Info/Tips for Nursing Mothers

[CoolioTiffany]

I would love any and all info or tips for nursing mothers. I recently had a small problem that occurred from not separating the female and allowing her to back to back breed for three litters.

My girl was being kept with the male (no other females) and she would have a new litter about a week or so after her previous litter became weaned. She has had three litters with me so far but since the 3rd litter I have separated her from the male so I don't back to back breed her (she has been separated for a few weeks now).

I noticed this was becoming a problem with her not being able to nurse her litters. First litter was fine, she had 11 babies but ate 3. Second litter she had 8 babies which one of them became malnourished through not getting enough milk. Third litter she had 11 babies with I believe three of them became malnourished. I ended up feeding off one, then I think mom had eaten one, and then I found one dead.

So because of this I want to ensure I give her enough time between pregnancies so this doesn't happen often and that she will be healthy for each litter she produces.

I feed the rats two different types of food from the pet store, one of which has seeds and a variety of things in it. I also occasionally throw in carrots or apple slices.

A couple questions I had:
How many weeks do you give your females between births?
Does feeding nursing mothers fresh fruits or veggies help with their health and help them have enough milk to nurse their pups?

I want to know as much as possible to ensure she and my other female will be healthy to successfully produce and nurse their litters.

[LotusCorvus]

What I've seen other people saying is a day per baby, with a minimum of 7 days. If they still seem under-weight, give them a little longer.

Fresh veggies are always great. Seed mixes are considered fattening, but a little mixed in for variety certainly won't hurt. I also give my nursing moms a little bit of cooked egg white. They absolutely love it. A cheap way to increase pregnant/nursing moms' protein is to give them a little bit of cat food with their lab block.

Edit: Days per baby/minimum of a week is for AFTER the babies have been weaned.

[snakesRkewl]

I pull females about 3-4 days before they drop their kits and they are on their own until I wean the kits at 4 weeks old and then I place the female back in with her group.

Offering anything nutritious to a mammal can only help.
I used to offer seeds also but I don't anymore, but I do like to give the females yogurt, fresh spinach leaves, hard boiled eggs, and other treats(stale cereal is a fav )

[Rhasputin]

Fresh veggies are NOT always great. Rats are not fruit or veggie eaters, they are grain and seed eaters. Veggies will actually give the mother diarrhea and prevent her from being able to hold fluids properly, or nurse properly.

Dandelion greens are the only vegetable matter I'd suggest feeding to nursing mothers. One leaf every other day for the first week will increase milk production.

Seeds are good, so is dog food, cat food is okay, but dog food is better.