My rat just gave birth!!!

Question
A while back my sister and I went to the pet store and dectied we wanted to get some rats. We recived two of them. I nocited mine was getting very big in the belly area and being mean to the other rat. A cupple hours before she have birth they got into a big fight and hurt mine. That scared me her eye was even black n blue. I put mine into another cage and put a cleanex box with tisse in it and i came home a cupple hours later and she had the little ones. I read some info on the com. but it said mostley to let nature take its course. I feel like i should be doing somthing? Also i have only seen one baby. At first i thought she may be dead (the baby) but then  i seen her move. so my ? is should i be doing anything please help me i need to no what i should be doing. I think my sisters rat is prg. to??? could u give me some pointers on what to do for them before they give birth so she i can be redy this time and she can have a good and healthey birth? and also could u help me so i no what i should be doing right now to make sure the babys live and the momma stays healthey????? thanks

Answer
 The rats will pretty much do what they need to do on their own; they are very good mothers in most cases.  What you do need to do, though, is handle the babies as much as you can.  This will allow you to make sure they are getting enough food (you'll see the white band on their tummy, that's their mother's milk), check for any deformities, tell which ones are male and female, and make them more socialized and tamer pets.  At first restrict handling to just a few minutes at a time, several times per day if the mother allows it, and make sure to wash your hands first.  If the mother is protective you may want to wait a day or two but you'll still need to handle them after that.  Wait until she comes off the nest on her own, then remove her from the cage while you handle the babies so she doesn't get upset.  Likely she won't care too much.  As they get older you can handle them more frequently, and once they start moving around on their own you'll be able to take them out for longer periods of time.  The most crucial time for socialization is between 2 and 6 weeks.  They are weaned by 5 weeks and ready to go between 5 and 6 weeks, and the males should definitely be separated from the females at this time.

 If the other rat is pregnant, there's not a lot you need to do, just make sure she is in a safe cage without a lot of levels, has some nesting material or at least some soft bedding, and has food, water, and a small portion of fresh veggies and fruits daily.  She'll do the rest herself!  For more information on pregnancy, delivery, and baby development please visit the breeding section of my website at http://careguide.evergreenrattery.com

 Good luck!