Mites

[Smilts]

Was it possibly another males pups? The males seem not to like other folks pups in there tubs. I only ever had problems with more than 2 females in the same tub.

[Will0W783]

I had female mice eat their own pups, but I don't know about rats.

[gonesnakee]

Sometimes they just do.
There are reasons why they do as well though.
If they run out of food or water they will eat them.
If they feel insecure or threatened they will eat them as well.
If they are overcrowded they will eat them too.
Make sure you provide enough space with enough proper hides/shelter & a steady supply of food & water.
If they still eat them then replace the eaters with other breeders. Not all of them make good parents/breeders.
As mentioned males will kill other males offspring. Its quite common, animals do it in the wild all the time.
Also once the female has no babies to nurse they will usually go to heat right away & the males get to breed again. Mark

[Will0W783]

Just wanted to add to this thread. I found mites on several of my snakes a few weeks ago, and decided to use the Nix method. Within a day after the first treatment the snakes seemed more relaxed and I was finding dead mites all over the paper liners and in water dishes. After the second treatment, I saw no more mites, suggesting they were all killed by the first round of treatment. I am giving the final treatment tonight, and I couldn't be happier with this method! It was well-tolerated by all the snakes; no one had any problems with it, even when my female blood snapped at the sprayer and got a mouthful...I was worried about her, but she's fine. Mark (gonesnakee) gave me tips and advice on how to do it all properly, and I highly recommend this method!!