HELP: SPCA gave me a pregnant rat- my rat has given birth!!!

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spookie.cookie

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

I AM FREAKING OUT. i just got back from work and my rat has given birth!!!!!! so much for adopting her siblings- now i have babies!!!!

what should i do?!?!??! i am so freaking out now!!!


angie
 
1. Don't panic!!

2. Make sure mama is warm, and comfortable and that the cage is a suitable nursery cage (others will be able to provide you with good information on what this entails)

3. Is mom feeding her babies? It might take a bit of time, but you should see milk bands (whitish areas on their tummies). So long as mommy is feeding them well, there's very little you need to do.

How many babies?

And you might want to let the SPCA know as well!
 
WHoa Spookie!! That's crazy. Definitely call the HBSPCA, they may ask you to bring the babies back but it will at least stop you from being over run with babies.

If you need any help, I'm just a city away.

Edit: I also have some left over puppy milk replacer mix that will help fatten up Mom, so she's better able to raise her babies.
 
Yes, call the SPCA NOW!!!

They need to get put on fleece or paper towel for bedding, and mom needs to get high protein treats.
 
Soft bedding is best for babies...bounty paper towels are best, and they won't scratch sensitive baby skin.

Give Mom an igloo or something else she can hide her babies away in. The Nursery habitat shouldn't be too big so babies can't get lost.

Give Mom good food in the form of lab blocks, and extra protien like cooked egg, ensure or baby cereal and lots of fresh veggies and fruit.

Keep them warm and quiet. Almost all rats are excellent Mom's, but in cases of large litters some of the babies may pass. Try not to freak out and just remove the little souls...it's just nature taking it course. Like previous posts the best way to keep an eye on pinkies health is to check for milk bands.

After a few days you can start handling the babies to get them used to it. Mom may be a bit nippy depending on her personality, but it's important to socialize babies so they'll be happy pets in the future.

And post pictures!!! It's the best way to get babes adopted...especially for those of us here with GGMR!!!

Best wishes!
 
thanks so much!!!

i ran to the mall to get her an igloo, but she prefers a hammock (she is used to a hammock more as she sleeps in them).

i provided her with various kind of material for her nest. i fed her lots of fresh fruits and vege. would nuts be ok for protein?

i have 9 babies. she lets me touch them and clean her cage. she is actually really gentle. i think her babies will grow up to be good and gentle rats lol. assuming that personality is inherited :p

i am a psych major and took a class in animal learning- so just putting what i have learnt into practice lol.

i have calmed down a lot, but this is so BIZZARE.

questions:
- will a hammock be ok for the babies? i gave her shredded paper, fleece blanket, kleenex and paper towels if she chooses to make a new nest in her igloo.

i am going to be reading a lot tonight and call spca tomorrow, but please provide any tips or things I SHOULD KNOW to ensure the survival of the babies and mum! i want the best for them.

i will try to keep the babies until they are ready to be separated. i would do my adoption or spca could do it, but no separation for now :)
 
I would take the hammock out....she might take the babies up there and they will fall out. I used a little igloo when my rat had babies.....sompeople use upside down cardboard boxes.....with fleece bedding
I would but the fleece blanket in the igloo and put all the babies in...I am sure momma will go in with them.....
It is a great experience watching these little ones grow.....lots of us have been through it...we will help. :thumbup:
 
Do not use any material with threads until babies are at least 2 weeks old. Threads can get tangled around limbs and necks.
She needs a place for a nest (Edited: that has a bottom, sides and a top) such as a box. Igloos etc. do not have bottoms so sometimes babies can get squished under the sides and die.
You need her in a cage, or something with solid sides that the babies can not fall out of.

No hammocks or shelves where mom might take babies as they can/will likely fall.

Feed mom good quality lab blocks, daily vegs, and suppliment her diet with high protien foods such as : baby ceral mixed with soy infant formula, ensure, or water (no floride or chlorine) 2 or 3 times a day, a bit of boiled egg, a bit of cooked meat, fish (ex. tuna fish) or chicken, etc.

good luck.
Looking forward to pics.
 
my rat is weird- she is super playful. she fed her babies (white band intact- all 9), but after they stop making noises- she came out of her cage to play with me -_-"

is this normal?

what do you mean by do not have bottoms?

basically a cardbox box without a top and bottom?
 
I think she meant that she needs a nest box *with* a bottom instead of an igloo that doesn't have a bottom so that babies don't accidentally get squished under the side.
 
Aw Spookie.. freaky for you huh? but it sounds like all the ratties are in good hands with you. Imagine if she'd given birth as a 10 year old kid's 'trial' pet before he got a puppy!
Is it as desperately hot there as it is here? you might provide mom with a bottle of frozen water in a sock away from the nest to cool down when she needs to..
 
minnow said:
I think she meant that she needs a nest box *with* a bottom instead of an igloo that doesn't have a bottom so that babies don't accidentally get squished under the side.
Click to expand...

thanks.
That is what I ment.
Much of the time babies do ok in things without bottoms (like igloos) ... but it can be dangerous and deaths have occurred.
Joanne used a box for a nest when her rat Jazzy had babies. Although it had to be replaced once or twice, it worked very well.
 
hahah thanks everyone :D

glad i found this forum lol.

i think it's kind of cold considering the awful rain. it has been raining all week. i keep the fan on for her, but will do that ;)
 
i couldnt imagine what would happen to her and her babies if she ended up as trial pets (not implying i am great at this, but i try :p). my first trial pet was a robotic dog called a poo-chi LOL. my parents didn't want me to have a real trial pet :p i got my first puppy when i was 9 and it was hard taking care of it. my parents were very strict about it though. i took care of it till he was 11. i still miss him today <3
 
why is my rat covering her little cardbox nest (with the towel, etc) with beddings? she is grooming me now. should i be worried?
 
Rats will bury their babies to keep them warm while they get a break.
Should be fine as long as she doesn't misplace any of them.

She sounds like a good mama.
 

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