[themacgregor]

Well, we got a new rat about a week ago. A darling little black girl named Molly. She's about 15 weeks old now. I just came home from school to discover that my little Molly is now a Mommy.
To put it bluntly, OMG what do I do now?
Any advice on anything to do with new litters?

When my mum comes home we're probably going to have the big "keep them" discussion.
Any helpful advice in that department as well?

 

[CaptainFlow]

Go to the "Think Before Breeding" section, there's a TON of information. As for the "keep them discussion," if it was me I'd keep a girl (or two or three, depending on your cage size!) to keep Molly company, and try to adopt out the rest.

 

[Forensic]

What sort of cage is Molly in? Little ones can easily fall off shelves or ledges or through the bars.

Give mummy some extra protein - hard boiled eggs are good...

Check the babies for 'milk bands' when you feel comfortable handling them. These will appear as white lines under the skin. If they're there the baby is nursing properly.

It's good for socialization to handle the babies while they're young, so if Mummy allows, go ahead, but make sure they don't get cold and such.

Look through the 'Think Before you Breed' section... you'll find some good info there from folks who've had litters in the past.

 

[themacgregor]

Thank you CaptainFlow and Forensic. I was kind of panicing there for a bit. I've been reading over "Think Before You Breed" and the information is really helpful.

What sort of cage is Molly in? Little ones can easily fall off shelves or ledges or through the bars.

We bought this one from petsmart when we got Toby and Mo. more below.
Super Pet Deluxe 3-Story Home
Okay, we got Molly 2 weeks ago actually (my how time flies). My mother, due to her impatience and disregard for my warnings about quarentining (sp?), introduced them to our 5 month old girls Toby and Mo after about a week. They came from the same place, our local breeder-cum-petstore, and very likely have the same parents.
Anyways, Molly has been living with "the big girls" for about a week now. When we introduced them, we bathed them and fed them all tuna to mask their scents. It was love at first sight, Toby and Mo both accepted her, well. sat on her (in a loving way I'm sure) , and they didn't fight (except for minor displays of rank). After three or four days of supervised meetings, my mother put them all in the same cage.
Bad idea, I know it can be, but we've had no problems (luckily!).

I've taken Toby & Mo, and put them in a tank. I'm not sure what to do with them. Can they all be in the same cage? When I got home they didn't seem bothered by the babies.

Thank you for all the help.
Both Molly and I really appreciate it!

I'm gonna try for some pics of mom & babies later.

 

[ratastic]

How many babies she have? And can we see pics, plz.

 

[themacgregor]

How many babies she have? And can we see pics, plz.

Molly had 7:!:
I'm grateful it wasn't a huge litter, but finding them homes isn't a problem. The people we bought Molly from have agreed to take kittens and find homes for them, but we have to keep them for 5 weeks.
I'm not sure if I should be happy or worrying about my wallet. I've heard litters can be pretty costly, but I'll be optimistic for now.
Anyways, here are the pics. Unfortunately I couldn't get a top view of the "baby box" as I've come to call it, but I think you can see at least five of them.

It's not very good quality, my camera is tempermental. :roll:

Here's my Molly trying to steal yogurt drops for her babes. She's so cunning, getting them hooked while they're young.

And here is the cake we're using to break the news to my father with. As my ratters are my babies, their babies are his grandbabies.
I hope he doesn't freak out, now that we have 10 rats in the house.

 

[themacgregor]

Oops, sorry for such huge pictures.
I'll try to figure out how to make them smaller.

 

[glindella]

I love the cake

 

[themacgregor]

Thank you, I made it myself.
Personally I believe all cakes should have rats on them.

 

[Hippy]

OH MY!
I love that cake! XD

Your going to be a wonderful mommy.

 

[Macabri]

Most excellent cake!

I hope everything works out with your unexpected baby situation.

 

[themacgregor]

:!: Before I head off to school update :!:

The babes are feeding okay, and Molly is doing fine! My initial panic has officially worn off and is now replaced with the desire to keep them all... as if that will ever happen. But I do have a question.
Okay, when one woman has a baby, you know how another woman can get really jealous or depressed, especially if she can't have babies? Well, Mo has been acting sort of depressed lately. Could this be something to do with Molly's new litter? She helps Molly out with building her nest and stocking food, but other than that, unless I'm playing with her she sits around and mopes.


On a brighter note, another baby pic! 2 days old and freakishly cute!

That you to eveyone for your help!
...And cake compliments.