Not sure how this all happened........

[rattielove]

So, it has been a very difficult almost 2 years for Scott (Boreal Hiker) and me. During that time, Scott has had 2 strokes, 2 seizures and numerous setbacks with his rehabs. He is still plugging along and is trying to be optimistic about his recovery. I know all of you who love ratties understand how important ours have been to him. I think at times they are all that keeps him going.Of course, as life goes on, we have lost a number of our furry dears since June/10 -Rose, Cassie, Dusty ,Olive and the 3 "Noisy Boys" -Twang, Plink and most recently Zwack. We still have our naked boy, Carlin and the big boy Spots. :sad3:
Now to the issue: 2 weeks ago Scott was having a very discouraging time so during a big brain cramp, I picked up 2 new baby girls. Lily who was 14 wks and Iris who was 8 wks. :emb: We put them together and all seemed okay with some scrapping, mostly Lily starting it. And they were still getting used to us. On the 28th I took the cover off their cage in the morning and found a HUGE pile of bedding up on the 2nd floor and Lily in the middle of producing eepers! No wonder she was stand- offish. We believe she had 8 but she is SO protective we can't get near her or the babies. It's all I can do to give her fresh food and water. Can she ever move fast and bite hard!
Sorry for the long post but I need some help and advice Thanks! Sal

 

[Cinderwolf]

So, it has been a very difficult almost 2 years for Scott (Boreal Hiker) and me. During that time, Scott has had 2 strokes, 2 seizures and numerous setbacks with his rehabs. He is still plugging along and is trying to be optimistic about his recovery. I know all of you who love ratties understand how important ours have been to him. I think at times they are all that keeps him going.Of course, as life goes on, we have lost a number of our furry dears since June/10 -Rose, Cassie, Dusty ,Olive and the 3 "Noisy Boys" -Twang, Plink and most recently Zwack. We still have our naked boy, Carlin and the big boy Spots. :sad3:
Now to the issue: 2 weeks ago Scott was having a very discouraging time so during a big brain cramp, I picked up 2 new baby girls. Lily who was 14 wks and Iris who was 8 wks. :emb: We put them together and all seemed okay with some scrapping, mostly Lily starting it. And they were still getting used to us. On the 28th I took the cover off their cage in the morning and found a HUGE pile of bedding up on the 2nd floor and Lily in the middle of producing eepers! No wonder she was stand- offish. We believe she had 8 but she is SO protective we can't get near her or the babies. It's all I can do to give her fresh food and water. Can she ever move fast and bite hard!
Sorry for the long post but I need some help and advice Thanks! Sal

First thing you need to do is get her and the babies into a maternity cage. Second put the other girl in a different maternity cage because she is most likely pregnant as well. Just make sure mom has plenty of water and food, and try to handle the babies every day gently to get them used to human handling.

Do a forum search to find other threads involving babies , since I have not personally experienced it. Searching google may help too.

And don't put the girls back in with the boys until either the the boys are neutered or the girls are spayed.

 

[rattielove]

Our boys are both neutered, Iris is in her own cage and I just need some advice on how to get past "the guardian at the gate" so I can handle the babies.

 

[Joanne]

Wow, one more of those surprise litters. Sorry about your large increase in population!
I was in sort of the same situation when I adopted my rat Jazzy. She had her babies a week after she came to me.
She too was protective of her babies. Luckily she also wanted to visit with her new buds, so I would get her out of the cage first and put her in with her friends, and then I could have access to the babies.
If you can take part of the cage off, it may be easier to get to her separated from the babies. Even if you have to use a piece of cardboard or something to put between her and the nest until you can move her away.
I would try to get her out of the cage so you can remove all the high spots - hammocks, shelves, etc. You do not want the babies up on anything as they can easily fall out of the nest. Move the nest to the bottom floor, trying not to disturb it.
Make sure you have removed any bedding with thread. Thread has become tangled around babies limbs/necks and injured or killed the babies.
Lots of fresh food and water for mom, but make sure there is no dish the babies could fall into and drown. Water bottles only for a little while.
If you really can't get her out of the cage without serious injury to yourself, you may have to wait a bit until she calms down. Rats make very good mamas - they have this reputation for a reason. Good luck!

 

[mamarat]

Can you put the mama in a different cage when you clean the babies' cage? I gave the mama out time with her buddies while doing this.

What Joanne said. lol

 

[Godmother]

Wow, what a shock for you. So often people give away or sell females who are pregnant. :gaah: Joanne and lilspaz68 and many other people on the Shack have become experts at caring for moms & babes. Luckily the mamas are usually excellent at their jobs, and they tend to get less protective as time goes on. If you read Joanne's recent posts (about Petunia's babies) and lilspaz68's posts ("mixing unaltered sexes not a good idea") you will get lots of info about raising a mama. We look forward to a few photos as they emerge from the nest.

Thanks for the update about Scott. I am so sorry to hear that he has had continuing problems.

 

[victoria]

Wow, I'm sorry you got blindsided by this. Ii agree with what everyone else has said, get the other adults out of the cage and then work on getting mom out so you can transfer her to a more appropriate habitat. As for the other girl, I wouldn't split her from the group just yet, but definitely keep an eye on her weight and silhouette and be prepared to move her to her own maternity cage if need be.

I hope Boreal Hiker continues to improve. I know how hard it is to watch someone you care about try their best to improve their health and suffer setbacks :hugs:

 

[jorats]

What kind of cage are you using? Any chance you can entice mom to come out on her own while you do the transfer? Mom will come down after a while, especially if she's alone in a maternity cage. She's highly protective right now. I suggest getting a good pair of gloves for now. And give mom lots and lots of treats so she can associate you with good things.

How is Scott with the litter? Sometimes watching new life can give a lift in our human spirit as well.

 

[SQ]

You may want to suppliment mom's diet of good quality lab blocks and daily veg with baby cereal mixed up with soy infant formula.

Your little mama will likely enjoy short time periods visiting with her friend away from the babies.

I am sure that both you and Scott will enjoy this. Babies bring a lot of joy.
If possible, you will want to check that all babies have good milk bellies ... at this age, you can actually see the milk band.

A shoe box with a hole in the end makes a good nest box. That way it is easy to check on the babies - just remove the lid.
Plus their mama may feel more secure with her nest inside of a box.

Congrats ! on your new, unexpected surprise