Unexpected birth, need assistance kinda quick

[Garell]

Hey guys. I had bought 3 rats half a year ago and was told they were all male. This morning one of them gave birth. Completely out of the blue and incredibly unprepared. Neither of them acted any different none of them were noticeably bigger than what I thought was normal. I pinned down on who I think the mother is and separated all the babies(litter of 9, 2 passed) in a separate cage I'm glad I kept. She dosent seem the least bit concerned about the babies.

 

[Kye]

That is not the mother, she should have visible nipples and her urethra closer to the anus then the males. You can post photos of all of them if you need help but I will warn you, there are high odds she's pregnant again

 

[lilspaz68]

I agree, the rat in the pic is a male. Look for nipples and no testicles. Compare the other 2 rats to this one and you'll figure out the female. Do it quick, those babies need moms milk.

Let us know when you sort that out and we'll coach you through the rest. Postpartum heat is usually 12-24 hours after the birth.

 

[Garell]

These are the other 2, I just can't tell the difference

I agree, the rat in the pic is a male. Look for nipples and no testicles. Compare the other 2 rats to this one and you'll figure out the female. Do it quick, those babies need moms milk.

Let us know when you sort that out and we'll coach you through the rest. Postpartum heat is usually 12-24 hours after the birth.

 

[Garell]

That is not the mother, she should have visible nipples and her urethra closer to the anus then the males. You can post photos of all of them if you need help but I will warn you, there are high odds she's pregnant again

These are the other 2

 

[Kye]

These are the other 2 View attachment 15548View attachment 15549

The mother is the one with hair in those photos, I hope you put the babies back in the cage with the rest while you couldn't tell, if they're still alive you'll want to separate mom and babies from the males

 

[Garell]

The mother is the one with hair in those photos, I hope you put the babies back in the cage with the rest while you couldn't tell, if they're still alive you'll want to separate mom and babies from the males

I separated the first hairy male and kept the other 2 together. They're still alive and after I separated the hairless one the hairy one climbed on top of the babies

 

[Kye]

I separated the first hairy male and kept the other 2 together. They're still alive and after I separated the hairless one the hairy one climbed on top of the babies

So the mother is back with the babies.? That's very good, you'll have to keep the males away from her and leave the mother alone with the babies for a day or so(checking on them is fine but they need to bond)

 

[Garell]

So the mother is back with the babies.? That's very good, you'll have to keep the males away from her and leave the mother alone with the babies for a day or so(checking on them is fine but they need to bond)

Yes they're together. I left the cage in a more dark and quiet place in my house. They have a window for any light and it's pretty warm

 

[lilspaz68]

Make sure mom has a lot of extra nutritious food, and a bit of extra protein to help with milk production and growing babies.

 

[Garell]

Terrible news, the babies didn't make it. When I put mom with the babies she had climbed on top of them so I left her alone, a few hours later she was still in the same position so I went to sleep, I wake up she was still huddled on top of them. I went to work and just got back to find that the mother is in the same position, I decided to move her a bit to check the babies to find that not a single one was underneath her. I found each one spread throughout the cage under the bedding, cold and lifeless

 

[lilspaz68]

I'm so very sorry. Babies can die so easily in the beginning

 

[Garell]

I'll try my best to not have that happen again, and if there's a chance she's pregnant again I'll keep a closer eye on her.

Since I clearly can't tell the difference between a just given birth mother and a male. Am I working with 2 male 1 female or the other way.

 

[lilspaz68]

From those pics it looks like 2 male, 1 female. Can you see nipples on the nakie?