my Rat just had babies! What do I need to do?

[Gary]

One of the Rats I got from the pet shop just had babies! Is there anything I need to know?

Also I should mention there is another female adult Rat in the cage. Is that a problem?

Any input would be appreciated!

Gary

[Louise]

sigh.... another pet shop disaster!
I'm not experienced with baby rats, but I think you just need to keep everyone warm and comfy.  The mum will need some extra nourishing food, I'm sure people will post and help you with this.  I think mashed potato with cream or ideal milk is supposed to be good.

You will probably be able to see milk in the babies tummies, that will let you know if they are feeding ok.

Does everyone look ok?  How many babies have you got, can you see?  

Depending on where she had them you might want to move them to a safer place - down to the floor of the cage if they are up high

I don't really feel qualified to tell you much more, but I'm sure you'll get a lot of posts from people who have had litters - good luck!

[Gary]

Well, so far, I count maybe 11. Thought I counted 6 at first, but then mom moved and revealed more!

Everything looks ok so far!

Gary

Everyone looks ok so far.

sigh.... another pet shop disaster!
I'm not experienced with baby rats, but I think you just need to keep everyone warm and comfy.  The mum will need some extra nourishing food, I'm sure people will post and help you with this.  I think mashed potato with cream or ideal milk is supposed to be good.

You will probably be able to see milk in the babies tummies, that will let you know if they are feeding ok.

Does everyone look ok?  How many babies have you got, can you see?  

Depending on where she had them you might want to move them to a safer place - down to the floor of the cage if they are up high

I don't really feel qualified to tell you much more, but I'm sure you'll get a lot of posts from people who have had litters - good luck!

[MalignStar]

Welcome to the wonderful world of squeaking babies at all hours of the night. I have a rat litter now. They will be 2 weeks this Saturday. I feed my female a bit of scrambled egg sometimes and fresh fruits. You might want to examine the babies and make sure they all look good, and to check for any that may have died. Of course, if the mom is in an aquarium, let her climb out first and put her in a holding cage while you "invade" her nest. It would be a bad experience to get bit! Also, I would take the other female out. Momma rats can get extremely protective unless she seems to be alright with it. Hope this helps.

Heather

[scout]

You don't need to do much at all. The momma rat will do all the work. If she's okay with the other female being in the cage, you can leave her to help with the babies. The "auntie" rat will help keep them warm and clean. You can give the momma rat a little extra protein while she's nursing (3-4 weeks): eggs, kitten chow, fish... You can also give her a little extra litter or paper towels so she can build a nest. It's okay if she buries the babies.

Here's an article by Debbie D about rat reproduction. Scroll down to the last section since you've already been through the first parts. Welcome to rattie parenthood!

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=18&cat=1804&articleid=889

[Yresim]

Separate the mom & babies from the other rats (it is usually safer to pick up the other rats, but you can use gloves to protect you & them if you are stuck).

Also, see the "breeding" information on the Rat Fan Club info page:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/helpinfo.html

[DesertSands]

Sounds like you're about to get a crash course in rat husbandry.  
Reading your post about the second rat also having a litter also, you'll probably want to seperate the two moms. They won't hurt eachother or anything, but they might spend more time trying to "steal" all the babies instead of just devoting themselves to caring for their own.
Try to give each mom the same number of babies to make it easier on them both, since you probably don't know who's are who's anymore anyway.
The hardest part is going to be trying to find homes for all the babies. If I were you I'd start looking around now.
Good luck, and give your little mommies an extra little treat from me!