Rescued baby rat... Is she pregnant?

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Wolfgirl

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2019
Messages
12
Location
Arizona
I rescued this girl, Karni Mata, from a horrible situation. I have no idea how old she is, I know she is still young, but assume she is over 7weeks? She seems a little plumper since I got her, and I can see her nipples when I couldn't before,but I can't tell if I'm being paranoid, and she just has baby fat. If she is pregnant I'm assuming a small litter is making it hard to guess?
I'm concerned because I pulled her unconscious from a CO2 chamber and I don't know if that could cause complications.
She is otherwise healthy besides a small sneeze which she has been to the vet for. She also had an ultrasound at the vet, and she said she is iether not pregnant or the embryos were too small to see.
The last image where im holding her is when I first got her, almost 2 weeks ago.
(P.s she is in the tank until I can afford a proper cage, since she was not a planned addition)
 

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Thank you for saving Karni Mata, she looks like a wonderful little girl.
So happy, active, curious :)

She does not look pregnant to me but if she was living with boys she may be.
If she was living with her brothers and not with an adult male, then she is less likely to be pregnant (edit: because her brothers would have been so young and inexperienced).
As you said, she may also just be a growing baby girl.
Normal gestation is 21.5 days so if you have had her for 2 weeks, she should start gaining weight over the next week if she is pregnant.
Please buy a digital scale with a tare function that weighs accurately to 1 gram if you do not have one.
This is a useful tool for rat owners to have.
Weigh her at the same time each day and record her weights. You will be looking for a pattern of weight gain.

Rats can have from 2 to 26 babies in a litter, with average litter size being 12 to 14 babies. In my experience young girls have smaller litters. It is possible that if she is only having a couple of babies she might not gain a lot of weight.

What are you using for bedding?
What are you feeding her?
Some people use tanks as maternity cages for the first 2 weeks after babies are born, but the tank looks a bit small …. you might want to consider making a bin cage as a temporary cage until you can purchase a good cage - a temporary cage can be used later as carrier (see https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/homemade-bin-carrier-and-temporary-bin-cage.35893/ )

For information on pregnancy, birth, babies, etc as well as nutrition and other things please see the Reference Thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

I hope you give us updates and post lots of pictures
 
Last edited:
I do have a scale, the first time on Tuesday I got a weight of 138g then on Wednesday I got a weight of 146g! I may have misweighed the first day so we will see what trend we have today at 7grams in one day seems HIGHLY unlikely.
SheSwas iniwith boys, and I wentwback to rescue a few more girls as companions after realizing I should have that day to find out the jerk killed all but one, and the one he didn't was a boy (boys and girls were kept together.) I now have the 'brother" Kubera in a separate temporary cage until he proves healthy through quarantine and I can get him neutered.
I am feeding her 50% kaytee lab blocks (trying to order oxbow or Mazuri). I also have been giving her 20% zupreem bird pellets (recommended by vet) approximately 15% lower protein dog food, and the rest fresh veggies, small fruit, and then training treats like meat baby food, and baby puffs, and Cheerios.
For bedding I use fleece (changed 2-3 times daily), and a litter box area with kaytee paper bedding with no additives and supposedly no dust changed 1time daily.(only because she doesn't really use it yet)
I will definitely upgrade her somehow. I mentioned a binbcage but family says "non she will chew out". And I have other pets that would gladly eat her if she got out. Plus im literally down to having $6 available right now after the price of antibiotics and such for her sneezing. We had waited a week but it still hadn't resolved, sounded a little wetter, and she started getting a tiny bit of red discharge.
Now I have to fight to get her to take it as she HATES IT . Even though it is cherry flavored. I have tried mixing it with other stuff and she turns her nose at it. I tried forcing it, but she got squeeky and a little scared and I don't want to break trust. She has been AMAZING so far, and I wanted her for an ambassador animal. She already is being harness trained and coming when called.
The only way I've gotten some of the antibiotics in her is by smearing it on her leg, but she is so hyper she rubs it off on something playing before she notices she has to clean.
 
Thank you for saving Karni Mata, she looks like a wonderful little girl.
So happy, active, curious :)

She does not look pregnant to me but if she was living with boys she may be.
If she was living with her brothers and not with an adult male, then she is less likely to be pregnant.
As you said, she may also just be a growing baby girl.
Normal gestation is 21.5 days so if you have had her for 2 weeks, she should start gaining weight over the next week if she is pregnant.
Please buy a digital scale with a tare function that weighs accurately to 1 gram if you do not have one.
This is a useful tool for rat owners to have.
Weigh her at the same time each day and record her weights. You will be looking for a pattern of weight gain.

Rats can have from 2 to 26 babies in a litter, with average litter size being 12 to 14 babies. In my experience young girls have smaller litters. It is possible that if she is only having a couple of babies she might not gain a lot of weight.

What are you using for bedding?
What are you feeding her?
Some people use tanks as maternity cages for the first 2 weeks after babies are born, but the tank looks a bit small …. you might want to consider making a bin cage as a temporary cage until you can purchase a good cage - a temporary cage can be used later as carrier (see https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/homemade-bin-carrier-and-temporary-bin-cage.35893/ )

For information on pregnancy, birth, babies, etc as well as nutrition and other things please see the Reference Thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

I hope you give us updates and post lots of pictures
Oops I forgot to press reply haha
 
In those pics, she doesn't look pregnant - just looks like she has the baby tum some rats do when they stretch, and after they've started eating well. If she's in a less stressful environment with you, and eating better and therefore more than she was before you rescued her (which imo, sounds like she is), she'll put on a lot of weight fast especially at her age, and her belly may distend somewhat until her growth catches up.

Based on the photos up there, she definitely seems trusting and content! So I wouldn't be surprised if she's packing away the calories now.

That said, since she was with boys around the sexual maturity mark, there is a chance (even if they were siblings or a father). I'd keep an eye out for the full-on pear-look rats get during late pregnancy over the next week or so and any behaviours indicative of (i.e. some females become a little nippy or aggressive if pregnant the further along the pregnancy is, since they're protective). If she does seem more pear-like, make sure wherever her enclosure is kept is safe (in a rat's opinion), quiet, and equipped for nesting.
 
In those pics, she doesn't look pregnant - just looks like she has the baby tum some rats do when they stretch, and after they've started eating well. If she's in a less stressful environment with you, and eating better and therefore more than she was before you rescued her (which imo, sounds like she is), she'll put on a lot of weight fast especially at her age, and her belly may distend somewhat until her growth catches up.

Based on the photos up there, she definitely seems trusting and content! So I wouldn't be surprised if she's packing away the calories now.

That said, since she was with boys around the sexual maturity mark, there is a chance (even if they were siblings or a father). I'd keep an eye out for the full-on pear-look rats get during late pregnancy over the next week or so and any behaviours indicative of (i.e. some females become a little nippy or aggressive if pregnant the further along the pregnancy is, since they're protective). If she does seem more pear-like, make sure wherever her enclosure is kept is safe (in a rat's opinion), quiet, and equipped for nesting.
Thanks I will keep an eye on her!
 
If she is pregnant, it will just all of a sudden appear that she ate a TON of food. It will be rather sudden, and only get bigger over about 3 days to a week.

On another note, CO2 CHAMBER?!? OMG how sad!! So glad you saved her and her brother! That almost made me throw up! She could live in a sock and probably be better off! She's so adorable too!

By the way, welcome to the forum!
 
If she is pregnant, it will just all of a sudden appear that she ate a TON of food. It will be rather sudden, and only get bigger over about 3 days to a week.

On another note, CO2 CHAMBER?!? OMG how sad!! So glad you saved her and her brother! That almost made me throw up! She could live in a sock and probably be better off! She's so adorable too!

By the way, welcome to the forum!
Thanks you! I'm glad to join. I'm hopeful I'm just paranoid, and I haven't seen pear belly, so I'm leaning towards not.
Yes I walked past a pet shop, and kids were holding rats, and I just had to hold the cuties. They were meant as feeders, and though sad I know how the circle of life goes. I have to feed my dogs chicken but would never ever feed them my pet chickens. Yah know?
I just wanted to show them love and go on my way.
Well I was holding karni Mata and said " omg, you have the cutest sniffles" and the owner literally snatched her from me, and said "I can't have her infecting the colony." And literally threw her in a CO2 bucket that he has in the middle of the dang store! He turned on the gas and I was so confused and upset. I didn't know what to do, so I started leaving the store shocked that I had gotten this poor baby killed for no reason. I ran back in, yelling that I wanted her. And think guy opens the bucket, and melodramatically proclaims " it's too late."
I responded "no it's fucking not" and flung open the bucket and pulled her unconscious stiff body out. I rubbed her and blew in her face until she woke up. He had the nerve to charge me $4.
I'm so happy I saved her. It is my proudest moment that I stood up for her, but also I'm still so traumatized I literally have nightmares and have anxiety outbreaks . I should sue him.
I wish I could have rescued more...
 
I rescued this girl, Karni Mata, from a horrible situation. I have no idea how old she is, I know she is still young, but assume she is over 7weeks? She seems a little plumper since I got her, and I can see her nipples when I couldn't before,but I can't tell if I'm being paranoid, and she just has baby fat. If she is pregnant I'm assuming a small litter is making it hard to guess?
I'm concerned because I pulled her unconscious from a CO2 chamber and I don't know if that could cause complications.
She is otherwise healthy besides a small sneeze which she has been to the vet for. She also had an ultrasound at the vet, and she said she is iether not pregnant or the embryos were too small to see.
The last image where im holding her is when I first got her, almost 2 weeks ago.
(P.s she is in the tank until I can afford a proper cage, since she was not a planned addition)

I was going to say, I have an extra cage from when my girls were small! I can see if I can send it out to you if you need it! I'm all the way out in Kentucky but I would rather give the cage I have to someone that needs it rather than have it take up a bunch of space!
 
azithromycin and clavamox are safe for babies.
ratguide.com is a good medical site for rat owners

Check out the Reference Thread for good information on different aspects of rat ownership, care, diet, housing, etc

If she is not pregnant then you will need to go back and get 1 or 2 of her sisters because rats need to live with at least one other rat.
 
azithromycin and clavamox are safe for babies.
ratguide.com is a good medical site for rat owners

Check out the Reference Thread for good information on different aspects of rat ownership, care, diet, housing, etc

If she is not pregnant then you will need to go back and get 1 or 2 of her sisters because rats need to live with at least one other rat.

.....,..............
I already mentioned that he killed every last one except the brother. He claimed he would not get more live rats for months because of some outbreak.
I already stated that I bought the brother and am waiting on a neuter.
So I DO have more than one rat. They are just not together right now.
No one esle sells rats for hundreds of miles. Besides the vet said she should not be with a rat from another colony as she has an immune problem and most rats she has seen in the area carry serious diseases that they are immune to that usually don't cause a problem but may end up killing Karni Mata.
Thanks for the links, I have already been reading hours worth of materials. And I've been obsessed with pet rats for YEARS.
I already have a good handle on most aspects of ownership. Thanks.
 
Sorry, read the info re her siblings yesterday and didn't recall it when I responded today.

.....,..............
the vet said she should not be with a rat from another colony as she has an immune problem and most rats she has seen in the area carry serious diseases that they are immune to that usually don't cause a problem but may end up killing Karni Mata.

How did the vet know she has a problem with her immune system, and what serious diseases do other rats in your area have?
 
Sorry, read the info re her siblings yesterday and didn't recall it when I responded today.



How did the vet know she has a problem with her immune system, and what serious diseases do other rats in your area have?
It's okay, sorry if I sounded a little abrasive, I was in the process of brushing out my angora rabbits, and one of em scratched me up and was a big butt, and I was a little grumpy haha.
She mentioned a sar virus or something like that and then actually warned me about Seoul virus which she is testing my rat's for.
Idk how she knew she pretty much told me Karni Mata will be on antibiotics periodically through life. So ‍♀️
 
Weird
The seoul virus is rare and not normally tested for unless someone is breeding rats ….. a few years ago there was an outbreak of this disease because of pet rat breeders, primarily in the USA. The USA government killed rats that might have possibly been exposed to the virus, in very horrible, inhumane ways - a complete over reaction imo as other countries do not do this. http://ratguide.com/reference/SeoulVirus.pdf

I wonder if she meant CAR http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/car_bacillus.php
The main viruses that affect rats are: Kilham rat virus, SDA, and Sendai virus. You can look them up on ratguide.com

All rats have mycoplasma (myco) and when they have a flareup, they need to be put on antibiotics asap http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/mycoplasma_mycoplasmosis.php
 
Weird
The seoul virus is rare and not normally tested for unless someone is breeding rats ….. a few years ago there was an outbreak of this disease because of pet rat breeders, primarily in the USA. The USA government killed rats that might have possibly been exposed to the virus, in very horrible, inhumane ways - a complete over reaction imo as other countries do not do this. http://ratguide.com/reference/SeoulVirus.pdf

I wonder if she meant CAR http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/car_bacillus.php
The main viruses that affect rats are: Kilham rat virus, SDA, and Sendai virus. You can look them up on ratguide.com

All rats have mycoplasma (myco) and when they have a flareup, they need to be put on antibiotics asap http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/mycoplasma_mycoplasmosis.php
I think she meant CAR.
I don't know‍♀️
 
Updated belly pics.
Chubby pudgy girl, but I'm still leery.
So far no nesting behavior, no nipping, if anything she is more hyper and playful. I spend the whole day playing with her haha.
It will be exactly 3 weeks that I have had her by Friday, so as the countdown gets closer to 3 week mark im more certiain she is not pregnant
Waiting on an all living things knockoff of the critter nation. Almost identical. Large 2 story cage with multi levels. Hope to get it shipped here this week.
 

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She looks like a happy, lucky girl! I almost got that exact same cage, but for some reason it wouldn't let me order it, and no petsmart stores around here have it, so I had to go with the critter nation. The all living things is made by the same people.
 
She looks like a happy, lucky girl! I almost got that exact same cage, but for some reason it wouldn't let me order it, and no petsmart stores around here have it, so I had to go with the critter nation. The all living things is made by the same people.
The cage finally arived!!!! Not what I ordered though.... But I liked it. We shall see!
Karni Mata has the top two levels. Kubera has the bottom two (until he is neutered)
Then I will open it up.
I plan to get lots of decor after my next couple pay days as I had to tap into scholarship money for everything so far... :(
 

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