Raising a Litter
Oops litters can and do happen, and are more likely to happen in rats obtained from more dubious sources. These oops litters usually occur due to missexing (of both kittens and adults) or delayed splitting of sexes. Pet shops are responsible for providing everything that you need for the litter free of charge, however, it's worth noting that they frequently provide unsuitable items. Oops litters can also occur when people keep both sexes and a rat is placed in the wrong enclosure. You should never purposely breed your rats without prior permission from the rats' breeder, or without knowing what to expect or having a plan or purpose for the kittens.
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Prevention and Termination
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Prevention and termination are always preferable to a doe having an accidental or one-off litter. Litters pose a risk to the doe's life as complications can occur, and having and raising kittens is taxing on her body. Raising a litter is also very costly and takes up a good amount of time. Finding, vetting and keeping in touch with homes also takes time and emotional energy. Keeping a whole litter is often impractical, especially if the litter is large. If the rats are from pet shops, rescues and or backyard breeders, then the kittens' genetics won't be great either, which can lead to health issues and short lifespans.
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If you keep both sexes, you have to be responsible. Keeping each group in a different room, avoiding back-to-back free-roam or free-roaming in different areas, and preventing children from making mix-ups can all help prevent matings.
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If you are obtaining or have obtained rats from someone other than a reputable breeder or rescue, check the sexes of your rats and any rats that you are bringing home. Does have 3 holes - their urethra, their vulva just underneath, and their anus - and these 3 holes are quite close together. Bucks have 2 holes - their urethra and their anus - and these are further apart and testes are present in unneutered bucks.
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Rats can mate within seconds, so if you suspect/know that the doe may have come into contact with a buck for any length of time, you should take the doe to the vet for alizin. Alizin (aglepristone) is a safe drug used to block the hormone needed for implantation and placental development and is given in the form of 2 injections 24 hours apart. Galastop has previously been recommended, however its effectiveness is debated and heavily doubted. Monitor the doe for the next 3-4 weeks. If you know her would be due date (usually ~23 days post-mating) and want to be on the safe side, pop her in a hospital/maternity-type cage just in case she does birth.
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Before the Litter is Born
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The size of a doe before having a litter can vary, but in general, she will start to look larger from around day 19. When she is close to birthing, her belly will 'drop'. The doe will look rounder and her bump will move further down towards her pelvis. Move the doe to her maternity set up when she starts to show with a calm friend, and remove the friend by the time her belly drops. If your doe has birthed in her main cage, move her, her nest (or as much of it as possible) and her babies into a maternity set-up.
Your maternity set-up should have less horizontal and vertical space than standard cages. "Hamster" cages work well, and Pets at Home XLs and Alaskas tend to be available secondhand. The smaller space means that if young kittens are outside of the nest they are more likely to make it back, and they are less likely to fall from a greater height.
Fill the cage with a good depth of suitable substrate and litter (see my article on cage set ups for a list of options). I tend to place a section of litter at one end, then a couple of handfuls of litter in the corners. I then use a mix of aubiose and ecobale. Provide a good amount of bedding, ideally more than one option so mum can choose what to use. I usually give dust-extracted hay and a little bit of thinly cut kitchen roll. I provide more of the kitchen roll after birthing as if the doe has a heavier birth, the kitchen roll can become wet then stick to the kittens.
You can place a toy and narrow perch in the cage for mum for some basic enrichment - wide perches risk babies being left on the perch and getting cold without being able to get back to the nest. Some people provide a rope, but mum is often too busy for more enrichment and some does may shred the rope to add to the nest. You can provide a hide, but I prefer to just provide ample nesting material so that mum can express natural nesting behaviours, and can make her nest as big/small and open/closed as she'd like.
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Birthing
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When your doe is due, avoid bothering her repeatedly. Once she goes into active labour, the kittens should all be born in about an hour. If she is in labour and you can see her having contractions, leave her alone as distracting her risks issues such as uterine inertia, which can stop her from birthing the kittens and cause complications. If she is not in active labour, or has been in labour for multiple hours and appears very under the weather, fluffed up and refuses to take her favourite treats, this can be cause for concern. Emergency spays are an option, but it is worth bearing in mind that the prognosis is often poor for mum and practically non-existent for the kittens.
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Once the kittens are born, leave mum to clean them and feed them for about 2-3 hours. After this, bring mum something calorie-rich, easy to digest and tasty such as Weight Up Baby or oatmeal. If she doesn't want to come out of her nest, listen to hear for her moving around as a sign that she's okay. Her babies are her priority, so she should be allowed to tend to them with minimal fuss. Once she does come out, use this opportunity to check that she is bright and alert. Try to tempt her out after about 5-6 hours after birthing if you haven't seen her, though.
Checking the Kittens
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Once mum has had time to adjust, clean and feed the kittens (5+ hours is a sensible timeframe), you can check on the babies. This isn't necessary, but it's sometimes nice to check so that you know how much to feed mum, can remove stillborns, and track whether mum needs any help (ie. no milk bands, cold babies). If mum is willing, lure her into a carrier and have something tasty in there to eat. Pop her out of the room or a fair distance away so she can focus on her food. This is an easy routine to create; does tend to cotton on after a couple of days and go straight into the carrier if they see it! Be very brief - count the babies and quickly check them for milk bands, which are pale bands on the belly (pictured below). If you don't see milk bands or only some of the kittens have them, don't worry just yet as it can take time for mum's milk to come in fully. Remove and dispose of any stillborns/dead kittens. Mum will often eat stillborns and dead kittens to clean them up, but it's a good idea to remove any that are found as they'll make the other kittens in the nest cold.
Week 1
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Week 1 is quite hands-off. It's a good idea to check the kittens briefly at least every other day to make sure that they're developing normally. They should increase in size daily, gain pigment (the amount depends on their variety and markings, if any), and have milk bands. Sometimes it can take a bit of time for their milk to come in fully or they may be due a feed, so don't be too concerned if there is an occasion where the kittens don't have milk bands. There may be some slight size variation in very large litters. The first week is a more "high risk" period for kitten loss, so do not be surprised/disappointed if any pass away. It is better for them to pass now rather than later if something is wrong.
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If mum has a small litter, then feed her her normal mix portion for the first week as the litter won't be very demanding physically at this point. If mum has a large litter (8 or more kittens), then feed her double rations and start to give her some extra protein (scrambled egg, sardines, chicken, extra dog food) every other day so that she's ready for the more demanding week 2. I like to soak my does' food for the first week as it ensures that they get enough liquid and they have more time to spend on their nest. Give mum a supplement such as CaCuD3 every other day, and you can also add yeast flakes as a source of folic acid (helps healthy development of kittens), seaweed powder for extra vitamins, and something like salmon oil for healthy fats. Fresh food such as kale (source of iron, especially good for does who have had a heavy birth) also often goes down well.
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If mum is not being very attentive and the kittens are often cold and unfed, you can pop them in a smaller cage/carrier that allows for a water bottle on top of a gentle heat source to warm the kittens. A foster mum could be needed if your doe is not/stops producing milk, it is a large litter and kittens are falling behind, or similar. Rescues are your best bet in this case, as many breeders will not take on foster kittens from unknown sources to protect the health and safety of their kittens.
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You can spot clean the maternity cage, but do not do a full clean out.
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You can sex the kittens quite easily at a few days old. Does have a very small urethra (the little nub) and the gap between their urethra and anus is very small. Bucks have larger urethras and have a bigger gap between their urethra and anus. In darker varieties, ball spots may be present. Pictured below is a doe on the left and a buck on the right with faint ball spots. It is a good idea to sex them early on as if you have one of a single sex you then have time to source same-age company ready for when they're ~4.5 weeks old and are weaned. If you're struggling, don't worry too much as it becomes more obvious later on.
Week 2
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Week 2 is when the kittens start to draw more on mum's resources. Start to feed her double, and adjust based on her body condition. Keep going with her supplements and, if you haven't already, start giving her extra protein and carb wet meals every other day. Eggy rice, boiled chicken and a cooked grain, tinned sardines with oats, and good quality wet dog food are all good options.
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You can do a full cleanout from day 10. Keep back some of the nest and put the babies in there. Once this has been done, put mum back and leave her alone. She may become quite stressed and scatter/carry around the kittens, but just give her time and she should soon settle. From now on, clean them out as needed (usually once a week, but it depends on the size of the litter and therefore waste produced).
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The kittens will start to have their fur come in, and will look flakey beforehand.
Week 3
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As the kittens go into week 3, their eyes and ears will open. You may find that the kittens are a little jumpy as they start to respond to noises. At about 2.5 weeks old, they will start to "nest break" and may start to taste test new foods. Now is the time to start their socialisation - exposing them to different textures, sounds, tastes, handling etc - which will help them to respond to new things better as adults. Keep sessions short and physical activity low as they tire quickly at this age. I like to give them a toy that they can climb onto close to the ground that swings so they get used to using their balance. Once they've shown an interest in climbing, fill their set up with different items, such as tie holders, ropes, hanging toys, hammock, etc. If they were in a small cage to start with, upgrade them to something a bit bigger. You can also have the kittens out for longer at this point. Mums often enjoy the break, and spending time with a friend in a carrier or free roaming/in a playpen is a great way for them to decompress.
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Keep increasing mum's food as needed and add in a handful of good quality dog food if mum's condition is looking sub-optimal, and consider scattering some pieces of food and pieces of wet meals and new fruits and veg into the nest to encourage the kittens to try them. Start adding in fat sources twice a week (walnuts, salmon oil, fish skins, millet sprays, suet pellets in moderation). The kittens will start to try new foods in small portions, and will quickly become ravenous locusts!
Week 4
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Once the kittens are able to navigate their set-up, it's time for another upgrade! A Coco Large or half Little Zoo Venturer is perfect. If you are using something similar to an Alaska, have a small litter, and are struggling to source cages, keeping them in the Alaska is okay.
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The kittens will be eating more and more as time goes on, so start factoring this into their feed. I start feeding them as if all of the kittens are adult does, and increase their feed further if it's all being eaten. I also add a handful or two of dog food depending on how many kittens there are. Keep going with your wet meals as well. It is not unheard of to lose kittens at this age as their gut and immune system starts to work for itself. Again, this will occur where there is something very wrong in the kitten and would be a case of bad luck.
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Socialisation is most influential around this age, so try to do something different with the kittens at least every other day and get them used to handling. This will help with homing them. I like to play video compilations of household sounds, introduce playpen time (including and not including mum), and have sofa cuddles with each kitten while binge watching TV.
Week 5
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Again, keep revising and upping how much you're feeding, keep supplementing, keep giving wet meals and new fresh items for them to try.
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From when they turn 4 weeks old, you will need to check to see when any of the does become perforate. This is when their vulva opens (it is sealed over beforehand) and they start being able to become pregnant. As soon as you notice a doe become perforate, you will need to separate the sexes. Mum can stay with the does, and she will likely continue to nurse for a while longer. Alternatively, you may decide to reintroduce her to her cage mates after the kittens are 5 weeks old. If you have a lone kitten of one sex, this is the point where you would send them off for foster (the other kittens should be within 2 weeks of age of your kitten) so that they have same-age company and develop properly socially.
Week 6
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Keep revising and upping how much you're feeding, keep supplementing, keep giving wet meals and new fresh items for them to try! Keep spending time with them, handling them and exposing them to new things.
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By 5 weeks old, the kittens are robust enough that you can start thinking about homing without worrying about losing any. Your best bet is to contact rescues for advice. Ask prospective homes questions about their care - what cage they have, what substrate, bedding and litter they use, what they intend on feeding them, their experience with small animals, and anything else you would like to know. Set-up photos are valuable.
Week 7
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The kittens will be growing much more quickly now, and the difference between the bucks and does size-wise should be very clear. They should be proper little rats by now!
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While 6 weeks is the recommended minimum homing age, it is strongly suggested to keep them until 8 weeks old so that their immune system has time to develop and fully function independently.
