Blood with newborn rats

Question
QUESTION: Hi, Sandra -

We are very new to rat ownership. One of our two rats gave birth today, and there is blood at the bottom of the nesting area. Although it occurred to us that this could be a normal amount of blood from giving birth, we are also concerned that mother may have harmed one of the babies. At this point we can't get close enough to them to tell. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

ANSWER: Hi Jaquie

Wont mom let you near her? Is she biting you?  SHe will NOT hurt the babies if you touch them so you can sift through the babies and make sure they are all ok.  Sometimes, though, if a pup dies, the mother will often consume their body. Its normal for them to do this, often done out of respect for the deceased rat as not to leave their corpse for predators. If the pup is sick the mother will kill it to keep it from suffering.
You do need to be sure all is well and be sure she is nursing all of the pups.  You need to check each baby for what is called "milk band" which is when you can see through their transparent skin and see the actual milk in their tummies.  It looks like a band of white across their belly. Check each pup for signs of milk band and to be sure all is well with mom, you need to be sure she isnt still bleeding.
Some blood is normal with birth, however, but she should not be bleeding if it has been a long time since she  gave birth.

Please let me know how it goes and remember, mom rat will NOT hurt the pups if you handle them.  She may be a bit aggressive with you so err on the side of caution.  You must do this to be sure everything is as it should be in case you need to intervene and if mom is having post partum complications she may need a Vets intervention.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your quick reply!  

We do think she will bite, because this morning she bit my husband very hard, and he bled everywhere (we did not know she was preggers, as both our rats are female!). So, we really don't want to approach her too soon. Also, the nest is underneath a ramp landing in a corner of the cage, so it is very difficult to reach. We'll definitely make it a point to examine the pups ASAP.

Any tips on not getting bitten? Thanks again :)

ANSWER: YOU ASKED:
Any tips on not getting bitten? Thanks again :)


Yes,gloves! ;)


She probably got pregnant at the pet store. Lets hope her cage mate isnt pregnant. This upsets me so much that they put opposite sex together.
Rats get pregnant as young as 5 weeks old so prepare to buy another cage for the boys to avoid pregnancy. You have about 4 and a half weeks left before it is risky to have them with the females including mother, who can also get pregnant right away.

Seems your new rat has not had time to get used to you with her biting hubby and all....but aggression in new rat moms is not unusual even with the most docile females.

Since your new to the rat world, please check over my site about rat care and how to bond with rats that are shy etc....plus proper diet, litter etc.. cedar and pine and corn cob are NO NOs as is the lousy, no good seed mixes they push to feed rats. Check out the diet section on my site as well.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/index.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/gettingstarted.htm

For mom, she needs increased protein although normally rats need a lower protein diet.  Scramble her an egg, give her some soy milk, even some nice white chicken breast in tiny pieces to prevent choking (rats cannot vomit) Avoid milk as so many people feel its helpful to give new mom rats cows milk.  Soy is best as rats tend to be lactose intolerant.

Hope this helps. Let me know about the pups milk band.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay, mom finally stepped away for a snack long enough for us to check out the pups. None of them looks injured, and it seems that mom is no longer bleeding. We have seen them nursing, and they are all squealing and moving about (all TWELVE of them, god help us). As for the milk bands, we're not so sure. Maybe it's our untrained eyes, or insufficient light, but we couldn't see any. Still, they look healthy enough.

Actually, these aren't pet store rats. The new mom is a rescued feeder, but is surprisingly sweet and has had no trouble getting acclimated to us. This one bite wouldn't have happened if we had only known she was about to give birth! Our other girl is from a very loving private breeder who socializes her rats from birth, so thank goodness for that :)

We'll be sure to give mom extra protein and to continue reading your links. I think we've learned more about rats in three weeks than we have about anything else in a year!

Thanks again, you're an angel!

Answer
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/EmmetKelly/100_1581.jpg


Check out the url above. The pups on the left, at least two of them, show a great milk belly. See if you notice it in the photos so you know what to look for with your kiddos.

I am glad your girl is a feeder rescue. I had two girls that I  rescued that were in the snake tank and the snake did not want them. I am not an advocate for live feeding, not only because I am a rat care specialist, but because I am an animal lover and know what can happen to a snake if the rat is not eaten and instead it turns on the snake and can cause serious injury to the snake too. Its all bad. Anyhow, I brought in Charlotte and Oreo.  A week later, young Oreo had 7 pups. About a weeek after that, Charlotte, who was Oreos mother, popped out 15 rat pups *yes 15*  
I need to get to sleep. OUCH!  Let me know about the photo above......