How We Care For Our Rats
Wondering how we care for our rats? At NL Rattery, all of our rats are loved and treated like pets. Our breeding rats live in colonies and are given lots of enrichment and time to recover between births. This is good for the parents and also good for the babies. Having a healthy attentive mother has a big impact on their babies’ well-being and adult temperaments. We want to set every rat up for success!
Pregnancy – Birth
When our mama rats are nearing the end of their pregnancy, we place them in their own individual enclosures to create a low-stress environment for giving birth and caring for their newborns. This limits stress on the mothers and allows them to give their babies the loving care they deserve.
When we move them to this enclosure, we provide them with extra nesting materials to help them prepare for their incoming litter. We are careful not to disturb the nests they build for their babies as this can cause them a lot of stress. The goal is to create a calm space for them to feel safe.
Week 1: Bonding With Mom
During the babies’ first week of life, we will do quick counts and health checks, but we like to give the mom and babies space to bond. We try to observe how the mother is caring for her babies with minimal disturbance. We love to see the mother spending lots of time nursing, grooming, and licking her babies.
Studies show baby rats that are licked more by their mothers tend to grow up to be calm adults. We also use this information to help us select holdback females that will become good, nurturing mothers themselves.
Read the article: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/rats
Week 2: Growing Quickly
During the babies’ second week, we carefully begin to handle them. They will be putting on some adorable fuzz and their coats and colors will begin to show. This is always exciting!
We will begin to record genders, find distinguishing markings, and name all the babies. We begin recording their weights twice a week to check for appropriate growth and development. It’s amazing how quickly they grow!
Week 3: Discovering The World
At the start of this third week, the babies open their eyes and begin to eat bits of food. It’s so much fun to watch them discover the world around them. Everything is new and exciting!
We give them time in a play area we created just for this age. It has small boxes, toy houses, and a variety of textures to explore. They get food enrichment, though they are still nursing from their mom.
We handle the babies daily during this age to help them become comfortable with people and set them up to be wonderful, friendly pets.
For a list of safe foods to feed your rat see: Safe Foods For Rats: The Ultimate List
Week 4: Gaining Independence
At this age, the babies are becoming increasingly independent and will naturally wean from their mothers. They love to pounce and play with their littermates and mom usually appreciates being given some time away from the rambunctious litter. We give them time in a larger play space with additional enrichment items to play with, items to climb on, and varying textures to explore. We continue to offer food enrichment to expand their tastes and earn their trust. They are handled daily and given lots of love and attention.
Week 5: Socialization and Play
At 5 weeks, we separate the males from the females to prevent any accidental litters. If introductions will be made between litters, we use a neutral space to let the rats get to know one another in gradually increasing time increments. Introductions usually go well at this age and before long we have one giant snuggle pile.
Even though the rats are weaned at this age, it is important to give them this extra time with their littermates to play and socialize and learn how to be rats. It’s so much fun to watch them jump and pounce on one another!
Week 6: Preparing To Go Home
At 6 weeks our rats are ready to go to their new homes. It can be sad to see them go as we can’t help but fall in love with all our babies, but we also love to see the joy on our customer’s faces when they meet their new pets! We adore receiving updates on our babies as they grow and encourage our customers to keep in touch.
Looking for more info on how to care for your new pet? Check out our Rat Care page for helpful tips!
Thank you for reading about how we care for our rats! If you have any further questions about our practices, please reach out via email.
Don’t forget to check out our latest litters!
- Our Childhood Pastimes Litter: DWARF
Our Childhood Pastimes litter is full of itty bitty sweet babies. Yes, they are dwarf! Please note dwarf is a genetic trait. They are not simply selected to be smaller. Dwarfs are about 1/3 the size of standard rats - Stranger Things Litter
Meet our Stranger Things Litters! These babies will all be ready to go home on November 17th, 2024. They are doing great with their daily handling and are growing quickly. Prices are listed individually. For more information on our - Meet Our Food Chain Litter!
Meet our Food Chain Litter! These guys are growing quickly and doing great with handling. They will be ready to go home starting between November 4th and November 9th, 2024. Prices are listed individually. For more information on our
