To give your doe the most stress-free delivery possible, make sure she is in her birthing cage as soon as possible to give her time to scent-mark and get used to the cage, and re-arrange the bedding to her liking. It should be a fairly small cage, with no hammocks, ladders, levels, or tubes that she might accidentally or purposefully give birth on, injuring the baby in the process. Make sure the cage is in a quiet place where she will not be disturbed while she is giving birth.
Labor Begins
The first sign you will most likely notice is a small amount of bloody discharge around her hind end or on the bedding of the cage, and she will appear to be uncomfortable, perhaps moving around the cage and changing position, or re-arranging her nesting material. At this point her body is preparing to give birth. When she is ready to start pushing, she will lie down on her stomach and suck in her sides, then stretch out as her contractions come. She will repeat this action until the baby begins to come out. Usually at this point she will sit up and lean over and attempt to pull the baby out with her hands or mouth. When the baby is born, the mother will lick it, which will trigger it to squeak and squirm, taking its first breaths. She will then eat the umbilical cord and the placenta. This process repeats with each additional baby until the whole litter is born. The rat's uterus is Y-shaped (see diagram), and usually one baby from each side of the Y is born at a time, often two very close together, then a break, then two close together again. Every birth is different, however. Labor can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Once every kitten is delivered, the mother will relax and gather up her new babies so they can begin to nurse. They will instinctively find her nipples and latch on.
Birthing Concerns
A Baby Gets Stuck
Sometimes a baby can get stuck at the bottom of the Y-shaped uterus, and gentle massaging on the front of the rat's pelvis can help get the baby out. If the baby is stuck because it is too large, or it is turned around too much, your rat may need immediate medical attention. Some experienced breeders may try to insert lubricant to help the baby slide out, but this is not recommended for the average breeder. If the female has been pushing for more than an hour and no baby has been produced, you should call a veterinarian immediately.
"Birthing Bites"
Birthing bites is the name given to wounds to the baby received from the mother as she tries to pull her baby out of her with her teeth. These are often superficial cuts which heal on their own, but depending on where they are located, may need a suture or drop of surgical glue to keep them closed. Sometimes a mother rat can accidentally chew off the baby's feet or tail during labor. Such cases should be seen by a vet.
Uterine Infections
Sometimes after giving birth, a rat's uterus can become infected for a number of reasons. Sometimes a fetus was not expelled and began to decompose inside the uterus, sometimes the uterus can tear, bringing in bacteria. For whatever reason, if the uterus becomes infected, it is a very serious condition that can be fatal very quickly if medical attention is not sought. If your rat looks painful, if her abdomen begins to swell, or if copious amounts of pus or blood are leaking from her vagina, contact a veterinarian right away.
Infanticide and Cannibalism
There are a few reasons a mother rat would have to cannibalize her young. If she feels stressed, feels unsafe, or threatened, she may kill her litter because she doesn't feel that they are safe. If the babies are stillborn or deformed, she may know that they are dead or know that they will not survive long, and she will cannibalize them to reabsorb their energy to provide it to her healthy babies. If the mother doesn't feel that she can take care of an entire litter, maybe she has a large litter or she is ill or not producing enough milk, she may destroy a few of the babies to give the surviving ones a better chance
Occasionally, a mother will experience post-partum psychosis, a mental state brought on by a surge or drop in hormones or perhaps a traumatic birthing experience and destroy her whole litter. Females with this psychosis often will repeat this behaviour in subsequent litters and breeding them again is not advised.
