When can babies leave the mother?

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ratsr4life

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
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Location
Toronto, ontario
I may have found a rat for me, although the owner said they are two weeks old and almost ready to go. At what age can they safely be weaned from the mother? Also, i will be getting a female, what age should they be to get spayed?

I have brought in adult rats and never a baby, so this is a first. I know the quarentine steps, and the intro, the baby wont be able to be in the main cage till she is big enough to not fit through the bars (ferret cage). I have a specialized diet for growing rats, and have registered to a vet that specializes with small animals.

So, anyone have any tips to help the little girl settle in, and not get so depressed during the quarentine month? Any age that is best to get spayed? what should i expect after the surgery? (my two were done a month before i got them)
 
Well baby boys have to leave their mother and sisters between 4 and 5 weeks....so I guess the baby girls could leave then as well.......
I would get two little girls if I were you. It must be so scary to be a baby rattie taken away from their mom and siblings......sitting in a cage alone. That would make quarintine time a lot easier...and it is just as easy to carry two babies around as one.....plus it will be months before she can live in the big cage.....that is really to long for a one little girl to be all alone.
As for getting them spayed...it depends on the vet. My vet won't do spays until 12 weeks......but Jorats vet will do them at 5 weeks.......
 
You really need to get two babies of the same sex ... babies need another baby to play with.
I like for baby girls to stay with mom until at least 6 weeks as mom will teach them things ...
but they can leave mom at 5 weeks .... earlier than that is not a good idea ...
 
Strong, healthy, happy babies should remain with mom till at least 5 weeks old. And I agree, 2 baby rats will be much happier than one. :joy:

When I pick up babies, I like to get them in 3s, they seem to adjust faster and don't even blink at the changes because they have enough of their siblings for security and comfort.
 
Some people do let them go at 4 weeks.....and they seem to do okay. But need lots of extra mothering......If you can get the person to keep them with the mother until 5 weeks that is the best but if you have to take them they can go at 4 weeks....
 
:yeah: I agree with everything everyone else has said, especially that you should really consider adopting at least one of your baby's sisters to keep her company! :nod:
 
hmmm, 4 rats, i think thats pushing it. I just wanted one, three is pleanty for me. Once quarentine is done, she will be taken out everyday to see the other rats, and her cage put next to the other one so she can hear and smell them. depending on the size of the mother and father it shouldnt take too long for her to be big enough to move to the other cage. Allie is a very slight rat, about half a pound, and cant fit through.
 
You really need to get at least 2 babies because babies neeed another baby to play with ... adults will put up with them for awhile but then the babies irritate them. It really isn't fair to the babies to get just one.

If you can't get at least 2 babies, you should consider a older girl living by herself that would love to have friends.
 
SQ said:
You really need to get at least 2 babies because babies neeed another baby to play with ... adults will put up with them for awhile but then the babies irritate them. It really isn't fair to the babies to get just one.

If you can't get at least 2 babies, you should consider a older girl living by herself that would love to have friends.
Click to expand...

I was going to write something similar to this but then I thought about it. Homes are hard to find and if it means this baby rat missing out on a home then it is better to get one......then none. She will have friends and my adults do play with the babies so maybe hers will to. My oldest girls are actually the best with my babies and my babies never hang out together....they both seem to prefer the company of the older rats......

It does make me sad to think of the baby sitting in a cage by herself....no matter how much time you have to spend with them there will be hours that they will be all alone.......but then I look at my babies in the cage with each other until they are big enough to live in the big cage with the other and they never sleep together.....They hardly ever play together...they really don't interact at all.....it is very strange.

I really think it would be better to get two babies...and I can't see how 4 rats is much more work then 3 but the decision of course is yours. Good luck.....Keep us posted.
 
I agree with SQ. I would get 2 baby rats.. minimum. I think it's really selfish to keep her in a cage all by herself. Especially since you have to go to school/work wherever. Human interaction is great... but really, would you like to only have interaction with a dog? Rats like to have each other's company. She will be sitting by herself doing nothing. They need each other to groom, cuddle, play and just plain interact. I think getting 2 babies is not asking much. It's pretty much the same as having 1, except as a result you have happier babies. :nod:

Just try to think about how long she will be by herself. It's going to be a while until she can go into the next cage. let alone intro's. And what if the intro doesn't work out so swell and they all fight.. then who will she have besides you?

Please consider this :wink:
 
well, i agree, it is wrong to leave a rat on her own, but its for one month, and i give the best care possible a rat could ask for (not to tute my own horn, but iam currently studying physiology of the mammal in the health care field. And have many connections to rat specialists, registered to a small animal specialist, all my spare money goes to them for extra comfort, not booze and partying like a college girl should lol).

BUT, i thought about it, checked my cage again for size and comfort, and now iam bringing home two, one named Zoe, and the other one is 'no name' at this moment. Both are females, both are Russian blue and dumbo. One is very light in colour (like a silver) and the other is a more darker grey, blue. They should be in London, from Barrie next weekend. Upload pics when i get the chance.
 

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