Rat Development 0 - 6 Weeks

SARBU Does are bred at 6 - 8 months / 300g.
They are only bred 1-2 times before retiring and living out their full lives in the rattery.
Mary is a six month old Agouti Roan Standard ear doe from Pretoria Rattery.
She was paired with Berlioz, a 7 month old Unmarked Agouti Standard ear buck of Littlefoot Rattery.

Gestation is 21 to 24 days, with a doe gaining approximately 100g during her pregnancy.
Just before Mary was due to give birth, she was transferred to a maternity cage with only a nesting box and shredded newspaper for nesting, a litter box, food and water.
Unless the doe is in distress, she should be left alone during labour and delivery.
Allow 5-6- hours for mom to feed and clean her pups.
When the nest is opened, the pups should be clean and the nest shouldn't have too much blood. The doe should be alert and tending to her pups.

Day 1:
Newborns are bright pink and only weigh 6 - 8 grams.
Their eyes and ears are sealed. They are completely dependent on their mother.
A milk band on their left side indicates a tummy full of milk.
Sexing directly after birth is possible with a trained eye.
The urethra and anus are directly next to each other in a doe. The urethra does not extrude. Vaginal opening not yet visible.
There is a bigger space between urethra and anus in bucks. The urethra extrudes.
Differentiating between standard coat and hairless/harley is easy.
Standard coat pups have straight whiskers at birth.
Hairless and harley pups are born with curly whiskers.

Day 2:
The pups are showing pigment and have clearly grown in size.
Their limbs are not yet fully developed so they wiggle around as opposed to crawling.

During the first couple of weeks, pups are handled to assess health, determine sex, weigh and photograph.

1 Week:
They weigh approximately 13.5g each and have more than doubled in size!
They have a velvet peach fuzz now.

Day 9 to 14 is the easiest stage to sex pups.
Does have nipples resembling dimples lined up in two rows. There is only a short distance between the urethra and anus.
Bucks have no nipples, but their naval is still visible. Distance between urethra and anus is longer.

Day 12:
Pups' ear canals are completely open and they can now hear for the first time. Once ears are open it is easy to see standard vs dumbo ears.

2 Weeks:
Eyes are open and exploring begins.
They are also now learning to groom themselves.
Pups weigh 25g!
At two weeks, a standard coat is fluffy and full, while a hairless coat is short and wavy.

Day 18:
Pups are still nursing, but have started tasting other foods.
Handling and socialization is well underway.

3 Weeks:
Pups weigh 40g!
By the beginning of week 3, awkward baby steps have become more confident and coordinated. Toys are added one by one until the cage is full.
Playing and wrestling are now the most exciting activities.
Sexing is now easy.
The distance between urethra and anus in does are short. They have a vaginal opening just below the urethra.
Look for testicles and a larger gap between urethra and anus in bucks.

4 Weeks:
Pups have been moved into a bigger cage with lots of toys.
Mother is now in the process if weaning the pups, they weight 75 grams now.
A play area is set up on the floor for the pups to explore. They can practice adult behaviours such as: climbing, balancing, burrowing and foraging.

5 Weeks:
Pups weigh 100 to 120g!
They are weaned and have become sexually mature enough to reproduce.
Males and females are split and introduced to adults of the same sex.
The first introduction is in neutral territory such as a small spare cage. Once everyone is happy, they join the older mischiefs in their respective cages.
For the next few weeks they will learn behaviours and hierarchy from the older rats.

6 Weeks:
Pups are developed and weaned.
They weigh 130 - 140g!
In standard coats, fluffy baby hair has been replaced with guard hairs and an undercoat. Hairless pups begin to lose their fur.

Once babies are mature and big enough, they go to their eagerly awaiting new families.

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