When Can Baby Rats be Weaned and Leave Their Mother for New Homes?

So you have a litter of baby rats, and you just don’t know what to do with them. Most importantly, you don’t know when to take them from the mother rat, wean them, and take over their care. The female rat will eventually become slightly annoyed by her babies, so be sure that she has a place to “escape” to; a place that the babies cannot get to. A high hammock is a good option. You will see her begin to get antsy when the babies begin running around, between 2 and 3 weeks old. So when exactly can you free the doe from her maternity cage, and let the kits fend without their momma? Read more