Taking Care of Pregnant Rats and Accidental Litters
Here at the Georgia Rat Rescue we deal with lots of cases where just a single pair of rats turns into hundreds of rats very quickly and into a very desperate situation. We hope to help avoid accidental litters by providing this guide but if a mistake has been made or you adopt a rat that is already pregnant, this information is here to help get you to the point of effectively handling/socializing/adopting out the babies while keeping yourself and family safe along the way. There are a lot of online resources these days on the subject but this information below is based on our combined 30+ years of owning, rising and rescuing rats plus some other great online resources such as the ratguide.com and rat clubs.
Before we get started - PSAs:
The Initial Pregnancy Period
While the thought of a litter can be scary and overwhelming, it is actually fairly common and fortunately nature gives rats everything they need generally to take care it on their own most of the time. Hopefully you will have no hiccups initially and can focus on socializing and playing with the babies but first things first though, we suggest that if they are from a breeder you should contact the breeder and ask to return the parent (preferably before the mom gives birth if the breeder wished to take care of the litter for you as the best option) and litter immediately to that breeder. If the parent is from the pet store, also return to source as well. This is generally per contract you may have signed with them and often the easiest/quickest way to not have to raise and place the litter on your own but if you want to keep the parent and try raising the litter yourself, read on below.
Determine Pregnancy - Signs your rat may be pregnant:
- A rounding belly.
- A large increase in appetite.
- Sudden aggression.
- Nipples becoming more prominent and visible.
- Nest building.
If you notice any of these signs (usually its a gradual increase in all of them) or suspect pregnancy then immediately move the mom into a nursery bin. We suggest making a DIY modified plastic bin for this, direction on how to make one can be found HERE. If a bin cannot be made then a glass tank with a screen top or small solid bottomed deep panned wire top style cage will work otherwise (remove all levels, hammocks, toys, ladders etc.) The bin or cage should then be filled with an adequate layer of (inch or two) paper or wood substrate or bedding such as torn up paper towels, shredded paper, even aspen or carefresh to give proper nesting material for the babies and warmth. A 'house' of some kind should be provided such as a plastic igloo, wood house hide out, Lixit Rody Igloo Small Animal Hideout or even a card board box for a safe, quiet and dark place to have and raise the litter. Ideally the water bottle should be affixed to the outside mesh of the cage or bin but if needed you can use a metal eater bottle hanger inside situated close to the nesting site.
A typical gestation period (from inception to birth) for a rat is average 20-22 days but can be up to 26 days after being impregnated. Many moms will become maternally aggressive during pregnancy and even while nursing. The typically litter is about 12-18 pups but they can have as many as 22-24. The birth takes place within 24 hours but you should see/hear some indication of live babies within 3 hours of the labor onset for a natural successful birthing. If the mom successfully has the litter but is not nursing them/producing enough milk, does not take care of the babies, or passes away, then the next best step is to contact your local breeders to see if they have a mother that would be able to nurse the babies for you. If not, see our Orphan Baby Guide or click here to see how to take care of baby rats and raise them by hand.
The Birth
You will often notice some blood spotting around the cage that preludes labor. Most moms will get themselves situated in the nesting box all on their own but if you find she has not after several hours and still bleeding with no babies in sight this may indicate a prolonged and troubled labor and a vet should be contacted ASAP. Generally though most moms will be able to handle their own birthing without interference so while your female is giving birth do not disturb her! Don't try to touch the babies or house, instead to check on her stop and listen for soft little squeaks instead. During labor, mom will pull out what look like sacks of blood out of her vaginal opening and will eat the sack around the baby, clean the baby off, and place them somewhere. Occasionally you may witness a mom eating a baby, rats do not eat their young unless there is a reason and the baby is still born or has died - this is natural so she can regain lost nutrients. She may also be new or not a great mom and move the newborns around a lot initially, don't worry or touch them, she will usually correct things and gather them up in the end in the nest for nursing soon after the birth herself (as long as you have provided a safe and proper maternity bin). If you find a baby has been left out for more than about an hour or so then carefully, quietly and quickly use a utensil such as a spoon and gently push or scoop up the baby and place it directly in front of the nesting box for mom to get and bring into the nest herself. If it looks like she might be ignoring the babies for awhile - this is fine, moving them around will stress her out more.
After The Birth
We generally recommend not trying to clean the cage after the birth or for at least 2-3 weeks (depending on how nervous your mom is) as this may cause stress and possible issues in her nursing care. The pups will nurse on and off constantly and may make squeaks as she moves, cleans or steps on them, this is fine and normal, don't interfere. Extra protein given like hard boiled eggs, avocados, lean meats, soy proteins in the diet will help her produce milk and not lose too much condition during this nursing period.
Time to Rehome
If you've made it to this point, congrats and job well done! Next step is to find homes for all your spoiled babies that you worked so hard with since birth but this can also be the hardest part. Rehoming your baby rats to new homes can be difficult and can take a while, so don't get discouraged! We have found that HOW you post them and WHERE you post them can make all the difference in how quickly they are adopted out and what kind of homes they go to. We recommend the following be put into your postings/advertisements/flyers:
Before we get started - PSAs:
- AVOIDING ACCIDENTAL LITTERS:- ONLY adopt from reputable pet breeders or official established rescues! These sources should have the experience, knowledge, operation and ethics to properly sex the rats before adoption, only place same sexed rats, already fixed (spayed/neutered) rats with adopters or have a routine pregnancy watch quarantine program in place to ensure pregnant rats are not adopted out (such as here at the GRR). Very often female pet store and even many 'breeder' rats are often adopted out already pregnant or were placed incorrectly sexed. NEVER put males and females together, let them crawl on each other's cages or let them 'play' together, unless neutered or spayed (if a rat has recently been fixed (you must wait at least 2 weeks before it becomes fully sterile before putting them together). It only takes seconds and one mounting for a pregnancy even at 6-7 weeks of age, this includes siblings even and moms who have just given birth will go back into heat again right after birthing and can become reimpregnated for resulting unending back to back litters.
- WE DO NOT SUPPORT UNCHECKED BREEDING! Please note that we do not encourage, suggest or endorse breeding of rats with unknown backgrounds/histories/genetics, rats without express breeder rights or allowances or rescue/feeder/pet store rats. This information below is not enough to properly breed rats or to become an established reputable breeder either. If you are still interested in intentionally breeding, we do not give out breeder suggestions, referrals or references... do your own research, ask lots of in-depth detailed questions and find a reputable breeder that follows in line with your desires, ethics and goals. We do however keep a 'black list', please email us to request a copy.
- THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE MEDICAL RESOURCE! Please have a vet that sees rats and an emergency vet contact info on hand in case things go wrong, pregnancies and births naturally can go wrong at any point! Risks are increased when you have an unknown genetic lineage and health history of the parents, unknown health and pathogen status of the parents (FTT, megacolon, active viruses/bacterial infections, respiratory illnesses, high instance rates of tumors/cancer/heart attacks, etc) and even genetically predisposed aggression. Even if the parent rats seem sweet, their genetics and background will determine much of the babies' overall and final health and behavior. If rehoming this litter, always be sure to mention it's an accidental litter so future health and temperament will be unknown.
The Initial Pregnancy Period
While the thought of a litter can be scary and overwhelming, it is actually fairly common and fortunately nature gives rats everything they need generally to take care it on their own most of the time. Hopefully you will have no hiccups initially and can focus on socializing and playing with the babies but first things first though, we suggest that if they are from a breeder you should contact the breeder and ask to return the parent (preferably before the mom gives birth if the breeder wished to take care of the litter for you as the best option) and litter immediately to that breeder. If the parent is from the pet store, also return to source as well. This is generally per contract you may have signed with them and often the easiest/quickest way to not have to raise and place the litter on your own but if you want to keep the parent and try raising the litter yourself, read on below.
Determine Pregnancy - Signs your rat may be pregnant:
- A rounding belly.
- A large increase in appetite.
- Sudden aggression.
- Nipples becoming more prominent and visible.
- Nest building.
If you notice any of these signs (usually its a gradual increase in all of them) or suspect pregnancy then immediately move the mom into a nursery bin. We suggest making a DIY modified plastic bin for this, direction on how to make one can be found HERE. If a bin cannot be made then a glass tank with a screen top or small solid bottomed deep panned wire top style cage will work otherwise (remove all levels, hammocks, toys, ladders etc.) The bin or cage should then be filled with an adequate layer of (inch or two) paper or wood substrate or bedding such as torn up paper towels, shredded paper, even aspen or carefresh to give proper nesting material for the babies and warmth. A 'house' of some kind should be provided such as a plastic igloo, wood house hide out, Lixit Rody Igloo Small Animal Hideout or even a card board box for a safe, quiet and dark place to have and raise the litter. Ideally the water bottle should be affixed to the outside mesh of the cage or bin but if needed you can use a metal eater bottle hanger inside situated close to the nesting site.
A typical gestation period (from inception to birth) for a rat is average 20-22 days but can be up to 26 days after being impregnated. Many moms will become maternally aggressive during pregnancy and even while nursing. The typically litter is about 12-18 pups but they can have as many as 22-24. The birth takes place within 24 hours but you should see/hear some indication of live babies within 3 hours of the labor onset for a natural successful birthing. If the mom successfully has the litter but is not nursing them/producing enough milk, does not take care of the babies, or passes away, then the next best step is to contact your local breeders to see if they have a mother that would be able to nurse the babies for you. If not, see our Orphan Baby Guide or click here to see how to take care of baby rats and raise them by hand.
The Birth
You will often notice some blood spotting around the cage that preludes labor. Most moms will get themselves situated in the nesting box all on their own but if you find she has not after several hours and still bleeding with no babies in sight this may indicate a prolonged and troubled labor and a vet should be contacted ASAP. Generally though most moms will be able to handle their own birthing without interference so while your female is giving birth do not disturb her! Don't try to touch the babies or house, instead to check on her stop and listen for soft little squeaks instead. During labor, mom will pull out what look like sacks of blood out of her vaginal opening and will eat the sack around the baby, clean the baby off, and place them somewhere. Occasionally you may witness a mom eating a baby, rats do not eat their young unless there is a reason and the baby is still born or has died - this is natural so she can regain lost nutrients. She may also be new or not a great mom and move the newborns around a lot initially, don't worry or touch them, she will usually correct things and gather them up in the end in the nest for nursing soon after the birth herself (as long as you have provided a safe and proper maternity bin). If you find a baby has been left out for more than about an hour or so then carefully, quietly and quickly use a utensil such as a spoon and gently push or scoop up the baby and place it directly in front of the nesting box for mom to get and bring into the nest herself. If it looks like she might be ignoring the babies for awhile - this is fine, moving them around will stress her out more.
After The Birth
We generally recommend not trying to clean the cage after the birth or for at least 2-3 weeks (depending on how nervous your mom is) as this may cause stress and possible issues in her nursing care. The pups will nurse on and off constantly and may make squeaks as she moves, cleans or steps on them, this is fine and normal, don't interfere. Extra protein given like hard boiled eggs, avocados, lean meats, soy proteins in the diet will help her produce milk and not lose too much condition during this nursing period.
- Handling the Babies - While babies can be handled as early as day 1, they should be left alone to receive important after birth colostrum for at least 24 hours post labor. Then you can handle and check on the babies starting day 2 to ensure there are milk bands, check for any health issues with mom or babies and to start giving them some human contact. In the first 2 weeks you don't want to keep the babies away from mom for long though and recommend only about 30 min max time separate from mom. As they become mobile and eat solid foods on their own at 3-4 weeks then this time can be extended for longer. We suggest daily handling, holding, petting, talking to them etc starting at about 2 weeks when the eyes start to open to ensure adequate and early socialization of the babies through epigenetics (this is especially true if the mom is normally nervous or skittish). If a mom is maternally aggressive and territorial of the babies and nest then we recommend removing mom from the cage or bin first by waiting till she comes off the nest and out around before going in and touching the babies. She can be put into an second cage, bin, carrier, playpen, bed/couch etc with some yummy treats or foods while you handle the babies.
- At 5 weeks separate the males and females! By this age you WILL definitely be able to tell the differences in sexes, look under the tail and reference online guides. Also male rats will not have nipples and a wider span between the annus and penis while the girls will have nipples early on and a much smaller gap. By 5 weeks the boys will have dropped their nuts. Nutritional needs during this period is higher protein content than the rest of your rats. For Oxbow, use their baby rat food until they are between 3-6 months then switch to adult rat food while Mazuri can be used for all ages but babies before 3 months would appreciate some protein supplementation like a little bit of meat or ensure or boost as mentioned earlier (this is the same for Native Earth/Harlan Teklad). If you are unsure which of your rats are males and which are females, please contact an experienced breeder, rescue, or store employee to help you out to avoid ending up with many more litters. There's several online resources at this link.
Time to Rehome
If you've made it to this point, congrats and job well done! Next step is to find homes for all your spoiled babies that you worked so hard with since birth but this can also be the hardest part. Rehoming your baby rats to new homes can be difficult and can take a while, so don't get discouraged! We have found that HOW you post them and WHERE you post them can make all the difference in how quickly they are adopted out and what kind of homes they go to. We recommend the following be put into your postings/advertisements/flyers:
- Good quality CUTE photos - You need at least one really good clear high quality frontal head shot but we've found that additionally photos of them and some sort of human interaction such as you holding them, snuggling on them, shoulder riding, the kids playing with them on their laps etc performs the best. The simple in the cage shots, dark grainy shots or blurry movement shots may potentially deter good adopters right off the bat and/or attract the wrong kind of people to your post and they won't even read further. Video content is huge these days so any short clips of them doing something cute or direct interactions with humans is ideal for some platforms. Include a description of their variety/looks, age/DOB, your location/contact info and most importantly, temperament and personalities.
- Post an Adoption Fee - this doesn't have to be much but needs to be at least the price of what rats are going for in the pet stores or more - generally anything over $15 is good but check our prices in your area. This will help deter feeder inquires.
- When Posting Online - Many platforms, apps and groups do allow the sale of animals, read the rules of the platform first! We recommend to avoid this phrasing anyways as we've seen it far less successful in this process for a variety of reasons. Instead you will want to post cute photos/videos of you 'accidental or oops litter' and talk about how sweet and cute they are, how much you've held them since birth, what kinds of food or treats they particularly like and that they are soon to be weaned etc so when you get interest and comments then you can follow up outside the platform.
- Ask Potential Adopters Questions First - Screen your inquires, ask lots of questions such as: What food will you be feeding them? How often will the rats get out to play? If they get sick, what vet will you go to? What cage will they be staying in? If there are children in the home, will they be monitored while handling the rats? What kind of carrier will you be using to take them home in? You are also welcome to use our Adoption Application questions.