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There is a problem with my female rat. It gave birth last on 13 June 03. It was left with the male. Now it is definitely pregnant and ready to give birth again. It has been getting very large (larger than last time—when she had 9 in a litter). Yesterday I saw blood on the food bowl, and in the bedding. There is about 2 square inches of blood total (including some dried blood drops on the tail). I thought she would definitely have given birth over night, but she did not.

Today, at lunch time I went home and looked @ her. Her vagina is red with some blood.

Here is my question: How does one know when rat will need C-section? She is a two dollar rat. Therefore, I have a hard time parting with my money going to go to a vet. However, my conscience is gnawing on me.

Here is my question: how long after they break their water (I am assuming that the bloody discharge is broken water sac. If indeed this indicates broken water, then the water has been broken for more than 24 hours now. The uterus might be bone dry now for the fetuses. What should I do? Short of going to a vet and spending lots of money, what can I do? Any home delivery remedies? If the rat dies, what can I do to save the babies? Should I open the uterus and try to save as many babies as I can—(I would only do this if the mother rat passes in labor.) The saved fetuses can be given to another rat to nurse.

Right now, there is no distress in the female mom. She lies down a lot but she does not seem to be overly distressed.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

my feeders.

I just got home and now there is dried blood covering the opening of the birth canal. This condition is getting very grave. The female is lying on her back and not movin much. She is still breathing with a regular respiratory rate.

What should I do? I put on some music to help her relax. Short of that, I don't have anything else I can think of to help her.

here is a photo of her and her babies.
Here is a click to my picture of the rat with her last set of babies. I don't want her to die.

Sorry to here that. Make sure it's not too warm or bright. Then leave her alone. Don't check on her too often. If she is in extreme discomfort, I suggest you put her down.

DeMak

i know that in many animals if labor has set in for to long that the babies have most likely smothered to death and will start to rot... and cause infection .. you might want to get intouch with a vet and ask how long is to long for a rat to be in labor ... they might be able to throw yah a deal you never know

What's the problem ? If it is only a $2.00 rat.. feed it off. It will probaly cost more than that phoning the vet and in gas money taking it there !!!! What was you going to do with it once it reached retirement age, buy a condo for it ? Sounds a bit harsh but you are talking about a $2.00 feeder not a $500.00 stud animal.

It may sound cruel, but if she is a breeder OR feeder, and not your grandfather re-incarnated, put her in a ziploc bag, and whack her. It's not worth the stress you're putting the rat through, or the stress you seem to be under. It's not worth an ulcer. A $2 rat is just that; a $2 rat.

Hi all:

Thx everyone for inputs. You guys are correct. It is only a $2 (was). I say was because I have done a home remedy: After about 48 hours of labor (at least 48h after I saw the bloody discharge), my friends and I decided that it was time to put her down. We knew that she would die either way (ie painful infections if we didn't put her down).

We quickly got set-up for a home C-section. Then I wacked her with a pair of pliers. Then immediately, I opened her up, trying to still save the babies.

To our displeasement, non of the babies were alive. They probably had been dead for >24 hours.

The lesson here is that if you want to do a c-section, do it early rather than late. If you wait too long (in the hopes that some miracle will happen, you are going to be displeased. There is no such thing as miracles. They do not happen on this green earth).

I blame nature. Nature should have evoluted to have better systems where labor does not arrest for no reason.

By the way, with a visaul inspection of the birth canal and the internal organs, I am not able to determine what went wrong (of course, this is partly due to the fact that I was working fast and didn't pay particular attention to the position of the babies before I removed the from the uterus.)

Anyways, mom is now in freezer. 7 pinkies are also in the freezer in a separate bag. Will be using the pinkies for my friends colubrids. So nothing has gone to waste, I suppose.

signed: displeased rat breeder, who lost a female rat to arrest of labor.
click this blue line to see a Memorial Photo of the way she used to be (last litter and her nursing)

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Longtang. I like snakes and rats.

It happens... I've had 2 females give birth now that threw dead pinkies.. both hard labors.. one from an older female and the other from a new mother. You deal with it.. All my pinkies, dead or alive right now, go into the freezer for my Savannah Monitor anyway so it hardly matters. Birth isn't easy.. but then neither is life... if you breed animals, you accept the losses that come with it. And before you judge mother nature.. think about all the complex systems she maintains and then try to come up with a better way. Because I doubt you could.. one that would be practical anyway. Nature isn't a complacent aspect. She's ever changing.. ever evolving...She isn't good, she isn't evil.. she isn't kind and she isn't cruel.. she just is....and all the checks and balances in place are needed to maintain the world we live on. Its only our perception of her processes that make us judge her as kind or cruel in given circumstance though my question is.. what gives us that right? Nothing...we couldn't do any better....

Anyway, sorry for the rant... and sorry you lost your rat... it happens though...

I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I will be wearing black all week for you, and there will be an absentee "Memorial Service" for your dead rat at "St.Bens" on Lakeshore Blvd. and Pine on Sunday, at 4:00 p.m. BTW, if you are this distraught over one rat went wrong, please, for your own good, it would be a good idea for you not to have a pet rat or breeders/feeders because let me tell you, this is not the first time you will see things like this happen, and if you don't develop a thick skin QUICKLY, you'll end up curled up in a fetal position humming Kenny Rogers songs.

>>I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I will be wearing black all week for you, and there will be an absentee "Memorial Service" for your dead rat at "St.Bens" on Lakeshore Blvd. and Pine on Sunday, at 4:00 p.m. BTW, if you are this distraught over one rat went wrong, please, for your own good, it would be a good idea for you not to have a pet rat or breeders/feeders because let me tell you, this is not the first time you will see things like this happen, and if you don't develop a thick skin QUICKLY, you'll end up curled up in a fetal position humming Kenny Rogers songs.

. Your post tickled me. It was a very funny way of telling me that I came across as taking it too seriously.

I like the imagery you used of me curled naked the dark flicking the light switch on and the off.

I see the humor of it. It is good to be able to laugh @ oneself from time to time.

cheers. Happy Rattings. and Happy herpings.
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Longtang. I like snakes and rats.