Steve ate her pups

[Devon]

From http://www.ratz.co.uk/breeding.html

Pregnancy and Birthing

Gestation period for rats is normally 21-24 days, although it can be as long as 25 and there have been cases of delayed implantation recorded that have allowed the pregnancy to go on for as long as 35 days on rare occasions - there are often problems if the pregnancy extend for more than 24 days though.

During the pregnancy you should maintain a good healthy diet for your doe. Do not increase the diet during pregnancy as this can cause birthing problems if the doe becomes too fat during pregnancy. (which I did)

You can choose to weigh your doe while she is pregnant but this is not really recommended and can cause her to reabsorb. Does gain between 30-60g per week during pregnancy and generally gain between 100-150g total. Most breeders prefer to not handle their pregnant does much during their pregnancy period though as this seems to sometimes cause the does to reabsorb their litters. Personally I try to handle my pregnant does as little as possible while they are pregnant and once moved to the birthing cage, the only disturbance they get until after birthing is giving them food and water. (Which I definitely did between 3-4 times a day)

You will probably notice a temperament change in your pregnant doe, particularly as the time gets close to her birthing when her hormones are raging! Normally pregnant does temporarily rise to alpha in their cage, but some may become quite aggressive to their usual mates and need separating off earlier. Normally I put the pregnant doe in a nursery cage when they have about a 3-4 days to go. I will occasionally leave a sister or mother or close friend in with her until the last day - sometimes they are happy with this, but mostly they seem to prefer to be alone as pregnancy can be rather tiring and they do sleep a lot during these last few days.

Ideal nursery cages are the Rody or Duna type tanks with a Rody igloo for a nice secure nest. The Rody igloos split in half making it easy for inspection of the newborns without upsetting mum too much. Some breeders prefer not to use an igloo for a nest, preferring to leave the doe to build a nest in the nesting material. There is no right or wrong, just personal preference.

Wish I found this before hand.

Also from http://ratguide.com/breeding/pregnancy/determining_pregnancy.php

Weight Fluctuations in Pregnancy
While weight gain is used to monitor a healthy pregnancy, it can also be used as a tool to signal a problem. There may be variations in weight during pregnancy such as a slight weight loss, a few days with no weight gain, or bursts of weight gain. These variations are not necessarily abnormal or indicative of a problem.

Time passed with no weight gain or continued weight losses are usually indicative of trouble. A rat that is obviously pregnant that plateaus at a certain weight, and maintains that weight, raises some serious concerns. It is possible that the fetuses have died without being reabsorbed, the weight gain was due to other medical issues unrelated to pregnancy, or that the babies are stuck and the rat is unable to deliver. If her delivery time has passed without babies being born immediate veterinary intervention is in order.

Consistent weight loss is typically a sign of reabsorption. Often the weight loss will be ½ ounce a day or more. There are many different scenarios that can cause a doe to reabsorb her litter. For the most part the fetuses will be reabsorbed with no problems.

Occasionally incomplete reabsorption may result in a uterine infection. After the loss of a litter monitor your doe for any signs of infection or illness such as abnormal vaginal discharge, high (or lowered) temperature, lethargy, persistent or frank bleeding, loss of appetite, etc. If any of these occur have your doe examined immediately by your veterinarian.

Well all 3 of my girls are in different cages, I'll stop the weight charts now and keep an eye on there behaviour.

[Jaguar]

When you know FOR SURE that your rats are pregnant, then you can reduce handling, but when you don't know and are trying to figure out and prepare it is better to weigh them and know what is going on. I've never heard to avoid handling the moms at all - it is common sense not to abusively or roughly handle them but if they are tame and don't squirm around when being picked up, how is that harming the babies at all? Heck you don't even have to pick them up at all to weigh them if you really try.

[ema-leigh]

I dont know where that site got their sources from, but I breed myself and follow a very high standard of ethics. Weighing the does is usually only advised for experienced rat keepers, who know their rats and obviously wont rough house them. I have NEVER heard anything about weighing causing your doe to reabsorb and I work very closely with my vet regarding pregnancies. I personally dont weigh at all, but can usually tell just by behaviour and the shape of the belly. But I still handle them gently alot.

And yes I forgot to add to my other post that females SHOULD be kept together during pregnancies. They are naturally a colony animal, and will actually help each other out and take shifts with feeding. It is beneficial to the babies and reduces stress of moving (which can really upset a pregnant momma, esp if shes already making nests and planning it out somewhere else herself.) Moms only usually fight or harm the babies if they themselves are unbalanced for some reason ie. the cage being too small. I find making seperate sleeping locations for all, so they have the option of being seperate is the way to go. Your rats are bonded too, then there should be less issues. Keep us updated.

[Devon]

Well a bit of an update,

I didn't really see any reason on keeping Flash and New Steve separated any more. They were looking upset being kept apart so I set up the ferret cage again and the two of them are back in there and behaving as normal Flash has lost almost all of her extra weight New Steve has also continued to come down.

As for Old Steve who is younger (I think I've confused people before with there horribly unoriginal names), his cage needed a bit of a quick clean, he's the most sociable amongst the three and climb up against the door any time your near waiting for you to let her out. So while we had him out replaced his bedding, got a brand new fleece blanket and lots of paper towel. While he was out he was quiet happy to hop on scale a hit 385. She most be ready any time now. Was actually expecting to wake up to a litter this morning but nothing as of yet.

Trying to be patient... will keep you guys up to speed.

[Devon]

Well no pups this morning... I think. Steve has taken her hut and piled all of her fleece and paper towel over it and haven't seen her come out yet. Would I be bale to her the pups? I can hear her moving around under there but don't want to disturb her.

[Devon]

Well finally came out of hiding, came out for a bit happy to hop back on the scale and hit 380. back in the cage had a bit of food and some water went back into hiding. 






As for my other 2 there reunited back in the ferret cage acting as per normal. I'm really getting frustrated with the super pet cage. Doors are tiny and after I set it up I realised 3/4 of there things don't fit in through the doors. I can see a CN in my future depending on how many pups I have and how many were going to end up having to keep.

I'm glad its only the one litter, its going to be SOOOO much easier to manage and even if I have a hard time finding homes depending on the size should be able to to keep most if not all here.

Well I had the camera out grabed a couple quick pics of my other two to share. They seem much happier now that there back together.

Two of them together



Flash



New Steve

[Devon]

Tonight???

[Jaguar]

Ohmy, she looks ready to burst 

[Devon]

[Jaguar]

15 gram jump in 8 hours  

[Devon]

that 380 was first thing this morning took forever to finally sit down and post it but yeah.

[Jaguar]

Ooh, haha.  Let us know what happens though 

[AMJ087]

im also really curious to know whats happening!! Keep us posted often.

[psycho_ash]

Awww, look at that fat belly! She is just ready to pop!

And yeah, Super Pet cages are *really* starting to irritate me, too... CN really does seem the best way to go, but there's this place called Martin's whose cages I really like... They have really high quality stuff for a good price. The shelter near my house (about an hour away) only uses Martin's.

http://www.martinscages.com/

[Jaguar]

Martins cages are nice, but not really an option when you live outside of the USA - the cost of shipping is half the cost of the cage    But I live somewhat close to the WA border, so I can pick up any large stuff at a quick stop near the border like I am with the double FN I just ordered