rat aggression

Question
  Hi there. I have a female rat, I bought her at a pet store. I use yesterdays news bedding and I feed her a mixture of fruits, vegetables, protiens and grains on a daily basis. She just had a litter of babies two days ago, I was unaware she was pregnant when I purchased her. She was fine when I first got her, but within a few days she started showing aggression to her cage mate, another female rat who is her sibling. Shortly after that, she started showing aggression towards me. Biting and scratching at me every time I would go near the cage. I understand her maternal instincts to protect her young, but she is being completely psycho. She will abandon her babies just to chase me around when I walk by the cage, When I offer her food, she will ignore it and go for my hand instead, and just generally "pick fights" and start trouble with anything or anyone she can. I am worried that this aggression is going to continue. I had to seperate the two long before the birth, she was always spilling the other rat's food and bullying her. Do you think this behavior will continue or is it just related to her pregnancy and birth?  

Answer
Hello Melissa,

This is very common in pet shop rats that have babies, as thats why they go to the pet shop as there not suitable for breeding. As you are not happy with her and a boy not owned by you is the dad then it's best she is returned to the pet store, and they should replace her.

If you don't want to do the above, then keep her in a room where she can have peace and quite and only try and go near the cage when it's feeding time. The babies will need handling up to 3 times a day, but I can not help you with this as some mum's are very aggressive but away from the babies is fine and then we are able to handle the babies and when the mum goes back to the babies she is fine with them. But there are some mum's which don't seem aggressive with the babies and when you handle the babies and put the mum back she will no longer look after them. So with out seeing the mum with the babies it hard to know the right thing to do. But if the babies are not handled then they may be come aggressive. As for her behavior it should come back to normal once the kittens are about 4 - 6 weeks old. But it may be when she is no longer around her babies, but then she may be the more dominent rat.

Give her plenty of protien food (as well as her dried rat food), i.e. chicken, cottage cheese, tin fish in oil, yoghurts, cheese and EMP. She will also need soya milk sometimes in her water bottle, to help with the milk flow.

The babies will need a lots of protien until there 10 weeks old. (as well as there dried rat food). They can start to eat from 2 1/2 - 3 weeks old. They will need seprating at 4 1/2 - 5 weeks old, but mum can be left with the girls.

Hope this helps.
Take Care
Jess
Nitros Fancy Rats