we have babies!!!

[TeaNinja]

wow!! my girl had 12 babies for her first litter!

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats004.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats007.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats008.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats009.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats012.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats013.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats015.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats016.jpg

[TeaNinja]

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats017.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/babyrats018.jpg

she's on top of them now, nursing i assume. i hope they all live :)

[Damion930]

That's awesome man

[Boafan9876]

Congratulations

[percey39]

Nice work! I have had a litter of 17 once, poor girl would of been stuffed after all that work.

[candyraver69]

Congrats! I wish her luck having 12 healthy babies that all make it :)

[TeaNinja]

well i was at my friends all night and i just got home. it's around 5:30 am and the babies are all alive and moving and squeaking and being fed by mom.

[Jenn_06]

12 babies she is a keeper, you know you can see the milk in there tummies its kind of cool. in about 3 or 4 days there skin will turn colors too and you can see where the black fur will be.

[TeaNinja]

yea :) i was like, WOW 12!! lol
i can see their little white bellies already ;)

[marvelfreak]

Congrats on you first dozen.

[mykee]

CongraTulations.
I'll recommend an aspen or a beta chip so that the babies (and mom) are warmer, and feel more secure.
Paper towel (from experience) is a crappy substrate.

[TeaNinja]

im just using paper towel for the first week instead of my "paper" shred type bedding because i've heard that they can be too dusty or stick to the babies.

after that i'm going to put the regular bedding back in.

[TeaNinja]

well they all survived and are fed and fine. i'm gonna take pictures of them every day so i can have a slideshow of growth at the end lol.

[TeaNinja]

day 3 and they're all alive and well. i'm starting to be able to see some of their markings. there are some black one's like dad and some hooded like mom. there's one that looks like it's going to be all white and it's eyes are MUCH lighter color then the rest of the babies which have a black tint, is that going to be an albino?

here's a video of day 3 nursing ^^
crappy quality cuz it's with my digital camera
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/th_day3nursing.jpg (http://s1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/?action=view&current=day3nursing.mp4)
moms super sweet, i can reach in with her and mess with the babies and she's totally relaxed.

[Damion930]

That's realy kewl it must be an amazing feeling haven lil babys in your care.

[candyraver69]

I cant see the pic well :( light eyes could mean a number of things, beige, siamese, albino, or a combination of some things. you should be able to tell better in a couple more days. Are the eyes sort of dark red vs pink? If they are sort of dark red its most likely a beige.

I am busy preparing for a busy baby ratty weekend next weekend. I've got 7-8 females popping in about 7 days. So little time, so much to do! At least my snakes will have a nice stock of food for a while.

[TeaNinja]

its almost 5am on day 4-5. you can see the totally pink one in the middle that i think is an albino. the rest have blackish eyes and that one's are just pink (best pic is 3rd from last), opinions?
its a nice mix of mom and dad. some hooded, some totally black. and the one random albino one
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5005.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5011.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5014.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5015.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5016.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day4-5017.jpg

[candyraver69]

Well from the looks of it, it has pink eyes. Very likely albino. Small chance it's a champagne, though I almost never see those. Hawthorn Rat Varieties (http://www.hawthorn.org.uk/colour.asp?id=20)

[TeaNinja]

woah it's eyes are GLOWING pink lol. i wonder if the flash from the camera made it light up like that.

[Jenn_06]

that all pink one is going to be all white or it might have alittle light brown on it and you just cant see the markings yet.

and you might want to think of a tub or something for the rats soon, if they can get there head in those bars they will get out.

[Bree]

Gratz on the wee ones!! Rat babies are adorable, just wait til they are running around....they turn into little mischief makers too!

[TeaNinja]

day 7-8. they're just getting wiskers and fur.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8003.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8004.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8005.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8006.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratpupsday7-8007.jpg

[TeaNinja]

the fuzzy stuff on them is bedding fuzz.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day7-8001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day7-8002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day7-8003.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day7-8004.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day7-8005.jpg

[mld]

Very nice, they are just so cute! Like the one with the stripe down the back!

[TeaNinja]

there are 4 hooded like the mom with the stripes. 7 black one's like the dad, and the 1white/possibly albino.

[CanadianEryx]

They are absolutely adorable...too bad they are food items!!

[TeaNinja]

some of them. a few of them have been wanted by others as pets even before birth lol. and some go to the pet store. (but i'm sure 99% of the petstores rodents go to people wanting feeders)

[infernalis]

some of them. a few of them have been wanted by others as pets even before birth lol. and some go to the pet store. (but I'm sure 99% of the petstores rodents go to people wanting feeders)

Not true, I sell a ton of rats locally, and only half or so wind up as feeders, the other half as pets.

One thing commonly overlooked though, rats and mice are very social animals, a solitary "pet" rat/mouse will be miserable lonely, I always recommend that people buy either two males from the same litter or two females.

choosing siblings prevents 99% of the fighting that would occur if introducing two same sex rodents for the first time.

[TeaNinja]

yea, my friends girlfriend wanted 1 but i'll probably convince her to take a pair if anything. and the other friend who wanted one already has a male and was thinking about either getting another male for a housemate or a female to breed. so whatever he feels like i guess.

[TeaNinja]

i got sick of the cage bars. day 8, they are just starting to grow their hair.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day8001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day8002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day8003.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day8004.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day8005.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/day8007.jpg
moms super nice and lets me mess with the babies but EVERY time i open the cage the hes wants to come out and run everywhere.

[Damion930]

Lol moms need a break somtimes lol lookin good

[candyraver69]

Some moms LOVE to get out when given the chance, especially once the babies are crawling around. I could see why. If I had 15-20 little babies trying to nurse on me and climb on me non stop I would probably want out too! LOL

[infernalis]

I try and get as many to the pet stores as I can right after weaning if possible. Let them pay for feeding them and reduces frequency of bedding changeovers.

week old rat pups are a delicacy to milk snakes and corn snakes. So to keep numbers under control, if breeding gets out of hand, I "cull" litters off and just distribute them to the snakes.

The idea is financially to provide proper care and feed to the breeding adults without the financial burden of caring for 100 extra rats.

100 rats suck down a lot of food & generate a lot of poop.

My natural compost pile is growing, it gets quite ripe in the summer, that's why its by my neighbors house instead of mine. A few years worth of dumping out cages piles up.

[nikkik85]

Awwwww congrats. My pet mouse had babies years ago, she had 13 and one died... I hope they all live. I think they look like mini puppies when they are first born :) I love them <3

[TeaNinja]

all 12 lived and it's already day 8-9, so i think they all are survivors :)
i mean....i kind of feel bad saying that considering some of them will be snake food.....
:O

[nikkik85]

Ha, I know. But snakes got to eat too. This is how I make myself feel better. I love animals sooooo much lol

Yay, that they are all survivors.

[TeaNinja]

i have a question. if my rats were born at midday on the 22nd, is the 22nd the 1st day, or is the 23rd the 1st day.... lol
either way, this is day 9-10.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10004.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10005.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10007.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10009.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10012.jpg

[TeaNinja]

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10013.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10014.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10016.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10018.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10019.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday9-10020.jpg

[infernalis]

I wonder who is more proud here, the parents or Zak?

Think you got baby fever.

http://www.thamnophis.us/random/rat.gif

[TeaNinja]

haha :)
i've just been trying to keep up with their growth with photos cuz im bored :D
it's day 12, should be openeing their eyes any day now.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday12001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday12002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday12003.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday12005.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday12006.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday12007.jpg

[blindfireak40]

Yum yum!! Lol Just be careful, you're not gonna want to feed 'em to Nigma at this rate...

[TeaNinja]

cuteness does not outweigh practicality lol. i'm breeding them to be food and it will be so.
which brings me to another point....i have yet to name my BP that i've had for months lol.

[candyraver69]

cuteness does not outweigh practicality lol. i'm breeding them to be food and it will be so.
which brings me to another point....i have yet to name my BP that i've had for months lol.

They are growing up fast. Time flies in the rattie world.

I also have some new pets to name too. I am in one of those ruts with thinking of names. lol

[Jenn_06]

they are all looking good,

today is rat cleaning day i might see if i can get more pics, i just got another litter of 12 or 13 2 days ago...wish i had another rat rack its time to move some weaned to there own tub and im out of room 0-0

[TeaNinja]

they are all looking good,

today is rat cleaning day i might see if i can get more pics, i just got another litter of 12 or 13 2 days ago...wish i had another rat rack its time to move some weaned to there own tub and im out of room 0-0

that's nice :)
i wish i had 1 rat rack :p

[stephanbakir]

Good luck finding a name to that BP of yours, also lol, how was that grilled cheese with double cheese:P hashbrown with double cheese turned out great.

[TeaNinja]

the grilled cheese is always delicious, i posted a picture of it in the food thread xD

anywho, here's the pups on day 16. down to 11 pups.
they are all still sleeping but i'll try to get pictures of them with their eyes open later.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday16001.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday16002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday16003.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday16004.jpg
i like how you can see my dogs nose on the bottom right lol.
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday16007.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/pupsday16010.jpg

[Nektu]

lol, nice. I tried convincing my wife into letting me breed my own feeders. But since she is deathly allergic to rats it was a major no go. Besides, the cat already gives the chucker looks until I take her out and they are face to face. Chucker has already gotten the cat on the nose. Cat still hasn't forgotten.

[TeaNinja]

day 20. they are all insane little pinballs. they are starting to drink water from the bottle and eat solid food too. i think it's funny that the little one's climb inside the food dish to eat most of the time lol.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21002.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21006.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21007.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21012.jpg

[TeaNinja]

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21013.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21015.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21018.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21019.jpg
http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af184/teaninja/ratsday21021.jpg