handling mother and babies

Question
hi i have had my rat for about two months she lives with another female and she has had babies about 9 days ago could you please tell me when we can start handling mother and babies as she is still protective of the babies when we put our hands in her cage she is also fighting with the other female after she has been held is this normal?. thank you for your time. glenn

Answer
You can handle Mama and Babies as soon as she'll permit you. Sometimes mamas are never OK with it and you have to gently corral her away from her infants to look them over; but there is absolutely no harm to the babies from handling provided you're gentle and your hands are clean. She's probably a little stressed after handling and picking fights because of it. I'd suggest separating her from the other rat. Are you sure the other rat is female? The gestation on rats is 22 days. If you've had her for 2 months that means she got pregnant after you bought her.