Change in behaviour! Help!

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spookie.cookie

Well-Known Member
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Jul 21, 2009
Messages
77
hey everyone:

if you haven't been following my previous post (crying for help lol)- my rat has just given birth! her behaviour has changed! aside from increasing maternal aggresaion (she has her babies for almost a week now!), she is behaving strangely and i am worried!

her babies are ok by the way.

i have been noticing her bowls being tipped over in the morning. today i realized that she has been climbing in her cage a lot trying to look for a way out. she does not chew on the cage bars (i hope not), but rather mouth it. she did it a couple of times and i am observing her behaviour. i do not know how to discourage it as she is pretty determined and i don't want to punish her because she might be scared.

she does have A LOT of time out. she basically free roams whenever i am around! so it would be more than 4 hours daily! her cage is on my table and she is free to explore anywhere she wants. i wonder if she starts to prefer what is OUTSIDE of her cage (although i think her cage is cozy and filled with lots of toys!).

today i found out that she has been building a small nest in my travel bag. i did not know at first until i moved the bag (i was worried she would be chewing on it), but she lunged and bit me :sad3: she has made it her territory! later that night, she started moving between the cage and bag A LOT. i saw her trying to move her baby to the bag, but i stopped her on time. i was worried of her moving the babies around and misplace it. i have locked her in her cage, but i am worried of future time out and her escaping! i wouldn't want to wake up to a destroyed room or missing babies or trying to stop her from moving the babies during time out. the cage is chew proof and the bar spacing .5 inch. i don't think she can make her way out, but i want this behaviour to stop - if there is a way!

thanks! :)
 
She needs to learn that for now, she must stay in that cage. Once she's in a much bigger cage made for rats and not hamster, she should be ok again.
 
thanks- i think her cage is big enough for a single rat, but now with the bubs- i am not sure. she just likes to be with me a lot. sometimes it's just running on the bed or around is enough- she wants a shoulder ride or to sit on my shoulder. it's cute, but frustrating as she managed to chew some of my stuff when i look away. she only does the whole chewing thing to get attention from me- i realized that today!

if i try to spray water at her and say "no"- she doesn't stop. i guess any attention is good for her, but i am going to ignore her... would that work?
 
How big is her cage? With small bar spacing, it sounds like a hamster cage.
The water bottle spray is not a good idea. You don't want getting water in their eyes, ears and nose due to their very sensitive respiratory system.
 
You will need a new baby-safe cage very soon. Those bubbies eyes will open up at 13-16 days and then they will be zooming around and they will need the room. Is there anyone who can loan you a proper cage?

Sounds like your girl is just a little stir-crazy now, especially if she's locked into a teeny cage when she's used to the Big Outdoors. She's not doing anything for attention, she's bored and cooped up. Let her out at least an hour a day (how old are the bubbies?) in short increments if the babies are really young (under a week or so), and longer periods when they are older and don't need to feed as often.
 
lilspaz68 said:
You will need a new baby-safe cage very soon. Those bubbies eyes will open up at 13-16 days and then they will be zooming around and they will need the room. Is there anyone who can loan you a proper cage?
Click to expand...

They are in a cage with 1/2 an inch bar spacing... that should be ok with babies.
 
jorats said:
lilspaz68 said:
You will need a new baby-safe cage very soon. Those bubbies eyes will open up at 13-16 days and then they will be zooming around and they will need the room. Is there anyone who can loan you a proper cage?
Click to expand...

They are in a cage with 1/2 an inch bar spacing... that should be ok with babies.
Click to expand...


But isn't it tiny?? You mentioned hamster cage.
 
lilspaz68 said:
jorats said:
lilspaz68 said:
You will need a new baby-safe cage very soon. Those bubbies eyes will open up at 13-16 days and then they will be zooming around and they will need the room. Is there anyone who can loan you a proper cage?
Click to expand...

They are in a cage with 1/2 an inch bar spacing... that should be ok with babies.
Click to expand...


But isn't it tiny?? You mentioned hamster cage.
Click to expand...

No, I was assuming... when she posted small bar spacing, I assumed it's a hamster cage. But it could also be one of those small purple super pet cages.
But ya, you are right... if it's a small hamster cage, the babies will need more room when they start to motor around.
 
no- it's not a hamster cage. i picked this one because of the small bar spacing when i first got her. i am in the process of getting a new and larger super pet one. i don't want anything too big or expensive because i am a student and i dont have a lot of money. i am already very frustrated with this oopsie issue and 9 babies are going to suck all my savings :(

my cage is an all living things in large- isn't that big enough?!

if the .5inch bar spacing is good enough for bubs- then i am glad! :D

i really wouldn't want to keep them in anything tiny or for hamster.
 
Is it this cage?

PunksinpurpleandblueinALT.jpg
 
That cage is fine until the babies are moving about...then they will definitely need a bigger cage.
I also want to say that a cage of that size is not suitable for one rat. Much too small.
 
nope- i found the box back home and it's a medium.

she has stopped though :)

my bf wants to make her a bigger cage :D they will get a bigger one soon- do you think it's a good idea to put babies in a cage with levels? i think i should wait before i upgrade their cage.

she does get lots of out time to compensate for the cage size hahaha.
 
I'd wait until the babies have opened their eye and are a little more mobile before giving them a leveled cage. They won't die from a short fall but it's better to be safe than sorry.
 
yeah- it is one level.

the dimension is 25"L x 12.5"W x 12.5"H

i am getting a bigger one so i hope that will be ok for now...
 

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