How Are Rats Born?

If you have ever wondered how rats give birth, you will be happy to know that it is not as complicated as you might think. Rats usually give birth naturally, with only moderate assistance. The baby usually gets lodged in the birth canal, and the mother pushes them out one by one. The babies can be delivered head or rump first, and then the mother pulls the placenta and birth sac out.

Rats and mice are born at night, with the pups born about 15-30 minutes apart. The animals’ caregiver discovers the newborns during their first check in the morning. Puppies may be born with pelvic organ prolapse or a difficult labor process, known as dystocia. It is very important to check the health of the newborns after birth to make sure there are no complications.

Rats are good mothers, although they are prone to stress. Stress can cause a female to kill her babies, so you should avoid keeping a female rat under stress. A poor diet can cause this stress. Nevertheless, the baby can easily be removed from the stressed female and returned to the mother when she is more relaxed.

The rat model could also be used to study the process of pregnancy in humans. It has been noted that rats with high fat diets and low fat diets do not produce the same offspring.