2 litters went into the grow out cage today ❤️
We love adding babies to these grow out cages when they are 3/3.5 weeks old.
It's an amazing step to prepare them for moving into the colony. They get a chance to interact with another mother rat as well as play with babies from another family group. ❤️
Play is so so important for their development and this is a great way for them to learn social dynamics.
It also allows one mom to be on "duty" while another mom takes a break. We also use this as a tool to see which moms adapt well to looking after new babies and which moms to be cautious of.
Rats are colony animals. They are social. Caring for babies as a group is natural for them. And as long as you know your lines, letting moms co-raise litters can be an incredibly useful tool.
These grow-out cages are: 93 x 63 x 70cm We have 4 of these cages in total 🌸
