When 1 male rat loves 1 female rat you get....

[TheAudOne]

So, havent been on in awhile... sorry again for that
Snakes are all doing well, have 2 on a hunger strike still (since 10/03/06) but the other 4 are growing like weeds.. each time I go and buy feeders I get 2 for the fasters... usually someone ends up eating them so no worries....well...I've had these 3 small rats (now 3 large rats) for like a month...each feeding day I'm pushing someone to eat the damn things ... I would prefer they ate the 2 females...of course the gods arent with me and no one does....and today I wake to a littter....fantastic!
There are 2 females and one male.. the female that gave birth is so not the one I thought was preggers....so I know the other one will drop her litter any second now... my question is one that I am sure has been answered a million times over now.. but again... should I leave the 3 adults in there....watching them to make sure the male or the other female arent bothering the mother and babies...or what? Do i need to worry about cleaning her bedding that she is on..its pretty dirty now... thank god i had just cleaned it and even put a paper towel roll in there which she swiped and shredded ... and made a nest from...yeah ya know i have mom brain and miss all the signs for everything lol..
Any how thanks for your comments....wish me luck *bites her nails*

[Vomitore]

I was just gonna ask if anyone has seen you around or not. Glad youre back.

[JLC]

Welcome back!


I think it's ok to leave the mammas together...but only if the enclosure is big enough and has enough ventilation. You probably want to pull the male out, though...so the poor mammas don't get pregnant again right away.

[frankykeno]

Yep what Judy said. As long as the females get along and the other one is about to drop her own litter it should be fine. I like having my female rats one per 10 gallon tank with her litter but I've communal housed them a couple of times. Just watch that there isn't a lot of pinkie stealing going on and that the pinks have big fat milkbands visible. I'd pull dad out though as he will likely try to jump the females immediately after they give birth. If you don't want to though do know that rat males make excellent parents and the chances of him harming his own offspring are next to nil. Adults both male and female may cull pinks if they are unsound or inferior but rarely eat them for no reason as is more often seen with mice.

[recycling goddess]

i just successfully kept 3 females together in a wire cage (wires very close together) and they all nursed and cared for the 31 babies together. worked just fine for me. no fighting or problems.

but i understand there 'can' be problems so have another enclosure ready to scoop mama and some babies in with her if the two moms fight over them.

from what i've heard with mice and it may be relevent with ratties as well???... if one mom gives birth and the other doesn't give birth for 4 days... remove the unbirthed mom as the mom who already has a litter will kill and eat the other mamas pups. i'm honestly not sure if my last mama just had a small litter or if her pups were killed and eaten. we didn't find any evidence of the latter but only 31 pups between the three girls is quite small since the first mom had a large litter herself.

and i would recommend removing the male now... so the mamas can wean their pups and have a break from breeding again before you reintroduce them.

and.... we need some pics!!!

[Ginevive]

i just successfully kept 3 females together in a wire cage (wires very close together) and they all nursed and cared for the 31 babies together. worked just fine for me. no fighting or problems.

but i understand there 'can' be problems so have another enclosure ready to scoop mama and some babies in with her if the two moms fight over them.

from what i've heard with mice and it may be relevent with ratties as well???... if one mom gives birth and the other doesn't give birth for 4 days... remove the unbirthed mom as the mom who already has a litter will kill and eat the other mamas pups. i'm honestly not sure if my last mama just had a small litter or if her pups were killed and eaten. we didn't find any evidence of the latter but only 31 pups between the three girls is quite small since the first mom had a large litter herself.

and i would recommend removing the male now... so the mamas can wean their pups and have a break from breeding again before you reintroduce them.

and.... we need some pics!!!

All gread advice, and she covered what I was going to say.

Glad you're doing OK , Aud!

[Alice]

Welcome back Audrey - we missed you.