baby rats and mommy

Question
my only rat had given birth to about at least 8 babies and i was wondering if mom would have difficulties with me playing with the babies or even trying to hold her i'm not sure if she would bite me but should i even be playing with her or does she have to stay with the babies at all times i want to play with her again to make her more social. so should i even remotely try to play with mom or not? if i can can i also play with the babies and put them all in the bathtub and play around?

Answer
 It is very important to handle the babies as soon as you can, from birth if possible, as the more handling they get the better pets they will be when they are older.  However, it sounds like you just got the mother so she probably isn't very trusting of you and may grow stressed if you try to handle the babies.  If this is so, the best way to do it is to wait until she leaves the nest on her own, which she will eventually do to eat, drink, and relieve herself.  When she does, gently take her out of the cage and put her somewhere else while you handle or pick up the babies.  At first you should only handle them for short periods at a time, as they need to feed quite often and the mother will sometimes grow stressed if she can't find them.  I wouldn't suggest handling them for more than 10 minutes at a time for the first few days, though you can take them out several times a day if the mother seems fine with it.  As they get older you can take them out for longer, and once they start running around on their own you can pretty much handle them as much as you want, as long as they get returned to their cage every few hours to nurse and sleep.  With my babies I like to carry the whole litter around in the front pocket of my hoodie, or in a towel on my lap where they can sleep and feel safe but can get used to the feel and smell of a human.  It's also a good idea to let different people handle them, so they get used to all kinds of people and will be very tame when they are older.

 I wouldn't focus too much on handling the mom at this point, though once the babies get a bit older she will be a bit more calm and open to handling.  If she is being gentle and not protective and seems like she won't bite you then feel free to handle her, but for the first week or two she will be pretty busy and it's usually best to leave her alone.  If you do manage to get the babies out in the early stages you can handle her for 5-10 minutes just before you take the babies out.  Oh, I also should mention, try to remember to wash your hands before handling the babies so you won't transfer as much of your scent onto them.

 Putting them in the bathtub can work as a safe place to socialize them, but I would wait until they are at least 4-6 weeks before doing this, as bathtubs can be cold and you don't want them to get a chill.  They're also pretty small and can fit down the drain!  You could even use a cardboard box to allow them to play, they won't be able to jump very high until they are 3-5 weeks, and if you get a tall enough box they shouldn't be able to jump out of it.  Put some toys in the box and maybe even bedding and you've got a makeshift play area =)

 Well I hope that answers your questions!  For more about baby development and socializing rats please visit my website at http://careguide.evergreenrattery.com

 Good luck!