Rat moms and babies.

Question
My rat had babies and I separated them from their mother at 5 weeks(they're now about 8 weeks)  and the boys and girls are in different cages. I plan on keeping two females, will the mother recognize them as her babies and be fine living with them? Or will I have to slowly introduce them?

Answer
She may not recognize them as her babies [some do, some don't]; however usually they take to having young rats in with them just fine. Go through proper introductions by cleaning and rearranging the social cage and then letting Mom & babies play in a neutral area (free of any rat smells, like a clean bathtub) to be sure everyone is getting along just fine. If there's no sign of scrapping or arguing, put them in the community cage together. Remember that normal dominant behavior sometimes includes some screeching, puffy coats and dancing.. but the rule with rats is No Blood, No Foul. If nobody's bleeding, let them work it out.

Good luck!