When is it okay? (ritten question)

[Bryanna]

My girl had her babies over 24 hours ago and I was wondering when it's okay to really interact with them. I don't want to hold the babies and leave momma in distress...=/

[fluffy pluffy]

I'm sorry,I don't really have any advice,since I've never owned baby rats.
But I think you were right about waiting until interacting with them.
I think you should probably wait until they have their mom's scent,and then you might be able to pet them.

[RWS]

Most breeders handle their rats from day one. My last litter I checked over when they were 3 hrs old after they had fed to make sure everything was ok. While the babies are furless you can only handle them very quickly (less than 10 mins imo) to make sure they have full tummies and things are going well. It also helps them to get used to humans.

Some mothers will get a little stressed having their babies out of the nest while they are helpless. Wait until mum comes out to feed, then get her out of the cage before dealing with the babies. My girls enjoy going back with their adult friends for a play during this time. Make sure you return the nest carefully and cover them up again. If the mother gets very stressed, you will see her moving the babies to a new location. Check that they have all been moved so they will keep warm.

RW

[Bryanna]

Alright, I wasn't sure if it was okay for her to go back to her cagemates while I checked on them. I wans't quite sure what to do with her =P

[Alison]

My Momma got extremely stressed if we moved her from her cage (even to give her some time to relax without her babies constantly nagging her).  She did not mind us touching her babies, taking one out at a time, as long as she could supervise, with her watching and being allowed to climb out too and watch.  Some mommas will get aggressive, it seems, but its all very individual.  Just watch her very closely and follow her lead.

[Bryanna]

She is very good about it, lets me pet her, touch the babies, even pick them up(only to move them back if they've wandered) and when I take the lid off the tank she'll hop out and walk around my bedroom floor. I see the problem being, the babies not being in the cage while she is. I also tested it, let her walk around on my lap while I held a baby in my hand and she picked the baby up and hopped back in the cage to put it back so...

[CuddlinCutie]

i dont know how similar rats are to mice but i know my mouse had babies and i had to do a lot of online research. what i did was the first day or so i took her out on her will and put her in a running ball on the ground. then i just opened the nest to count them and feel around. i didnt actually pick them up until a couple days later (but i think its just because i was a little scared to disturb them). When I did handle them though i made sure to wash my hands really well and then wipe my hands all over the rest to get the scent on them so it wouldnt freak them out. they all turned out fine and that was what i did! 

[LivingPinCushion]

it depends on the momma rat both of the moms i had let me touch their rittens 4 hours after birth and the mom was glad to have me near her

[scout]

If the mother will let you, go ahead and handle the babies. You can hold them, pet them, turn them on their backs (they may fuss a bit, but this is the time to teach them to tolerate it), touch their feet (makes clipping their nails easier when they're grown) and then return them to the nest. If the mother is bothered by your handling them (wants to put them back in the nest, which is natural for her), you can try distracting her with her friends, the other rats, or a yummy treat. Handling the babies frequently is the best way to socialize them and have nice cuddly rats when they grow up.