![]() Her babies are all a good size for their age. Miss L is now a healthy sized adult and her growth wasn’t seriously interrupted by being pregnant very young. To be honest, it wasn’t very scientific, but it worked out well. We also included some carbs with easy to access calories such as cooked rice and pasta. Once she had given birth, we increased the amount of food, and fed a protein-based wet meal every day (I scrambled a lot of eggs during that time) alongside her dry mix, lab blocks and vegetables. Instead, I fed her on her normal food (a grain based dry mix, some lab blocks, and daily fresh veg) supplemented a moderate amount of protein (mostly egg and chicken), and with access to sources of calcium (chicken bones and cuttlefish bones). However, I was advised against this, as it can lead to the babies growing too big to comfortably birth. Some people recommend feeding pregnant rats a lot of extra food and especially protein. FeedingĪ pregnant and nursing mum is eating for several, so she needs special attention paid to her diet. After the first week as they started to get furry, I spent longer cuddling them until at between 2-3 weeks old they had their eyes open and were all for having playtime themselves. To start with, I just held each one for a few seconds to check them over, as I didn’t want them to spend long outside their nice warm nest. So, from day 2, while she was out the cage playing, I briefly handled the babies every day. Although she was an excellent mum in terms of keeping babies clean and fed, she really wanted to come out and play (the poor thing was only a 3-4 month baby herself). Miss L didn’t particularly mind me being round the babies. If she had, then that would have needed the vet. I also took the opportunity to check mum and make sure she didn’t have any infected discharge or continued bleeding. If that happens then get advice from an experienced breeder or a vet immediately. Their mum may either not be feeding them or may not have milk. If the babies don’t have milk bands then it is a sign something is wrong. I didn’t handle them, but when Miss L came out the nest for food, I put her out the way, and opened up the nest just enough to be able to check that the babies were alive and had milk bands in their bellies.īaby rat skin is translucent, so if they are feeding ok, you can see little milky colored blobs where their tummies are. Advised by friends with a lot of breeding experience, I opted to check on the babies on day one when they were a few hours old. There are conflicting opinions on when an owner should check on and handle newborn babies. Miss L took to it immediately, and it made life much easier. Then I buried that back under some of her bigger sheets of newspaper. So on day 3, I transferred the babies, and the core of the nest into a cardboard box with a removable lid and two mummy sized holes cut in the side. ![]() However, actually finding the babies to check on them required dismantling and then reconstructing most of the nest. I didn’t to start with as Miss L had made an enormous volcano shaped nest that took up most of the cage base, and I didn’t want to disturb it. Some people provide nest boxes for pregnant rats, and I think this is a good idea. I opted for an enormous amount of torn up newspaper and paper kitchen towel. Suitable material in this case means non-toxic bedding that won’t get tangled round the babies. All I needed to do was give her suitable materials and let her get on with it. Mums-to-be will usually make their own nest, and Miss L was no different. I put her cage in our bedroom so she wasn’t disturbed by household comings and goings, or the other rats. I took out all shelves, hammocks and baskets so mum couldn’t move her nest off the base, but I included some rope perches for her to play on in her down time, and a corner litter tray for her to toilet in. It is smaller than I’d keep a rat in full-time but ideal for a nursing mum. So the nursing cage should ideally have a deep plastic base to keep everyone in and sheltered. Female rats will potentially make nests in very silly places, and babies wriggle about a lot. ![]()
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