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My son's rats had babies! will moms care for them?

reptilebaby

reptilebaby

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I was wondering if they will take care of them.
I found them and they were falling through the grate in the rat cage-about half were still warm, but all were still alive. I put them in a little plastic box with aspen bedding, but as of right now they don't appear to be interested in them.
Will me toughing them to put them in a nest make them not take care of them? these are our first babies and my son doesn't wabt to lose them. :(
 
Rats are of course different, with different personalities and such, but as a general rule, no touching the babies will not cause a problem, I do it all the time.
She may however fail to take care of them properly due to it being her first litter (I'm assuming that since you are asking these questions). Ordinarily they do fine, but occasionally first time moms don't really know what to do.

Was she the only female in the cage? I only ask to know that you are sure she is indeed the mother. When I miss a pregnant female and she gives birth in the breeding tub, I have to check the females until I find one that has been nursing to determine who the mother was so I can move her and the pups to a birthing tub.
 
There were 2 girls and one male.
One of the girls is thinner than she was. How many babies does a rat usually have?
 
From my count, without moving them, there are 12. Could be possibly more. would that be from one or both of them?
 
I am worried that they are going to get too cold and die, and the mom/s won't take care of them.
They are pretty young yet-under 6 months old.
 
Would it be safe to move all the rats to a different cage with no grate? They pulled the bedding out and don't want to stay with babies at all
 
I have already taken the male out and put him in a different cage
 
Yes, you could move them all. The mom may start taking care of them tomorrow anyway once she settles in.
if all the pups are all the same size they are probably all from the same litter. My rats usually have 8-10 but 12 isn't out of the question.
 
Yeah, they're all pretty much the same size. a couple look like they could be a tiny bit smaller. Dad is black with white feet and white markings on tummy. The 2 moms are either the one like him, or a black and white hooded one. Babies look to be mostly white with a few black spots on their bodies. Would that make you beleive that they came from the hooded one, instead of the one that looks like the male?
 
well, I know which mom is the mother of the babies now. It's the hooded one-she is sitting with them in the aquarium. :)
 
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