[Houdini]

So a few weeks ago I took in a pregnant feeder, she's young and extremely sweet. It was very obvious within a week that she was pregnant and so I gathered my resources and prepared myself for every possibility. I alerted my vet of the pregnancy and i've been adding in some addition nutrients to mama's diet. She remained extremely calm through her pregnancy, and was very interactive with her cagemates up until this afternoon, I noticed furious nesting and aggression towards her mates, so I put together her nursey and about 4 hours later we have a very healthy litter of around 10! I didn't want to disturb mama too much, so I don't have an official count. It appears she had a very quiet and complication free labor. I was only alerted to the pups when I lifted her hut and saw the little gummy-bears! She didn't use any of the nesting material I put in for her, so I hope the eco-bedding will be enough.

Now, when is it safe to get an official count and check for milk bands? I do not want a stressed out mama! I was thinking 2 days with no disturbance then let her out for a few minutes to get a check?

This is a very exciting and nerve racking journey, so please bear with me!

Also, I'm going to guess these babies will be PEW with standard ears since the males in the tank with her were all PEW. Is she a Himalayan or Siamese? no color except for the tips of her ears and nose.

here's a quick picture i was able to get!

 

[JAnimal]

First of all congrats. Second of all here is what I found on the internet about the diffrence so between Himalayan and Siamese rats. " Himilayans start off looking like PEWs and develop points. Siamese rats begina beige-y color and fade to reveal points. They stay darker than himis." Hope this helps.

 

[2ratshack]

Good luck with the babies!

 

[Houdini]

I'm sort of in a panic, it's 4:16 am here and it appears as though Zen has stopped caring for her babies. She came out of her nest, got some food and water and is now grooming herself on top of her hut. I'm not entirely sure how long they can leave the nest, or what seems normal. They still have milk bands, so she's been nursing them up until this point.. what is normal?

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[kksrats]

She's not going to stay on the nest 24/7, she definitely needs some alone time lol As long as she goes back to the nest and the pups aren't getting cold everything should be fine.

 

[JAnimal]

Just make sure that the babies still have milk bands and that they are warm. And I agree that mama does need a break

 

[Houdini]

Her nursery is set up right across from my bed, so I can watch almost 24/7. Seems like she has been making trips back inside when the babies start fussing. I don't think I want to disturb her nest just yet to check for bands and warmth if I can see her making trips inside.. I'm just extremely paranoid, but don't want to make her stressed by fussing all over her nest. She knows better than I do..

 

[Houdini]

Mama is taking excellent care of the little ones, decided to poke around while she was out and about. I'm not sure what happened to 2 of the babies, but now we are down to 8 little ones. Maybe my initial count was wrong, or maybe they died. Didn't get to look around too much as mama was very unhappy with my digging around her nursey (not even near her nest!) she's so patient with me handling the babies. Everyone has full milk bands and they were all huddled up and warm. Gave Zen her favorite treats (banana chips!) and got a few quick pictures. They are officially 24 hours old and already rapidly growing and changing! This is such an incredible journey, I just can't believe it!

 

[bloomington bob]

Congrats!

 

[MomToRats]

Awesome congrads

 

[kksrats]

How are the bubs?

 

[Mojojuju]

More Jellybean Pics! Yaaay, I miss having baby ratties.

 

[Houdini]

Bubs are now 8 days old! They are doing great, but growing so quickly! We have 5 boys and 3 girls! These little ones are located in the Western PA area, if anyone is interested in adopting! Here's a few pictures:

 

[Mojojuju]

Dawwwwwwww! Makes me wish I were closer! I'd take in some of them. <3