Hello, all~
I've been taking in rats in need for a little over a year now and finding homes for them but I've found myself in a predicament that I had not anticipated. I recently took in four young rats from an acquaintance, who no longer wanted to take care of them. He heard that I had rats and asked if I might be willing to take in his. The group consists of three girls and one boy. I was initially under the impression that they were housed separately, but upon arrival I found out something quite different. He had placed the four of them together in a small aquarium. When I asked him about this, he said he had sold the female's cage already since he knew he was getting rid of them. He also stated that he thought because they were siblings from the same litter that they would not mate... (sigh)
When I got them home, I promptly separated the male and am preparing him to be introduced into my established colony of males. He looks less than a year old, so hopefully things will go well on that front. The three females have been placed in the top level of one of my Critter Nations. They apparently had been in the aquarium with the male for quite some time, probably at least a week from my guess, assuming that he sold the cage right after he learned I would be taking them. So my biggest worry right now is that all three of them may be pregnant... That could mean upwards of 25 babies at one time.
I have no previous experience with pregnant mothers or raising litters but have been doing extensive research to prepare myself in the event that I will be raising three litters simultaneously. But I am quite sure that I will need all the advice I can get. I plan on rehoming the babies, as well as the mothers once all the babies have been adopted out. I may end keep the male if he fits in well with my boys.
The females seem friendly enough but will still require more socialization. They also look quite small which is another concern, as they may be too young to have been bred. I need to get a working scale so I can keep track of their weights. The male is very timid and skittish, and nippy with food. He will need a lot of work to get him out of his shell.
Will add pictures of the lot later~
I've been taking in rats in need for a little over a year now and finding homes for them but I've found myself in a predicament that I had not anticipated. I recently took in four young rats from an acquaintance, who no longer wanted to take care of them. He heard that I had rats and asked if I might be willing to take in his. The group consists of three girls and one boy. I was initially under the impression that they were housed separately, but upon arrival I found out something quite different. He had placed the four of them together in a small aquarium. When I asked him about this, he said he had sold the female's cage already since he knew he was getting rid of them. He also stated that he thought because they were siblings from the same litter that they would not mate... (sigh)
When I got them home, I promptly separated the male and am preparing him to be introduced into my established colony of males. He looks less than a year old, so hopefully things will go well on that front. The three females have been placed in the top level of one of my Critter Nations. They apparently had been in the aquarium with the male for quite some time, probably at least a week from my guess, assuming that he sold the cage right after he learned I would be taking them. So my biggest worry right now is that all three of them may be pregnant... That could mean upwards of 25 babies at one time.
I have no previous experience with pregnant mothers or raising litters but have been doing extensive research to prepare myself in the event that I will be raising three litters simultaneously. But I am quite sure that I will need all the advice I can get. I plan on rehoming the babies, as well as the mothers once all the babies have been adopted out. I may end keep the male if he fits in well with my boys.
The females seem friendly enough but will still require more socialization. They also look quite small which is another concern, as they may be too young to have been bred. I need to get a working scale so I can keep track of their weights. The male is very timid and skittish, and nippy with food. He will need a lot of work to get him out of his shell.
Will add pictures of the lot later~
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