Rat female, all by her self...

[reptilesalonica]

I think i have a problem...
I keep 1.4 swiss webster rats.
One month ago the first litter of the colony were born.
Some days later, another female laid her litter.
Since then, 3 of the 4 females laid their litters.
All babies are kept in the same corner and furious fights occuring between the females.
Some of the latter born babies, died (i think because their mothers didn't nurse them).
I believe that the 1st female do not let other females to reach that corner with the babies.
And she tries to do the job all by her own.
Is it possible? Is that ardency from one female, possible?
~Greg~

[BoAddict]

i personally havent experienced this problem ive had 12 female rats with excess of 100 babies in 1 tub
i personally found that the mothers just take turn nursing the babies
they sometimes just split them in 4 groups and do shifts

[Jayson]

I have had females fight over babies before, Also i have had one female try to nurse all babies in the bin.
I just remove some of the babies so that it is possible for one mother to nurse them.

Normally mother rats are very good mothers and will take turns nursing the babies, The problem is that if the babies are not the same age, the larger ones tend to get to feed and the smaller ones will eventually starve and die.

I feed off all bad mothers !!

[mykee]

If I fed off all the mothers that didn't feed their own babies, I would have ZERO mothers. It happens all the time. I have mothers who will try to nurse everyone's babies, some mothers who won't nurse anything, and some good mothers. I do what I can, and am happy with what I get.

[reptilesalonica]

I thought rats were easier to breed than mice do, cause they don't eat the youngs but now i see that they have other problems...
ie: Some mothers nurse all the babies and some don't :(
I should feed of that mother who wants to nurse all the babies and is aggresive towards other females?
~Greg~

[mykee]

Greg, I would think that a mother who feeds 4 babies to weanling-dom is better than a dead mother. I keep them, and allow them to redeem themselves.

[reptilesalonica]

Yes i think that you have right on that dude, but yesterday i saw traces of blood on the neck of another female.
That mother is too bad, dammit!
~Greg~

[C.m.pyrrhus]

When I put females together, I try to introduce them together at the same age and the same time. I find if you put new mothers in with older ones, the elder try to push off the new ones. I assume this is natural territorial behaviour. When they are brought up together, they tend to work as a group far better. Some mothers are just bad period, and if it seems they are that way for good, they get feed off. I also try to keep females from the same litter together with a male that is not closely related. I am not aware of any inbreeding problems, just that overall I see that they work together as a breeding team this way.

[reptilesalonica]

You didn't read me from the start dude.
All the rats that started the colony, were hoppers.
~Greg~

[Neo]

i dunno that much about rats but would odor be the problem? i think rodents and other animals recognize different families by their smell. maybe if you sprayed them all with a perfume or got rid of their scent somehow the mothers will accept each other and the babies... then again i dunno much about rats.. just my guess

[reptilesalonica]

Since they were raised all together from hoppers there shouldn't be a problem. But...there is :(
~Greg~