Kittens go squeak...not meow

If you see a litter of rats, it's best to leave them where you've found them unless you're certain that the mother is no longer with the living. Mother rats can't be with the babies all of the time because she has to go out in search of food and because her presence alone attracts predators. Rat moms care very much about the welfare of their children and will willingly risk their own lives to save the lives of their young. Not to mention, as nice or as curious as you may be, you really don't want to maintain a mom-rat's feeding schedule...trust me :o)

So, again, if you see a litter of rats, just put everything back into place and the mom will return and gather them up and move them (if she perceives their location is no longer secure) or will simply go back to her business of feeding them and caring for them. Oh, and don't worry about it if you've touched them - just like us human types, a bad or foreign smell isn't enough to make a rat mom give up on her duties.

I repeat myself because nobody ever seems to believe me: just leave them there!! Of course as humans, once we know about something, we always have to do something about it so... check up on them in about 6 hours. If mom was back to feed them, you should see a white crest through the skin of their bellies, right below their rib cage. If you see that crest, you needn't worry any longer: Mom is somewhere and she's doing her job.

If you don't see the crest, or if you know mom is no longer one of the living, here's what you need to do if you don't know of any lactating mom-rats out there.

Kittens go squeak...not meow