I have 3 rats in this tank (30 L) 2 females and a male.
I think one of my females is pregnant, she's getting huge and her nipples are showing more and more each day....the other female I'm not quite sure yet but seems to be gaining weight.
The problem is with the male. He was hit/scratched in the eye. It was like he was poked in the eye and didn't want to open it very far and it had like tears/watery like....so I wiped it out/off with water three times a day for 2 days and it seems to be ok. It's wide open and bright today with no tears or water by it.
Did one of the females poke him in the eye because she is pregnant? I moved the male to his own tank for now to keep an eye on him...just in case one of the females is being mean to him.
Is this the right thing to do with him?

It was probably an accident but moving him just to be safe seems like the best thing to do.

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WHOOHOOO WE have babies!!
Maybe she DID fight with him a bit huh?
The other Female rat is on the other side of the tank so she won't disturb the mom giving birth. There are 3 little pink babies already and she still looks just as fat as before! lol
I'll leave the male seperate for now.
Any tips I need to know at this time?

I have a rat thats due to give birth Wednesday or there abouts...can I leave the other non pregnant female with her? or should I give them privacy...they seem to tussle at times...Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

I was going to ask that to Lyn (great minds think alike )
The other one of my females seems to be leaving the mom alone, but I don't know if that's because the mom rat ran her off or what...They say to just leave the moms to do their job and not disturb them and try to check on the babies right away...24-48 hrs (I read).

Bitis? Anyone? lol
I was just up in the Rat room to check on mom through the tank and she has the babies tucked right up under her so I can't see the babies. She seems to still be in labor...when do I start to worry about her?
Eeks!! Now what do I do?
A worried Jem here....

Ok, first things first, you must leave the males and females separate - otherwise the male will continuously breed with the female, not giving her time to recover from this birth. Also it is best to separate both the females too, and leave the mother and babies on their own - the females may fight, or stress each other. It is possible to leave the female rats together, as the other may leave the mother rat alone, but there is the possibility that if the other female is pregnant one may steal the other's babies.

You need to separate the babies at 4-5 weeks old,. the females can be left with the mother, but the males are sexually mature by this age and will attempt to breed with the females.. it is easy to tell the difference between the sexes!
If you are wanting to take some of the baby rats to feed now, then only take half of the litter away, otherwise you could cause emotional stress to the mother. Give her a break of a few weeks after this before you breed her again - she can in theory be bred again immediately, but this is very bad for her physically and will dramatically shorten her lifespan.

Don't touch the babies, unless you are intending to take some of them for feeders.. you run the risk of the mother rat rejecting or eating the babies if she smells your scent. If you do need to touch them at all it is best to wear gloves to start with so you don't get your scent on them. When they open their eyes and start moving around (usually by 10-14 days) it should be ok to touch them then. The mother will wean the babies on her own.. provide her with extra food and water - a mixture of good rat food, and human foods - fresh fruit and bread dipped in milk is particularly good for feeding mothers.

I think that's about it.. ask away if I missed anything!

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

So far the other rat isn't bothering the Momma. I think she's pregnant too though. I'll keep a closer eye on them and seperate if needed.
I'll let the moms rest between litters and I'm not planning on taking any babies right away. Thank god I cleaned the tanks yesterday huh? How and when should I clean the tank again? Tomorrow morning? A few days? When it needs it? (usually every 3-4 days I clean them).
Can I leave all the ADULT breeder boy rats in the same tank even tough they will be moving in and out for breeding purposes only? Will they fight if I do that?

The males should be fine together, as long as there is plenty of space for them. Males get much larger than females and will need a big tank, though they do not usually fight.. all rats will have a scuffle at some point, this is normal and develops the relationships. If there is a problem, and some of your rats don't get along, then you will need to house them in a different cage.

Do not clean the mother and babies' cage for at least a week! You shouldn't need to clean it so often anyway. Once a week is perfectly adequate for rats, sometimes longer is fine. It depends on how many rats are kept together, what they are fed.. sometimes our rats need cleaning every week, other times we can leave them a few days longer. However, it depends on what you are keeping them in - there are glass tanks available for keeping rodents in, and these will need cleaning more frequently than cages. When you clean the cage with the babies in I would suggest wearing gloves to transfer mother and baby to another cage while you clean, so as not to "scent" the babies and so as not to disturb them too much. The mother may be a little hostile towards you, and you must clean and transfer as quickly as possible so as not to stress her out. If your other female is pregnant I would suggest separating her.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

All of my rats are in glass tanks. I clean them often because I can't stand the smell IF they get too stinky! lol That's why I don't have mice...I would be cleaning those cages daily! LOL EWWWWWW Mice are just gross!
The males "mark" their territory like a male dog right? That would mean the males tank would need cleaning more often than the females.....
I promise to clean the Mommas cages less often
I was reading about 'litter training' rats...just how easy is that to do? It would be easy to change the litter pan every other day

I don't believe that it is actually possible to litter train rats.. it is obviously increasingly difficult the more rats you have. I have 6 females, and to litter train them would be impossible. Rats produce two types of poo - one that is re-ingested for digestive reasons, and the other that is complete waste product. I have noticed that our rats seem to go to the toilet more in one corner of their cage than in the others, however throughout the week the whole cage quickly becomes a toilet! I believe the females also "mark territory" as well as males. The glass tanks are not as desirable as cages, mainly due to the fact that the amonia builds up very quickly and your rats will need cleaning much more often than rats kept in cages, a) because of the smell and b) because of the risk of respiratory infections. However, as I said, you should leave the mother and babies alone for a week. Only go in to provide food and water, and when you do clean them wear gloves.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004