Guess what my daughters new pet rat just did!

[deb_gar]

Had 7 babies!!
Help!!
Anything special to do for rat babies?

[LadyBones]

i have raised rats, is mom by herself with the babies?
If she is, she will be fine, just make sure your daughter don't bother them, mom rat will get mean to protect her babies. Just make sure mom has plenty to eat and fresh water to drink. Do not try to change the bedding for a few weeks. Your lucky she only had 7 most rats can have up to 15 pups...lol
If you really need help just pm me or e-mail me at [email protected]

[FreeIs4Me]

Congratulations!

Our last litter was 13! For a while there, we were getting new pups every 2 months almost to the day. LOL! Soo, if you don't want more, separate the mom & dad. We kept Momma Rat & Smokey together. He was a lot more protective of the pups than Momma was!

Feed the mom well with a variety of foods so she can remain healthy for the little ones. Momma used to live on Peanuts (in the shells of course!), grapes, baby carrots & dried corn & LOTS of water when she was feeding. Very rarely would she eat anything else. Since yours is a new pet, I am sure she hasn't had the time to get to know you yet. Put the food in the opposite corner of the cage than where the pups are. If you are a little timid of putting your hands in the cage while she is in there, open the door to the cage & let her come to you. You can put the food in when she is out of the cage.

[mimi37]

Did you get her at a pet store? Usually they won't sell ones that are pregnant. I haven't seen any females around here lately in the pet stores; only males. The females are much more affectionate.

[HumblePie98]

AWWWW..... we used to have 2 rats! They were so fun! I had the adult male trained to stand on his hind legs and "beg" for treats!!!

We had babies 1 time. She only had 8, but ate 1 of em! PUKE!!

[deb_gar]

Yes, she bought her at a major pet store, last Friday (Feb 27)
Wasn't even here a week!! My daughter called the store and they told her that she could:
bring momma and babies in and they would care for them until weaning
bring the babies in, but they would probably die (no, DUH)
bring babies in 3-4 weeks and they would get rid of them
(sell them)

They keep males and females together in the same cage at this store. I wasn't there, or she wouldn't have got one from there, you know?

So far, she's been sweet if you put your hand in to give food. She even licked my hand. (unless she was just tasting to see where to bite LOL) Doesn't appear to be overly protective of her babies. Of course, we've been leaving her be. Since she is new, should we take her out to socialize still or is it better to leave her with babies?
She seems to want out but how long would be ok?
thanks