Mother rat so sad after separating males

[Bodhi.M]

Hello. I have had pet rats ever since I was a little kid and enjoy them so much. I recently adopted a single female rat that someone was getting rid of with the plans to introduce her to a couple other females for company.
After a couple days I started to notice sje looked pregnant... So I kept her alone in a 'nursing' cage... She had 11 babies and she did a really good job at being a mom!!
The time came when I had to separate the boys. That was about 4 days ago (they were 5 weeks old) and the 4 little girls are still with mama rat.
Now is the problem. Since the boys were taken away... She is acting so depressed and just sitting in the corner. Eats a bit. Doesn't even move when i pet her or try to comfort her. I don't know much about her history before i rescued her... I also never bred rats. Only had pets... So is this common behavior and hopefully temporary because she misses her boys? Or should I be more concerned and seek a professional? 2 of the 4 girl babies are going to a new home next week and idk if that is going to make things worse...
Also I have the boy cage in the same room and is it possible that her knowing they are there but not being able to reach them is affecting her?
I've never had a rat so sad and any advice on what I should do would be very much appreciated. Thank you

 

[Bodhi.M]

 

[lilspaz68]

Some mom's are a bit sad but this sounds a little more involved then just weaning. Can you listen to her lungs (hold her sides to your ear) and see if there's any sounds? If her lungs sound clear try changing the routine a little, to distract her. Different things to explore during Out time, etc.
The baby boys are doing fine?

 

[Bodhi.M]

The babies are all super happy and active. She seems to be breathing fine. I was playing with the female babies who still stay with her and she started playing a bit with them and me but only for a minute... Then ate some food and went back to her corner... I tried putting her in a separate area thinking maybe she is just exhausted amd needed some time to rest on her own but she climbed back into her cage almost immediately. I don't know. Overall she seems healthy... Just blah

 

[lilspaz68]

can she hang out near their cage so she understands they are still okay?

 

[Poe and Friends]

You could keep one of the males and get him neutered, so mom can have one of her little boys around.

 

[Fidget]

You could try putting a small piece of fabric in the boy's cage for a while, then put it in mom's corner. Maybe that would comfort her while she adjusts to the separation.

 

[RatsDrawBlood]

Since the boys were taken away... She is acting so depressed and just sitting in the corner.

She's beautiful by the way. You have to not change her levels of produced-by-nursing hormonal balance faster than her body can readjust them. If the testicles have already descended, you make sure that you see taking the 1st baby away didn't give her depression before removing the 2nd, etc. If it does, you put the number (of babies she's nursing) back up to what it had been, if you can give her more time. I've had many rats over the years who's fathers lived with fertile females for the 1st five months of their life before any oopsie litters occurred, but it can happen at 6 weeks too. At this point you can feed her things that encourage the production of oxytocin or the lowering of prolactin (for instance you might look up foods for postpartum and check if they're rat safe). Or if she's just in withdrawal from a sudden decrease in her sons' male pheromones, and if putting the cages right up next to each other doesn't help, they could somehow be allowed enough access to each other to groom yet not enough to mate. Either way, I've wondered if a little chastity belt could be made for a female with a supervised visit, or if the person could be quick enough to prevent a mounting. When my females were in heat, they arched their back when petted, etc (but again, I guess the apparent absence of such signs doesn't prove infertility). Vegetables and Fruits

 

[Bodhi.M]

Thanks
I let her have a little visit with the boys. It seemed to cheer her up and since then she has actually been more active... Then just today she started biting the girls she is caged with (they are just over 6 weeks now) and made them bleed! So I separated her and have her in her own cage now and she seems more at peace and was eating and exploring... Is it possible that she prefers to be alone? Like i said before.. I don't know her history or anything she went through before. Im going to keep her alone for now and watch her. If she continues to act happy and seems to chill out on her own.. I could reintroduce her to the other females. She's complicated haha but super smart! And very brave. I love her... I just wish I knew what she wanted.

 

[Bodhi.M]

 

[Fidget]

Can you keep her cage right next to the girls and have frequent outings with them together with you watching and maybe handing out bits of froot loops or other small treat bits if there's any trouble? Best if they aren't separated for long.

 

[mwp051699]

Can you keep her cage right next to the girls and have frequent outings with them together with you watching and maybe handing out bits of froot loops or other small treat bits if there's any trouble? Best if they aren't separated for long.

That's what I do in these cases.

 

[Bodhi.M]

So i separated the mom and gave her a little extra attention and let her spend a couple nights alone... She seemed really happy and outgoing this morning... So i kind of gave her the choice and she went back into the cage with the girls... I think she was maybe stressed out and I don't know. She is really great right now. Maybe she needed a little vacation haha so thanks for all the replies and info!! For now the situation seems back to normal and happy