Boy in with girls!

[RattieTooie]

Hello, I have not yet posted here, but I am freaking out. I have a DCN separated, boys on top, girls on the bottom (accidental litters.) The ages are between 7-8 weeks now, with one boy being 9 weeks. And the mom.

Long story short, I somehow mixed up two of the identical babies and got a girl in the boy's cage, and a boy in the girl's cage. It was only for a day when I noticed. The two who were swapped are 7 weeks old. That little boy hardly knows he's a boy, still acts like a baby. They all still act like babies. I know, that means nothing, but it's so hard to imagine him doing 'that' when he can hardly hold his own with his brothers when playing.

What are the odds that I have 3 pregnant baby girls? Is it really 100% as some say, or is it possible I could I dodge this catastrophe? I know I could spay them at 8 weeks old, and yes I know it's horrible, but 3 litters are beyond my capabilities as a responsible owner. I cannot in good faith sell/adopt these girls out knowing there is a possibility of pregnancy. I have to formulate a plan, and soon.

Help!!

 

[Evermore]

There is absolutely a chance that all 3 - or at minimum one of the three, or two of the three - are pregnant. That said it is just a chance. Right now, I would be treating them as if they are pregnant and planning accordingly; whether that means surrendering the others to a shelter so you're not rush-selling them (as this could result in them becoming feeders), or asking friends/family for a hand for the next 2-3 months.

If it's beyond your ability to handle, here are a few things to consider:

1) Can you keep the girls for the next 2 weeks? That's when you'll begin to notice belly expansions re: pregnancy, though pregnancy itself only lasts about 21 days.

2) If there are pregnancies, is there a reputable shelter or rescue you can get assistance from? This may involve taking the pregnant females off your hands to rehome/foster out, so you would not be able to keep them. Alternatively, if you can somehow let the litters wean, they can possibly help with the offspring.

3) If no rescue, do you have local friends who can perhaps help carry some of the weight until the potential little ones can be weaned? This could be a good temporary solution so, if you want to keep the mothers for yourself, you can get them back once their babies are on their way to new homes. But it is a big ask.

Unfortunately until fetuses begin developing, you won't be entirely sure (and don't press on their tummies as this can hurt/harm the fetuses, they're very fragile). Odds are a bit hard to predict. Two of our girls were on a trial adoption from the SPCA as they were dumped in mixed-gender boxes, and there was a risk they would be pregnant. Neither ended up being despite exposure to males. But, that's definitely not always the case.

 

[RattieTooie]

Thank you for your response. I have a rescue nearby who said they can help, so I feel better about the whole situation. Still feel like a failure that it even happened, I am always so careful. It's a watch and wait now, fingers and toes crossed!

 

[Evermore]

Thank you for your response. I have a rescue nearby who said they can help, so I feel better about the whole situation. Still feel like a failure that it even happened, I am always so careful. It's a watch and wait now, fingers and toes crossed!

No problem; that's a stressful situation for sure - more so when you were trying to keep them separated properly. As someone who has rats that were near-identical as babies (now that they're 2 years old, one is significantly larger), I can understand how the mix-up happened in the moment.

Fingers crossed nobody is pregnant, but I'm glad to hear that you do have help should any of them be. Best of luck!!

 

[RattieTooie]

Update: No one was pregnant! All were spayed successfully. I can sleep again at night