Dad rat and new babies.

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Hannah Ferina

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So recently (2 months ago) I adopted 2 "male" rats from a rescue here.
Whoever sexed them clearly didnt know what they were doing, and a couple weeks later... December 27th....
I now have 9 little fuzzy cute things.
I've separated mom and dad and put babies with mom.
They've got fuzz and colour. And I've started introducing the males to dad.
All he does is sniff and lick them. He's not mean to them at all.

My question is, will dad continue to be gentle with them, or will he be aggressive later on down the road?
Dad currently shows no aggression towards them.
 
Wow, sorry about the unexpected litter! If you can, call the rescue and let them know this happened. It's up to you whether or not you keep those babies, but if you do, make sure they get good homes! But, I'm sure you know that :)

I currently can't remember the exact age, but brothers will have to be separated from sisters, else there will be more unwanted litters. Hopefully Dena, SQ, lilspaz68, or jorats can give this exact age. I believe it's less than five weeks of age, but don't quote me on that.

All rats are different and so long as daddy rat acts nice to the babies, they can potentially be moved in with him. I would keep doing controlled introductions and then gauge reactions from there. Be mindful of puffy fur, walking sideways, or any other signs of aggression. However, him sniffing and licking them seems like a good sign! Potentially they can move in with Dad soon.
 
I usually seperate males from the litter between 4-5 weeks old. Since rats don't recognize incest, the males could potentially get the other females pregnant. Keep letting the males interact with dad. But definitely watch for the sideling up, and puffed up fur, and grunting, and stomping of the front feet. The younger boys may also do this as their hormones kick in. Forced grooming is normal. As long as there's no blood, or fur flying. Protest squeaks are normal too.
 
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