Possible pregnancy?

[Zoe]

Hi, I'm new here so I don't know if I'm posting in the right forum section, I apologize.

Recently, I bought a female feeder rat. I wanted a pet rat so I decided it'd be best if I rescue one rather than buy from a chain pet shop. I'm unsure of her age, but she was very calm at first and she'd let me handle her regularly. Recently, she's been a bit of a jerk. She'll bite me to the point it bleeds, and now she won't let me pick her up much at all. Her belly has bloated so much! She's burrowing like crazy. I did some research and I don't believe its megacolon, her poops are normal. She was kept with males so I have a belief she could be pregnant. Her nipples are a little bit larger and she's digging everywhere. I can upload pictures soon. From my research, she's been pregnant for about a week or more. Please help!

 

[Zoe]

 

[Dena]

A: don't pick up or lift by the tail! That's painful to them, and can harm their tails and spine. I know it's common practice in pet stores or feeder breeders. They aren't the ones keeping them as pets, so they don't care what damage they can do.

B: if that's how she's handled, or has been handled, she may be biting out of fear that you'll hurt her. May also be why she won't let you touch her. She's scared.

C: she NEEDS another rat the same sex and around the same age as her. If she's pregnant, it may not be a good idea right now, but when she has the babies, maybe keep two of the females for her. Rats need playmates.

D: please get her in a barred cage. Aquariums are VERY bad for them. They have poor circulation, and can quickly cause a respiratory infection, and kill them (they die from respiratory infections very quickly).

She also needs lots of hammocks, and baskets or boxes to hide and sleep in.

Do you know how old she is? How long have you had her? What do you feed her? There are a few reference threads on here that you should look at. One on habitat, one on food, and I believe there's one on health about pregnancy and stuff. Please read as much as you can. There's so much to learn about owning rats. They are amazing animals, and amazing pets. I'm sure you will have a great time with them! Also check out joinrats.com there's lots of info about socializing them and some really good info on there.

Welcome to the forum, and good luck!

 

[Zoe]

Sorry, I'm new to owning rats and I was told to keep her in a glass aquarium so I didn't know better. Also wow didn't know you couldn't hold them by the tail. I'll buy her a barred cage ASAP. I don't know how old she is other than shes over 6 weeks old and I've only had her a few days. I feed her Oxbow rat blocks with fresh veggies and a few seeds daily. Thanks for your help.

 

[LoLo]

If she is pregnant, it’s a good idea to give her some things she can use for nesting like toilet paper rolls with a bit of paper left and fleece. She doesn’t look obviously pregnant to me but it could still be early. It is odd for her demeanor to change so drastically out of the blue so I think you’re probably right about her impending motherhood. Definitely agree about the glass tank needing to be nixed ASAP. You’re feeding her good stuff so just keep up the good work!

 

[Dena]

That's a good food, and glad you're feeding greens and seeds. Sounds like she's going to love it with you once she gets past the bitey thing. Give her time. Things are still so new for her too. It's not unusual for pet shops, or others to give bad cage and handling advice. Like I said, not their pet....

 

[SQ]

You will need to buy a very large cage with small bar spacing asap - suggestions are a critter nation, or a martins powder coated R695 with flip top lid (martinscages.com)
A rat cage needs a base at least 30 in by 18 inches but bigger is better, and height with large levels.
If necessary you can keep her in a large aquarium until the babies are 3 weeks old - if there is a lot of ventilation and it is kept extremely clean so that there is no ammonia build up.

Give her strips of paper towel for nest building.
Toilet paper tubes can be dangerous (if you must use them, cut them length wise so rats can not get stuck in them) and toilet paper will stick to babies so should not be used for baby nests etc
Make sure there is nothing in with her that contains threads because threads can wind around little necks or limbs
Do not give her hammocks now and if there are levels in a cage, remove them as babies can fall from both of these

Edit: She may be nipping because she is afraid, but more likely it is because she is pregnant. She will likely become more friendly once her babies are 4 or 5 weeks old. She may be very protective of her babies.

Rats are never picked up or grabbed by their tail as this can cause pain, frighten them, and can cause serious injuries. Rats are picked up by scooping them up with both hands, with one hand supporting their bodies/feet/legs. When rats are picked up or held, they should feel safe and secure.

Oxbow and a variety of daily vegs sounds good

Please see the information in the read-only Reference Thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

You can also use the search function (in the upper right of the screen, click on to search, more, and put in a key word such as pregnant or babies)

Please weigh her at the same time each day and record her weight in order to track it.
A digital scale that weighs accurately to 1 gram, and has a tare function is an important tool for rat owners to own.