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Yes they can. Their instincts might make them able to sense which baby will be the weakest in the group, and they get rid of the weakest link.
When my female had a litter, she ate at least one of the babies. But she was a great mother to the rest of the 9 babies.
Another perspective
Rats don't believe in evolution, so what would she know (or care) about the weakest link? Unlike humans (the weirdest creatures ever), rats aren't working to improve their species by "removing the weakest link", and according to Darwin's theory, that's nature's job. The weakest die off naturally, the mother doesn't cull them.
But yes, mother rats occasionally do eat their young, as do most predatory mothers. Nobody really knows why. Maybe it's her hunter instinct saying "it wiggles and its weak, eat it" (or in the rats case "its soft and smelly, eat it").
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What do you do when you dont want the baby rats but you want the mother?
than you buy the mother rat but if the baby rats are young than get them all. that way you have a mother rat and baby rats to look after.
What is a baby rats parents called?
A baby rat's parents are typically referred to as the mother rat and the father rat.
Would a baby cat eat a rat?
I think baby cat don't eat a rat because indigestible for baby cat.ha ha ha
What if you want to put an adult rat and a baby rat in the same cage?
the adult might eat the baby :/
What shall you feed a baby rat about a day old without his mother?
Rat milk.
What do baby caterpillars eat?
baby food if they rat tin things they will get sick or die
Do baby jellyfish eat it mother?
No a jelly does not eat its mother
Can a rat eat a human baby?
NO...... but a hundred rats might
Do you remove dead baby mouse from its nest?
YES! In the wild, when an rat or mouse dies, the mother eats them because the scent will attract predators...So the mother eats it to protect the family/group from predators...Remove the dead baby mouse because otherwise the mother will eat it and there is no telling what that could do to the mother...
How do you care for a baby rat that will not eat?
Feed it milk and if it will still not eat take it to the vets.
Why the baby rat was identical to its mother?
because they had the same genetic jeans and dna
If you handle baby rats will the mother eat them?
no she will abandon them where they will die because they need her to feed them Do not listen to this person, this is absolutely not true. Baby rats must be handled regularly from the first week they are born or they will not be tame. If the mother rat trusts you she will be fine with this. A female rat will only abandon one of her babies if it is a runt and she already has over 12 babies.
