My female rat is going to explode

I was wondering, one of my female rats is enourmous she has the pear shape going on, i have seperated my males and females as suggested on an earlier thread, how long will it be before i have babies? I have another one that i suspect is pregnant too.

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Originally Posted by juddb

I was wondering, one of my female rats is enourmous she has the pear shape going on, i have seperated my males and females as suggested on an earlier thread, how long will it be before i have babies? I have another one that i suspect is pregnant too.

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When she starts laying on her back. It'll be about 3-4 days give or take. :D

Thanks im super excited!!! :carrot:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

When she starts laying on her back. It'll be about 3-4 days give or take. :D

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Oh wow - i didnt know that. I just noticed a preggo female laying on her back, and i was thinking "wow that looks uncomfortable in your state". So she will start birthing soon or in 3-4 days?

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Originally Posted by adizziedoll

Oh wow - i didnt know that. I just noticed a preggo female laying on her back, and i was thinking "wow that looks uncomfortable in your state". So she will start birthing soon or in 3-4 days?

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The last three litters I have had when they started laying on their back it was less than a week when they popped.

Ive also noticed when they are pregnant they are super bitey too. :oops:

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Originally Posted by juddb

Ive also noticed when they are pregnant they are super bitey too. :oops:

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Keep all fingers and toes out side the tub during this time :D

Too funny, how all of them are so different. None of mine lay on their backs, and none are particularly bitey. I'd say babies in less than a week.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Too funny, how all of them are so different. None of mine lay on their backs, and none are particularly bitey. I'd say babies in less than a week.

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Thanks

Oh I was just remembering the first time I saw a heavily preggo female rat flopped over in the "Imma dead rat" back sprawl. I literally thought..."OMG my freakin rat died!". Ran over, knocked on her glass tank and boy did she glare at me for being a stupid human, then she went back to sleep LOL.

We have some experienced momma rats who will flop over like that and crash out, just leave the teats available for the horde kind of thing. After a litter or two, I think the "how cute I have babies" thing has about worn off for the lady rats LOL.

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.

The most pregnant rat I've ever owned LOL (this was the day she birthed, poor thing couldn't even rise on her hind legs to greet me like she usually does)....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ahugebelly.jpg

Okay kids, just help yourselves!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ManyBabies.jpg

Momma rat makes a comfy place to sleep on! Pig pile on momma!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...itterMar07.jpg

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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?

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

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).

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that is THE LIFE!

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Originally Posted by juddb

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?

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She'll split them up into two different groups and feed one group the feed the second. Just make sure she gets plenty of food and water all the time. I put a vitamin supplement in my nursing moms water seems to really help them recover.

Just to further what Ed said, momma rats are really good about managing their big litters. Back when I first started breeding rats I used to think "oh dear she's lost a few" and I'd gather up the babies from the other nest and "help" the momma rat (Emily did this too). We both learned that smart mother rats split big litters into two nests and move back and forth or just rotate them in the one big nest. Just make sure momma is super well fed and hydrated. Keep an eye out for visible milkbands that indicate they are getting fed.

You can only see these on the newborn pinks....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2.../Milkbands.jpg

Female rat with newborn litter, you can see it's pretty easy to peek in and check for milkbands on most of them...
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...eandbabies.jpg

Usually they don't lose any but if she rejects a couple and they die, that's just nature's way of culling the weak ones or the mother knowing what she can manage. It's pretty rare though for rats to lose any young. Sometimes they will consume one or two right at the moment of birth if the young is defective but again, nature's way usually of letting only the strong survive.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

. I put a vitamin supplement in my nursing moms water seems to really help them recover.

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Whats the vitamin supplement that you use, and where do you get it? Thanks for everyones help.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Sometimes they will consume one or two right at the moment of birth if the young is defective but again, nature's way usually of letting only the strong survive.

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Rat cannabalism yucky....

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Originally Posted by darkdreamer

Rat cannabalism yucky....

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It's not truly cannabalism. How else is the mother rat to deal with a defective offspring? She consumes it simply to remove it from the nest, to recycle it's nutrients and so that a rotting corpse is not nearby to attract predators to her nest. Basically the same reason to an extent that she consumes all the afterbirth from each offspring....nutrients and to remove as much blood smell as possible. Nature doesn't follow our human sensabilities but it usually works out fine when we don't interfere too much.

Jo, I just love this pic! :carrot:



Okay kids, just help yourselves!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ManyBabies.jpg

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

It's not truly cannabalism. How else is the mother rat to deal with a defective offspring? She consumes it simply to remove it from the nest, to recycle it's nutrients and so that a rotting corpse is not nearby to attract predators to her nest. Basically the same reason to an extent that she consumes all the afterbirth from each offspring....nutrients and to remove as much blood smell as possible. Nature doesn't follow our human sensabilities but it usually works out fine when we don't interfere too much.

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Does hse eat the bones too, or just the meat?

Reminds me of Demolishion Man and Rat Burgers!!

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Originally Posted by juddb

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

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I know mine do! They are in the den right off my kitchen, so the smell of dinner cooking always wakes them up. By the time we are done eating, that are begging for leftover scraps. :D

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Originally Posted by SarahMB

I know mine do! They are in the den right off my kitchen, so the smell of dinner cooking always wakes them up. By the time we are done eating, that are begging for leftover scraps. :D

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Yeah same here, They are knocked out but when the kitchen light goes right around 5 pm they get up real quick....