Did my rat abandon her babies?

Question

Ivory (pet rat) just had 15 babies. Today they are two days old and she hasn't gone back into her nest in 2 hours. They have been crying for her and everything and she still hasn't gone back.

Did she abandon them?

If so, how can I get her back to them, like re-introduce her to them?

I just lifted her house and undug her babies, she seemed like she cared when I did that. She was carrying one around as if looking for a better place to hide it. Is this a good sign?

Answer 1

Ivory could be a very casual and confident mom? Confident enough to know that she can take some time out.

She could be very stressed?

Is she a first time mom?

It could be that she doesn't have the milk for them?

You need to check the babies and see if they have milk bands. Their skin is so transparent at this age that you can actually see the white milk in their tummies through their skin. If you don't see any milk then yes, she has abandoned them and you need to treat them as orphans.

You could try putting some canned milk on the babies and maybe her maternal instinct will kick in as she grooms them clean. I had this same experience and it worked to get mom to stay with her single baby but she didn't have milk to nurse it.

I'm sorry but I need more details from you to help you. I'm not looking to gain points for my answer here, I'm trying to help you save these babies, and I need an open conversation to help you through this. E-mail me at [e-mail]

Raising orphaned rats:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=raising+orphaned+rats&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAscYqL80.x8jy71l3_Mj6BgazKIX%2FSIG%3D111gjvvgj%2F*-http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsuRZXHyX3jz_HHQlFel4xgazKIX%2FSIG%3D11ia1qo58%2F**http%253a%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=raising+orphaned+rats

Update: Ivory is not happy with her situation if she is looking for another place to keep them. She is stressed out, but it is a good sign if she is concerned about their safey. If her situation is not remedied, she may find the solution is killing them. Please e-mail me!!!!

Sandra Beasley and the Spaz Rats
(Rattery, Rescue, and Rat-care Expert)
http://spazrats.tripod.com

Answer 2

Hes about 3 weeks old. Rats dont open their eyes until about 2 weeks old, and at that age he would not venture away from the nest. He is at a stage where he should still have milk, but can probably survive without it. I would get some kitten replacement milk and a syringe (no needle-and no cows milk, it will make him sick) and feed him every 4 hours (night and day) for the next week. Also offer him bread, cereal, pasta, fruits, and veggies. At 4 weeks you can completely wean him. This is if you decide to keep him. Honestly, if you let him go where you found him I really think his mom would find him and continue taking care of him. Rats do not automatically refuse their young when they have human scent on them. Wild rats are different from domesticate rats and do not do as well as pets. They very often will not get along with domesticate rats when they get older too.

Answer 3

It is not uncommon for a mother rat to consume a stillborn baby or one that has died after birth. This usually occurs in the first few days after birth. It may be a way of keeping the nest “clean” or the mother may perceive the dead baby as a high protein meal.
Not all mothers cannibalize dead offspring. Some will simply push the body to the side of the nest or remove it and place it somewhere else within the cage. Others will keep the dead baby in the nest with the live ones.

Answer 4

I would try placing the babies near her and get one or two to suckle. If this is her first litter, she may not know what to do with them. Not all mammals have the instinct to take care of their young. You also need to leave her alone. She could be too stressed by you coming in and looking at her and her litter. She needs time to be alone with her pups and separate from any other rats.
http://www.quite.co.uk/rats/
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm

Answer 5

when i used to breed rats my first litter the mom did the same thing. you have to hold the mama down *wear gloves so the babies can nurse the mama will eventually know that that's the right thing to do. if she don't pick it up than go to the pet store and they have little bottles and milk you will have to nurse them but once you take the babies out don't put them back in the mama will them do to your sent. good luck.

Answer 6

she may have, maybe she didnt want them in the first place. i doubt you can get her to take them now.