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seanscritters

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
289
Location
Byron, MI
I just got two rats from the pet store about a week ago. I was told they are both female. They were being sold as feeder rats, or in other words, snake food. But I was told they were friendly so I brought them home, and they are very sweet.

Since they were being sold as feeder rats, males and females were not separated. I am not sure of their age, but one is larger, the other is smaller. But I am guessing they are at least 4-6 months old.

Since they were in with adult males, do you think they could be pregnant? Im a rat noob, this is my first pair, and I dont know how to tell these things lol.

Can anyone give me some advice?
 
Pictures would be appreciated...

It will definately depend on their age, if they are over 5 weeks old (which I assume they are from your description) there is a good chance they will be preggers. There gestation is around 21 days, so if in 3 weeks there are no babies you are probably in the clear.

Welcome to the forum, there are a lot of great ppl here, I hope you enjoy your stay....
 
Females of breeding age (anything older than 5 weeks) that were left in with males could very well be pregnant. The chances of that are pretty good, actually.

Sometimes, especially if they're in a stressful situation like a large group in a small feeder rat area, they can end up absorbing the litter... so all hope is not lost for you!

The best way to tell with rats is, besides an obviously growing belly, is a change in nipple size and prominence, and taking their weight daily to note change. Many females go through a marked personality change in the days before birth.

This puts you on baby watch for 21 days from their last contact with males. (You may want to allot 28 days in case they just had a litter and got pregnant again right after). If one or both girls is in fact pregnant, they'll need to be separated a couple days before the babies are due to appear, so you need to make sure you have at least one spare cage. A very prominent belly and some serious nesting can be major signs that babies are due in just a day or so.

Lots of people on here have had to deal with litters from rats they have rescued or bought from pet stores, so keep poking around the forum and I'm sure you'll find lots of threads with pics of babies and lots of good information. And I'm sure that some of the experts will be along shortly to share and maybe post helpful links.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!
 
There seems to have been a boom in litters on here lately, so you will be able to get amazing advice in a very quick time if you need it. I'd suggest buying a pair of weighing scales (if you dont already have any), get a diary, and start weighing them both at the same time of day. Keeping notes aswell on their behaviour and visual changes you may see might help you out too - and might be able to get you better advice from people. Sounds like a lot to do - but it will help you out, and it wont be such a shock if your two girls start giving birth in a few weeks
 
Thank you all very much. I am definitely not as worried now. I am going to be buying some larger cages, that I will eventually connect together, but ill wait about 30 days, just to be extra careful, and keep them separated until then. My camera doesn't really work at night, it always shows up with an orange tint, but tomorrow I will definitely take some pictures.

By the way, I am so happy to have found this forum. I am in love with rats, and have been waiting so long to get some. This forum is very active and very, very welcoming. Thank you!
 
You are very very welcome :)

It would be a good investment for you to get a postal scale or kitchen scale to weigh them. You should be able to find one reasonably priced. It would really help us help you figure it out.

I doubt you have to seperate them quite yet. But that's just my opinion. I've never dealt with pregnant rat mums first hand.
 
I think it's usually pretty obvious when they're super pregnant, but small litters can sometimes surprise you. But, yeah, I wouldn't seperate them quite yet. Especially if they don't seem tubby.
 
I wouldn't separate the girls yet. When she starts building a nest and sometimes will get nippy would be a good time. Good luck.
 
It depends on the building materials they have on hand and of course, every expectant Mum is different, but usually it looks like a great, big mound.
 
How far apart are the bars on your cage? You want to make sure you have a cage that the babies won't escape out of, if your girls are in fact prego that is.
 
My cages have the little, really close together bars. I don't think they will be able to escape, but ill get some pictures when I get home, have to go to the doctors, im getting ammonia for like, the 3rd or 4th year in a row :gaah:
 
seanscritters said:
im getting ammonia for like, the 3rd or 4th year in a row :gaah:
Click to expand...

Pneumonia :D

I learned to spell that back in the 6th grade (after much effort) so now feel compelled to correct the spelling each chance I get. (no worries, it's probably the only big word I know how to spell)

Hope you fell better, and welcome to the shack!
 
Pneumonia is bad :( I hope you get well soon.

My boyfriend is Dyslexic, and he cant spell. After 3 years being with him, i can read pretty much anything lol!
 
My fiance is severely dyslexic, and also can't spell at all. I guarantee, everything you type comes across a lot better than what he writes!
 

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