cage. i think it's just her way of hiding the babies from me. she will also cover them up sometimes while she eats or naps away from them.

Well, I was thinking maybe the enclosure was dirty, and she was "cleaning" so I just transferred them all to a clean 10 gallon and she's buried them all again (wrings hands). It's like she's lost her mind!

A lot of mine will do this, I always have to be real careful when dumping the old shavings out of the tub. I'll always comb though it with my fingers and find all the buried ones. I think it's just her way of keeping them safe from predators when she's off doing other things like eating or drinking. They always dig them up again when it's time to feed them.

She's acting like she's sick of them, keeps pushing them away from her and tunneling through the aspen like a mad woman. If you guys say it's normal, I'll quit being a mother hen. They're just six days old, and her (and my) first litter, so I'm a little anxious.

wait until the babies get a little stronger and can hold on to her teets while she scurries about the cage. she will drag them all over and you will just die--used to drive me nuts!

the other day i walked up to check on one of my mommas--she stood up on her back legs while a suckling babe swung from each of her top two teets. :giggle: now there's an interesting idea as far as body jewelry goes...

Try to just leave her alone. I have many that bury their babies when I start cleaning I believe its just stress.

Yes, from my own experiences:

At least half of my females will bury their babies to keep them warm/safe... it is surprising when i go to check them out and they are being kept hot by each other and the bedding insulating them.

The digging/going crazy is normal when you put a mom into a new enclosure. She will dig around, get it how she likes it, and then settle back down. I've known babies to go 24-36 hours at least without heat or milk and recover fine. Unless the mother abandons them for 24+ hours, or they are cold to the touch i wouldnt worry.

OK, she's nursing them now, thanks for holding my hand!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

the other day i walked up to check on one of my mommas--she stood up on her back legs while a suckling babe swung from each of her top two teets. :giggle: now there's an interesting idea as far as body jewelry goes...

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now that's what i call a MOMMA :D :worship: :judge:


vaughn

Sounds like she's being a pretty typical momma rat Robin. If she start burying them too deep and your at all concerned just remove some of her bedding so she can't get too much of it to mound up. One of my females tends to bury hers a little deep, she's never lost one yet but I usually do give her less bedding than the others. She's the nutty one I told you about Robin that removes all bedding from everywhere in the maternity tank and builds a mountain then poops/pees on bare glass *sigh* Rats are occasionally nutty as a fruitcake LOL.

Some of my momma rats finish all of their food (I use 8oz deli cups) and take the bowl and cover their babies with that.....burying them is normal...put your hand under the aquarium where the babies are...its surprisingly warm!!

aah yes--i put small boxes in the enclosures a lot of times--granola bar boxes and stuff like that and a lot of times the moms will take those and cover the nest with it while she is away.

when i had my first two rats (2 females that were supposed to be food that turned into the colony i have now :) ) it was hilarious to watch them madly rearrange the tank after i would clean it. none of the others since those two seem quite so insane with the rearranging and piling bedding here and there and back again, but it was quite hilarious to watch.

I wish I'd taken a picture the other day. Went in to feed and check the ratties and one of my mink momma's had flipped her food bowl over and was happily camping under it with her new litter. Too funny!

Baby rodents like rats when pinky size have this amazing capability to go with little oxygen. Its like a smothering reflex or soemthing. Ever watch how the mother rat/mouse seems to just walk over them nonchalantly while your like "You're stepping on your babies!!!! STop it!" They are built for it. The burying, like everyone has said, is a natural instinct to keep the babies safe.

I am waiting for my african soft furs to start up their own breeding factory. Its like, you put all this time and energy into starting a breeding colony, the last thing you want is to wait ALL THIS TIME and then see mama rat be an idiot and kill off the babies...