Quote Originally Posted by xdeus View Post
That's true, maternal instincts in rats are a combination of a specific gene and elevated oxytocin levels. However, that doesn't mean an intelligent species can't benefit from observing an experienced mother. Also, quite often another female rat will take over the care of the kits from a mother with too many kits or one that is experiencing problems.

As far as leaving the males with the mothers, I personally prefer taking the males away as rats can become pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth. I like to give my females a break after they wean a litter.
I agree with what you are saying. I just want to sort of defend my opinion here because the rat in question doesn't have too many babies, so she actually should not be having any problems imo. While the male can make her pregnant again, she has to be willing. Most nursing mothers, in my observation, do not let the male bother them when they are nursing (this has been my experience and he has other females to bother so this takes some of the onus off the nursing mother.

Lastly, it bothered me that those kits were cold. Usually when it reaches this point, the female has been neglecting them so they are both cold and starving (no white line across ratterlings lower belly means no milk)?

Putting the neglecting female with other nursing mothers at this point, may get some one killed. Either her from being the new comer and disrupting the established system in the tub, or she may eat the babies already in there or keep the other rats away from her ratterlings, so that they can't be taken care of. Lastly, if the neglecting female is put in there WITH her kits, and the male is left in there, it's possible he will kill off her kits, they aren't his (I don't set up possible canibalism opportunities..it's easier to prevent than to stop). BUT, it's been my experience that if I jumble in the neglected kits among the already established kits and mix the smells up then they are accepted and not killed.

For me, it's just too many variables to risk disrupting an established colony for a female that has proven herself not to be an "instinctual" mother. I would give the babies a chance, but she would have to go (but then I really have too many rats to be taking chances like this).

OP, there's lots of good suggestions here. Good luck with your decision!