A rat gives birth to rats: what to do during and after childbirth

Decorative rats have become popular pets in many families, adults and children are strongly attached to these intelligent animals. Often people acquire a couple of heterosexual rodents, and the result of joint keeping is the pregnancy of a female domestic rat and, most often, a successful birth. Childbirth in rats is a serious physiological process in which the owner must strike a balance between non-intervention and readiness, if necessary, to help his pet.

How many rats give birth to rats at one time

Ornamental rats have inherited the ability to reproduce quickly from their wild relatives. Sexual maturity in males occurs as early as 5 weeks, and females can become pregnant from 1,5 months. Early or late mating negatively affects the health of the female, which is manifested by the pathological course of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the death of the cubs. If the rat realizes that she is unable to feed the rats, she eats the entire brood. For the first time it is recommended to cover the female at the age of 6 to 8 months.

At one time, the rat gives birth to from 1 to 22 pups, most often the female brings 9-12 babies. Domestic rodents are characterized by an offspring of 12 newborn cubs according to the number of nipples in the mother. If offspring is born in 15-20 rats, the female calmly, under the condition of enhanced nutrition, feeds her babies in turn. The number of rat pups in the brood of the same individual is different, the female can bring both 10-12 and 1-2 cubs.

How do rats give birth

Immediately before giving birth, the female completely refuses to eat, tries to retire, and corrects the nest. During this period, it is recommended to protect the animal from stresses that can cause pathological childbirth and the death of the pet along with the offspring. It is desirable to place the cage in a warm, dry, darkened place, the distance between the rods should be minimal. Make sure your pet has a full drinker. When rats are born, the female loses a lot of fluid; in the absence of water, the animal eats its newborn cubs.

The first signs of the onset of labor

Rat labor often occurs at night and lasts 1-2 hours. The first symptoms of the onset of labor is the discharge of a cork in the form of bloody discharge from the female’s vagina. During pregnancy, the cork served as a natural barrier and protected the uterus and fetuses of the pet from the ingress of pathogenic microflora from the outside.

How is the birth process

Then contractions begin, aimed at pushing the cubs out of the uterine cavity. During this period, the body of the female lengthens as much as possible, and the sides on both sides are retracted. The contractions are very painful, you should not disturb the rodent during this period, so as not to provoke uterine spasm and death of the pet.

When the cubs are ready to leave, the female sits down and helps the babies to be born with the help of her paws and teeth. Each newborn rat cub is born in a bag filled with liquid, the female tears it with her teeth, removes the baby, gnaws through the umbilical cord and licks the cub, cleaning and drying it.

Licking the skin of a newborn by a rat stimulates the work of the lungs of a small animal, it should squeak and move, which indicates its health. If the baby does not show signs of life, the female can eat it.

Most often, the rat gives birth safely, but it is still not worth excluding the possibility of a pathological course of delivery.

A sign of problematic childbirth may be the duration of this physiological process for more than 2 hours or the occurrence of bleeding.

The owner in such situations is obliged to come to the aid of a giving birth rat:

• if the female is already tired, and the first baby is not born, then the cub could be stuck in the birth canal. It is advisable to feed the rat half a teaspoon of honey to restore lost energy and massage the stomach with soft circular movements, trying to turn the rat and direct it to the exit;
• if the tail or head of a newborn has appeared from the vulva, and the rat cannot push it out on its own, you can wrap the cub with a soft towel and slowly pull it out of the birth canal. After the birth of the first baby, the rest come out without problems;
• if your efforts do not help the female, in case of prolonged labor for more than 3 hours, the discovery of bleeding, an emergency caesarean section is necessary to save the pet and rats. It is advisable to agree with a veterinarian in advance or find out the addresses of clinics that will accept your pet at any time in case of complicated births.

After the end of childbirth

After giving birth, the rat eats the placenta and umbilical cord, and takes care of the babies. When you are sure that the birth is over, carefully place a bowl of weak tea, diluted in half with cream, into the cage. This drink will restore the loss of fluid and energy after childbirth and stimulate the production of enough milk to feed the babies. Do not leave the bowl in the cage for a long time so that the rat does not crush the babies with it.

What to do if a rat gave birth to rats

If your domestic rat gave birth to rats, you need to create comfortable and safe conditions for the growth of newborns:

• do not try to examine the newly born little rats, the female can eat offspring from stress;
• do not touch the female after childbirth, she can bite you, protecting her children;
• remove all floors, hammocks, toys, stairs from the cage, only a tray filled with pieces of paper and a drinking bowl with a feeder should remain;
• give your rat pieces of paper tissue or unscented toilet paper for newborn bedding;
• you should not clean the cage and bathe the female, later you can carefully remove dirty wipes without touching the nest;
• do not leave the cage open, the rat will take the kids to a secluded place where you cannot find them;
• a rat that has given birth must be fed a highly nutritious diet with an increased content of protein and calcium to produce the required amount of milk;
• make sure that the nursing mother always has clean water in the drinker.

Behavior of the rat after childbirth

Domestic rats, most often, are good mothers, a caring attitude towards each newborn cub is laid down by nature itself, but some individuals sometimes lack a maternal instinct. It happens that first-borns can ruin the first offspring, but at the next birth they become diligent mothers.

After a difficult birth due to stress and a surge in hormones, the rat may not have milk, or the female does not want to feed her babies. In such cases, it is necessary to intensively feed the female with predominantly protein foods with the addition of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes babies are supplemented with baby food with the addition of condensed milk, but this is very difficult to do, and a rat can eat rat pups with the smell of human hands.

It is desirable to create a comfortable, calm environment for the rat that has given birth, the rodent will calm down, recover after childbirth and can begin to patronize the babies. If the pet continues to refuse to feed and take care of newborns, it is advisable for them to find a foster mother, this may be a nursing female rat or house mouse.

What to feed a newborn rat

The diet of the female who has given birth should be nutritious with a high protein content, to exclude osteoporosis, calcium gluconate tablets can be given to the animal. In the absence of proper feeding, a rat can eat newborns. To restore strength after childbirth and stimulate milk production, it is recommended to feed the rodent with the following products:

• concentrated soy milk;
• quality cat food
• kefir, yogurt and cottage cheese without dyes and preservatives;
• milk porridge and dry cereals;
• boiled chicken wings and necks;
• vegetables and fruits;
• children’s fruit, vegetable and meat purees from jars.

Protect your pet from the close attention of curious household members and create comfortable conditions for her, soon the kids and the rat will get stronger, and you will be able to enjoy communication with touching rat pups.