ONE OF MY FEMALES MIGHT BE PREGNANT!!!!

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Kelheehee

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2020
Messages
18
Location
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Ugh I posted earlier on this thread that I just got two new rats, and my male rat just got mites that i have to treat tomorrow(yay). So when I got my girls they came with the four level Kaytee ferret cage which bars were Way to wide. I said screw it there’s nothing they can get into won’t hurt to let them roam. So the next day I swaped their cages. My male Bruno got the new cage since he’s obese and won’t fit through the bars. The girls got his old cage that had chicken wire over it. There’s only one part of the cage that isn’t covered and that’s the handle we’re you pop the door open. So Venus got out. Woke me up with some kisses and I put her back. I was awakened once again to her in his cage. Now about a week or maybe nearing two, her stomach is looking questionable. It’s bulbous and pokes out like love handles. I feel like a bad rat owner cause I barely had them for a month and one is already (might be) pregnant!! They aren’t really used to me yet since I’ve been busy and take them out to roam for about an hour or two. I’m scared to pick her up since she barely tolerates it and I don’t want to hurt (the maybe) rat beans. Her stomach looks noticeably different next to her sisters. I need some advice!
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Only pictures I could get without holding her. Normally over weight rats gain weight in their rear, but could this possibly just be weight gain?
 
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How old are the girls?
Please post some pictures showing her belly from the side and front.
Please get a digital scale that weighs accurately to 1 gram and has a tare function, and start weighing her once a day at the same time. Write down the weights as you will be looking for a pattern.
There is some information in our Reference Thread REFERENCE Thread - Read Only

As you have discovered, having two intact sexes in the same home is an accident waiting to happen.
Rats are very smart and when girls are in heat (approx. every 4 days) they are very very very motivated. I have heard of rats getting out of the cage in the basement rec room and finding the opposite sex in a 3rd floor bedroom.

People with 2 sexes of rats are encouraged to have at least one sex spayed or neutered. Spaying girls is also important for health reasons Why Spay or Neuter Rats?

Btw, metal hardware cloth from the hardware store has small spacing and is used on the outside of the cage when the bar spacing is large …. people say it works better then chicken wire
 
How old are the girls?
Please post some pictures showing her belly from the side and front.
Please get a digital scale that weighs accurately to 1 gram and has a tare function, and start weighing her once a day at the same time. Write down the weights as you will be looking for a pattern.
There is some information in our Reference Thread REFERENCE Thread - Read Only

As you have discovered, having two intact sexes in the same home is an accident waiting to happen.
Rats are very smart and when girls are in heat (approx. every 4 days) they are very very very motivated. I have heard of rats getting out of the cage in the basement rec room and finding the opposite sex in a 3rd floor bedroom.

People with 2 sexes of rats are encouraged to have at least one sex spayed or neutered. Spaying girls is also important for health reasons Why Spay or Neuter Rats?

Btw, metal hardware cloth from the hardware store has small spacing and is used on the outside of the cage when the bar spacing is large …. people say it works better then chicken wire
Older than 5 weeks, less than 6. My male was to old to neuter and the vet down the street is only doing outside check ups and what not.
 
Babies need to stay with their mama until at least 5 weeks old and girls should stay with their mama until they are at least 6 weeks old. If you have had the babies for almost a month, then they are likely at least 8 weeks old. (Baby rats become sexually mature between 5 and 6 weeks old).
Since she was in with an adult male there is a good chance she is pregnant, and that this is not normal baby growth. But yes, it could be just normal weight gain so start weighing her daily. Keep an eye out for signs that she is in heat - wiggling ears, freezing and trembling when you stroke her back near her tail. If she does not show these signs it does not mean that she is pregnant because not all rats act that way when in heat, but if you do see those signs then she is not pregnant
 
Babies need to stay with their mama until at least 5 weeks old and girls should stay with their mama until they are at least 6 weeks old. If you have had the babies for almost a month, then they are likely at least 8 weeks old. (Baby rats become sexually mature between 5 and 6 weeks old).
Since she was in with an adult male there is a good chance she is pregnant, and that this is not normal baby growth. Keep an eye out for signs that she is in heat - wiggling ears, freezing and trembling when you stroke her back near her tail. If she does not show these signs it does not mean that she is pregnant because not all rats act that way when in heat, but if you do see those signs then she is not pregnant
What about hard breathing? I look over and she is breathing intensely. She’s otherwise healthy, no sneezing, no rattling, she’s not sluggish. Her stomach is just round, unlike her sisters (same age) which is normal and flat. I can’t tell if there’s a mucus plug tho
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Babies need to stay with their mama until at least 5 weeks old and girls should stay with their mama until they are at least 6 weeks old. If you have had the babies for almost a month, then they are likely at least 8 weeks old. (Baby rats become sexually mature between 5 and 6 weeks old).
Since she was in with an adult male there is a good chance she is pregnant, and that this is not normal baby growth. But yes, it could be just normal weight gain so start weighing her daily. Keep an eye out for signs that she is in heat - wiggling ears, freezing and trembling when you stroke her back near her tail. If she does not show these signs it does not mean that she is pregnant because not all rats act that way when in heat, but if you do see those signs then she is not pregnant
I meant too say 6 months so there’s a high chance she’s pregnant
 
if shes had 2 chances with your boy its very likely she's pregnant but as SQ says daily weighing can really tell you the story. How long since the first and the 2nd oops meeting with your boy? Rat gestation is 21-23 days and its in the last week that the real weight gain is noticeable. Do you have a small digital scale you can weigh her with every day at the same time?
 
if shes had 2 chances with your boy its very likely she's pregnant but as SQ says daily weighing can really tell you the story. How long since the first and the 2nd oops meeting with your boy? Rat gestation is 21-23 days and its in the last week that the real weight gain is noticeable. Do you have a small digital scale you can weigh her with every day at the same time?
No I don’t have a digital scale. It was about a week or maybe even two. Since she’s so young this “weight gain” looks abnormal. Her stomach doesn’t match her body.
 
if shes had 2 chances with your boy its very likely she's pregnant but as SQ says daily weighing can really tell you the story. How long since the first and the 2nd oops meeting with your boy? Rat gestation is 21-23 days and its in the last week that the real weight gain is noticeable. Do you have a small digital scale you can weigh her with every day at the same time?
Now she was squeaking a lot!! It was audible !!
 
If she is breathing hard and if she is not very far along, then she may have a respiratory infection, need to see a good vet, and be put on medication such as antibiotics. Azithromycin and clavamox are pediatric friendly.

A digital scale that weighs accurately to 1 gram (with a tare function if possible) is an important piece of equipment to have. They are now fairly inexpensive …… and may be kitchen scales, postal scales etc

In case you are mistaken as to when she may have gotten pregnant, you need to prepare a baby cage - a one level environment with no hammocks etc. The cage will need to have very small bar spacing so that babies can not fall or climb out and so there is nothing that might injure them. She will need strips of paper towel to build a nest. I have no idea what she is eating but she needs to eat a very healthy diet - their is information on diet, nutrition, pregnancy, birth, birth emergencies etc in our Reference Thread REFERENCE Thread - Read Only ........ is it possible that she is in labour?
 
If she is breathing hard and if she is not very far along, then she may have a respiratory infection, need to see a good vet, and be put on medication such as antibiotics. Azithromycin and clavamox are pediatric friendly.

A digital scale that weighs accurately to 1 gram (with a tare function if possible) is an important piece of equipment to have. They are now fairly inexpensive …… and may be kitchen scales, postal scales etc

In case you are mistaken as to when she may have gotten pregnant, you need to prepare a baby cage - a one level environment with no hammocks etc. The cage will need to have very small bar spacing so that babies can not fall or climb out and so there is nothing that might injure them. She will need strips of paper towel to build a nest. I have no idea what she is eating but she needs to eat a very healthy diet - their is information on diet, nutrition, pregnancy, birth, birth emergencies etc in our Reference Thread REFERENCE Thread - Read Only ........ is it possible that she is in labour?
It’s not really hard breathing but faster than normal, plus she was squeaking loudly for no reason. She actually was moving her ears slightly so I checked to see if her vagina was open, but it was sealed shut. She’s also been licking down there repeatedly (I’m new to girl rats I usually have boys)
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The incident happened 9-10 days ago I don’t know if she was in heat or not. Do you think it could just be rapid weight gain?
 
You still have over a week before you find out. 9-10 days is too early.

A rat girl goes in heat every 4-5 days, you can tickle over their hips and they should arch their back and jump like a frog. Some vibrate their ears really fast.
 
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