Pickles and Ice Cream or She's Having My Baby, er, Babies
Q:
How long is a rat’s
gestation?
A: Rats typically deliver 21 – 23 days after mating. Most of my girls
favor day 22 or 23, but be prepared for your rat to deliver by day 20 just
to be safe.
Q: I bought a rat from a pet store and
she seems to be getting a big round belly on her – should I panic?
A: No, but you should start knitting tiny baby booties. A LOT of them.
Q: No, seriously, how do I tell if my rat is pregnant?
A: Alas, there are no home pregnancy test kits for rats, but, boy, it’d
be nice if there were! If you did not actually see the rats mating, predicting
delivery dates can be a bit tricky. Most females start to show a growing
belly by the third week of pregnancy. Some are quite sneaky, especially
if they have rather rounded figures to begin with, and don’t show until
a few days before delivery. Also many pregnant does begin to show obvious
nipples by the third week, so that's another sign of probable pregnancy.
If you do suspect your girl is pregnant, you may want to separate her from
her
cagemates
and
get
her
into
a safe nursery
cage just to be on the safe side. If your rat has not delivered babies
within
3.5 to 4 weeks of suspected mating, you’re in the clear and can
stand down from red baby alert.
Q: Should I supplement my pregnant rat’s
diet?
A: Pregnant and lactating females need extra protein in their diets,
so it’s
a good idea to provide that. Some breeders like to add in a low-fat cat food
to their pregnant does’ mix and some supplement with soy baby formula
or kitten weaning formula like KMR. My ladies LOVE the Iams low-fat cat food
in dry format though your does may have their own preferences.
Q: What kind of cage makes a good nursery?
A: I prefer a small cage with small wire spacing and at least a 3 inch
pan to set the cage inside. I also like to take out the hammock before
delivery
as I had one doe choose to deliver inside the hammock and that worried
me greatly that the babies could fall out and be injured. Some breeders
use
glass or plexiglass aquariums but I prefer wire cages for better
ventilation personally.
Q: Should I separate
my pregnant girl from her cagemates for delivery?
A: Personally, I would say yes. I like to reduce as much as possible the
odds of anything going wrong. The "nanny" doe might decide to steal the
babies from the nursing mother and they could be harmed or go hungry in
the process. The girls might tussle, even playfully, and squash a baby
accidentally. Having a second doe in the mix just adds one more variable
to the equation and that is not something I'm personally comfortable with.
If you are concerned about reintroducing your girl back into her regular
cage after the babies are weaned, you might schedule a daily playtime for
mum to frolic with her cagemates for 15 - 30 minutes (or more as the babies
get older and need mum less) every day so that familiarity is maintained.
Q: What kind of bedding should I use for delivery day?
A: I prefer NOT to use Carefresh or any recycled paper pellet litter
as it tends to stick to the babies when they are born. Plus it
can be quite
dusty
and clog up tiny noses and mouths. It’s fine once the babies
are a bit older, say a week or so, but I don’t like it for
delivery. I line the cage with newsprint and provide mum a lot
of nice paper
towels for shredding
and nest making. Cloth can also be fine for nest making but do
NOT use anything like t-shirt material or other easily frayed cloth
as the tiny strands of
thread can come unraveled and wrap around tiny baby legs, cutting
off circulation. I know this from experience. It turned out fine
for the poor baby in the
end, with no permanent damage, but it was scary and painful for
the dear little guy and I still have rat guilt to this day about
it even though Siggi insists he forgives me.