my hairless rat has just 1 baby and shes real territorial ,,i just need a lil advice?

Professional/experienced breeders will handle their babies from day one. Rats are not like other rodents, like hamsters and mice, that will destroy their young if you disturb them. Out of all of the rodents that we keep as pets, rats make the better parents.

It's maternal hormones that are making her that protective of her single baby. In about 4 to 5 weeks, after the baby has been weaned, she should start to settle down.

Because she doesn't know you yet she considers you a predator and she doesn't want you near her baby right now; because she is a hairless rat, some hairless make terrible moms; because she only had one baby, all the more to protect it; and because you are inexperienced with mother rats; I would suggest that you just leave her alone for a week to accomplish he motherly duties. Unless she abandons the little guy, there is nothing that you need to do to help her with the baby. What you could do is add some tofu and scrambled egg to her diet to up her protein level. She's not going to use up her resources (milk production and body fat) as a mother rat with a litter of 10 or more would do.

After a week you can see if she will let you handle the baby.

Information on Hairless rat mothers:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ast7t...

Taking care of the mother rat and her babies:

http://members.aol.com/RistoRat/nutrition.html

http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/ratbreeding.htm

http://health.ratzrus.co.uk/breeding.htm#Q5

If the baby is a boy he needs to be separated from his mother when he is 5 weeks old. There are some cases where baby boys can get their mother pregnant.

Oh, and it will depend on what male rat she bred with at the store as to whether or not the baby is a hairy or a hairless. You'll find out in 7 days when the hair starts growing in..........or not :)

You are welcome to e-mail me at spazrats@yahoo.ca if you need some advice along the way.

Edit:

Could somebody please tell me, why do people have to come on this rodent forum and insult us for our choice of pet? :(

spazrats

"my life has gone to the Rats"

firstly rats are social pets so should always be housed in a minimum of pairs.

you need to keep an eye on the baby as some lines of hairless rats have lactating issues.

when the rat is 4 weeks old you will need to seperate if it is a buck.

if it is a buck and you want to keep him you will need to get another doe for mum to introduce and another buck. hopefully it will be a doe and they can stay together.

secondly the fact she is biting you is a good sign it means she is protecting her baby and being a good mum.

mum needs some extra nutrients now she is rearing suck as EMP bird food/curly kale, scrambled eggs/ cooked chicken bones etc daily.

ideally you should start weighing and handeling the baby daily if possible when mum goes off to eat to keep an eye. also look out for a huge white 'milkband' across the tummy this is a sign the baby is getting mums milk.

if possible join www.fancy-rats.co.uk and they can help or email me direct kathryngolightly@hotmail.co.uk and i can try and find some local breeders who can help.

fingers crossed and goodluck.

im not an expert on this subject but ive owned pet rats and my boys were fantastic pets, affectionate and just like a dog in a small package.

It amazes me how people can insult people like this for owning them when they know nothing about them.

They are domestic rats which are called the fancy theyre arent sewer rats!! what so they arent as cute as a little hammy!! give me a rat over those little evil creatures any day of the week ! rats in my opinion are cute and they have a tail so what !!!! so do dogs and cats grrrrr right ive had my rant, couldnt help myself!

its natural for a mother to be protective over her son, spazrat said it all :)

There's multiple reasons why rodent mothers eat their young. They may feel they do not have the resources in order to feed their young. Conditions may not be ideal, temperatures or what not. The young may be unhealthy even if they appear healthy, for mothers will eat the young she thinks will not make it. Or she simply may not want them.. Besides all the facts, unless you received your rat pregnant, you should not impregnate your animals. There's really no need for it. It's cruel to the mother because since she has no need to reproduce it feels unnatural for them to be pregnant and that may be a reason why she is eating her young. Also. There are plenty of animals that are homeless so it's unneeded for you to be breeding (again I do not know if you are breeding them). There's my input. Hope I helped.

When the baby is 3 weeks old she will be back to normal; maybe sooner. Some rats are very protective of their babies, but once they are weaned there's no more problem.

You just have to pay attention to how she acts. Leave her alone if she doesn't want you; sometimes rats will even kill their babies if people insist on getting near the babies. Try again when the babies have their eyes open; she may be less protective then.

But don't worry, she'll be your friend again.

Why do people specifically come into the rodent section seek out questions relating to rats and suggest idiotic solutions like traps-

I suggest that those of you who do not fancy PET rats- keep your answers to yourself, it's insulting, and you obviously don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about... Do a little research into owning pet rats, before you come into the rodent section and share your "knowledge".

Sorry for ranting- but it really cheezes me off- as EVERY-TIME someone asks a rat related question there has to be some bozo suggest poison or traps..

Oh and great advice Spaz-nothing to add to it here.

My experience is that you should leave them alone until the baby is big enough to feed on it's own. Then your mother rat should go back to her old normal self. And yes, if the baby is a male, the son and mother will mate among themselves.

im guessing you bought your hairless rat. call the store you got the pet from. if it is a reputable store they can tell you.

Try a rat trap or rat poison... That should fix your problem.

ewwwww!