Two girls left! - Mom+10 Babies in Toronto

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SmallAnimalAdoption

Active Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
29
Location
Toronto
Hello everyone! I haven't posted here in ages (years?) so to reintroduce myself, I'm a volunteer with the small animals at Toronto Animal Services South Region.

A couple of days ago, a female rat was found on the street and brought to the shelter. When they brought her into the shelter the staff noticed that she was in the middle of giving birth! This poor girl gave birth in a carrier while in transport. I picked her up the next day and am now fostering her.

The mom is named Paisley, she's a PEW:
https://31.media.tumblr.com/525888b39d1aece5487c7bac5a4813e4/tumblr_n8q77hbt9g1sa54e7o1_1280.jpg

She has ten little ones, they're three days old now. Most of them (possibly all of them) have dark eyes, and at least half of them have dark markings, probably hooded.
Photos:
https://31.media.tumblr.com/e5de641e14d329e507d64dee1f24a680/tumblr_n8q77hbt9g1sa54e7o2_1280.jpg
https://38.media.tumblr.com/4ca8f507b9b9ff634810430dad797417/tumblr_n8q77hbt9g1sa54e7o7_r1_1280.jpg
https://38.media.tumblr.com/ae1bca3a10017efac5a94a651a1de93f/tumblr_n8q77hbt9g1sa54e7o4_1280.jpg

Obviously these guys are just tiny pinkies at the moment, but 11 rats is a bit much for our shelter. We're hoping to line up some adopters as they grow, so that when they're ready to be weaned they don't all sit in the shelter waiting for homes. Paisley's quite skittish but very gentle. The babies will be handled regularly and adopted out in same-sex pairs or trios.

So is anyone looking for adorable young ratties in 4-5 weeks??

Edited to add: Forgot to give my email...if you have any questions or you're interested in these guys, feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]
 
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Thank you for posting this, my rat manor is full at the moment but I'll certainly point any potential parents your way, should they seem worthy of ratty love. I am able to help transport anyone in the southern ontario area. Good luck to your precious squeesquees and the lovely mama.
 
I've shared the message with All Creatures Rescue in a Facebook message, since they mentioned having someone who was interested in adopting some pet rats.
 
Beautiful mama and sweet babies.
Hope baby girls stay with mama until at least 6 weeks and that no babies are adopted ( in same sex pairs) until 6 weeks old as it is too stressful if younger than 6 weeks.
Paisley and her babies are so fortunate to have found their way to you
 
Not only is it stressful to send the babies to their new homes before 6 weeks but keeping them for an extra week will do wonders in terms of their socialization.
 
I have two babies that I rescued from a snake owner last year when they were four weeks old. They are quite fine and wonderfully social. =^.^=~
 
Also the other thing is the people at TAS need to find homes quickly for the babies because Toronto's idiot mayor Rob Ford cut funding to them >:-/
 
Hi everyone, thanks for the responses! Help with transport (if needed) would be very welcome!

I freely admit that rats aren't my expertise (I usually deal with rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and hamsters - especially when it comes to babies!). I've always read that five weeks is the separation age, but if six weeks is more appropriate, I'm sure we can make the foster situation work somehow. Whatever's best for the babies!

They're a week old now and quite colourful - I'm relieved to say that none of them look like mom! It's not fair, but the shelter has such a hard time adopting out PEWs, I'm very glad we don't have 11 of them. They're also pretty strong now!
Photos:
https://38.media.tumblr.com/7787198c9550dbc4cecde1e77439fbc3/tumblr_n8yq5e18C11sa54e7o3_1280.jpg
https://38.media.tumblr.com/55bec8fea6e15fd8e408007dde65c823/tumblr_n8yq5e18C11sa54e7o1_1280.jpg
https://31.media.tumblr.com/108fbf79ee6684ce8518f6329ce13e61/tumblr_n8yq5e18C11sa54e7o2_1280.jpg

Paisley continues to be a great mom, but she is very wary of me (understandably). I'm hoping as the kittens get older she'll settle down, and we'll be able to bring her out of her shell a bit.

Also, does anyone have advice on food for a nursing mum? She gets the lab blocks from the shelter and I've added some Oxbow Regal Rat, and she gets fresh food every day, but I wasn't sure if there's something specific a nursing mum might be missing from her diet.
 
at 5 weeks, the males must be removed from the family, the girlies can stay with their mom. Its advisable to adopt out starting at 6 weeks for both sexes.

Mom should be getting extra protein in her diet to help support her litter and herself. Eggs, fish and lean chicken are best, eggs are easiest.

The litter looks nice and healthy, and you have 2 black berkshires, 2 black hoodies, and the rest are russian blues which will adopt out easily. They all look standard eared to me.
 
lilspaz68 said:
at 5 weeks, the males must be removed from the family, the girlies can stay with their mom. Its advisable to adopt out starting at 6 weeks for both sexes.

Mom should be getting extra protein in her diet to help support her litter and herself. Eggs, fish and lean chicken are best, eggs are easiest.

The litter looks nice and healthy, and you have 2 black berkshires, 2 black hoodies, and the rest are russian blues which will adopt out easily. They all look standard eared to me.
Click to expand...

The photo has Martin's rat food in it, they're already getting plenty of protein. No need to add more, just focus on giving them yummy veggies.
 
I'll add them to my wait list if people are looking for lil ones. I have another litter coming in once they are old enough another petstore rat who was bought and was pregnant. I'm helping the guy with care tips as he wants to raise them at his home with his beloved girl. He is keeping one female but there were 9 babies.
Anyway. .to the point I will have them in my mind and numbers of available youngens
 
If you can, you should sex them to find out how many boys and girls you have, and how many of each colour are boys and girls. Many potential adopters only have one sex, or are only looking for one sex. A lot of people pick based on colour and pattern as well. Knowing how many you have of each would really help. If you can get a pic of the girls and boys separately, that should help out a lot!

When you look at the perianal region, the males will have a wider space between anus and urethra than the females. It might be hard at first, but once you compare a male and a female, it is really easy. Especially at this age.

They are adorable, and I really hope that you can find homes for these young ones and mom easily. Remember to only adopt out in same sex pairs, triads, etc!
 
Haha, yes, this may be my first rat litter but I have fostered many, many hamster/dwarf hamster/mouse litters. The joys of sexing tiny wriggling rodents is nothing new to me!

They are looking pretty cute now - eyes are allllllllmost open. Jumble of babies (I love the little grey guy on his back):
tumblr_n96futSfko1sa54e7o1_1280.jpg

(I hope it's okay to just post the photos directly?)

I've sexed them and it looks like we've got an even divide - 5 males, 5 females! I will be quadruple-checking this over the next few weeks, of course. I fostered a dwarf hamster litter once where I swear, on my life, there were four females and five males when they were two weeks, and then somehow when we separated them out for adoption they were all females. I swear my sexing is usually accurate, no idea what happened there, but it was a good reminder to never be too confident.
Males: Two Russian Blues, two black hoodies and a grey hoodie
tumblr_n96futSfko1sa54e7o2_1280.jpg


They kept turning their butts on me so finally I just went with it, and I think this turned out to be the cutest photo. Little butts!
tumblr_n96futSfko1sa54e7o4_1280.jpg


Females: Two Russian Blues, one grey hoodie and two black Berkeshires:
tumblr_n96futSfko1sa54e7o5_1280.jpg

tumblr_n96futSfko1sa54e7o6_1280.jpg


One of the little black Berkeshires is SUPER active, she's so cute. They're all very squirmy and clingy at this point!

Mom Paisley is doing well, I think she is starting to trust me a little bit more. She certainly seemed a lot calmer about being handled today, which is good. She's gotten used to her fresh food arriving at night, and when I got home late last night she was at the door of the cage, staring at me like "Where's my food??" Nice improvement from cowering in the corner all the time!

TAS has suffered cuts under this administration, just like every other city department, but we're lucky - it could have been a LOT worse. At one point the idea of privatization was even floated. As it is everyone's just made do, but it does make things a little more difficult.

littles - They need to go to forever homes! :) At the moment I'm fostering them and I live in downtown Toronto, but they are officially affiliated with TAS South, the location on Exhibition Grounds.
 
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I've been toying with the idea of expanding my rat pack lately.. I've got 3 adult males also adopted from TAS. I may be interested in adopting a pair/trio of males that I would eventually like to introduce to my current boys. I've got a DCN and it just seems too empty with only 3! haha

I also have a soft spot for black rats :)

I will think on it and try to decide if I've got the means to add more critters to my house and I'll contact you directly via email if I decide yes!
 
Ahhh i c ok well they are very adorable but were trying again slowly to get our 2 boys to get along i think that might get a bit crazy
 
Eyes are open! They are super cute now, and so clingy! It can be hard to put them down because they won't let go of your fingers. Paisley is starting to get sick of them I think, she's hiding from them up on the third floor.

A few photos, they're pretty squirmy now:
tumblr_n9ft6sVRBd1sa54e7o2_1280.jpg


tumblr_n9ft6sVRBd1sa54e7o1_1280.jpg

tumblr_n9ft6sVRBd1sa54e7o7_1280.jpg


marissaceleste - Which boys did you adopt from TAS? If you do decide to take some of these guys, just let me know! :) (I hope so!)
 
I've got the 3 mink and white brothers from TAS North. Their two sisters, also mink and white (I think they were called Kiki and Aster?), were at TAS South I believe. My boys didn't have names when they were at the shelter. I got them this past december :)
 
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