"Thick" female?

[Cait]

Hey all. John is down visiting for the week and brought his little girls with him. (Rat girls, that is). They are the cutest things, but one of them worries me, Maude 2. She looks thicker than the others. Thick as in possibly pregnant? Two of them I know where he got them... 1 from a Craigslist ad I so slyly pointed out to him, and one just a few days ago, a little baby, from a friend. This one though, Maude 2, I'm not sure. I didn't ask because I think I know the answer; there is a baitshop where he lives and they often have rats. He has the will power of a rock and also the impulse buy habits of a shopaholic. But I can't blame him, he had Maude the first (Andi and Tip's sister) and then got Iris as a buddy, then Maude the first died, so he felt he had to get her a friend, which he was right to do. He told me he had gotten another after the fact. So I just asked him and he confirmed my thinking. Anyway, point being, I am positive this place doesn't seperate their males and females. So it's possible, he's only had her a week. I didn't even think about it until I got this mental flash of a female I had who gave birth... I had her for her entire pregnancy, and she appeared "thick" like this as well for some time before she ballooned up. But I'm not sure if this is the case. Maybe she's just... thick! Built like a little truck. It could mean she's perfectly healthy, but Iris is about the same age and is very sleek and trim. I don't know, what do you all think?

Am I worrying for nothing? I'll have to get better pictures; I just have a lot of her face! I'll get some of her sitting/standing next to Iris; maybe that will help.

Maude is the minky-solid chick. And there's Iris and baby Harlow there as well. Bah you probably can't tell anything from this; I'm going to go take better pictures right now.

Edit: I should mention that Maude and Iris are about 8-9 weeks old from what I can tell. Iris may be a week or so younger. But definitely old enough to get pregnant.

 

[Moon]

It really is hard to see much of a difference from that picture, but she's clearly not as svelte as the others.

 

[Cait]

I'm going to get better photos right now.

 

[Cait]

Ok here are some better photos.

By herself

With Iris

This isn't a great photo but you get the idea.

What do you think?

 

[lilspaz68]

It could easily just be her build, but keep an eye out for those low "waist" bulges.

 

[twitch]

i think pregnant. she has that misshapened belly "fat". i'm not an expert, but that's my guess. early stages of pregnancy.

 

[Moon]

Her fur also doesn't help... it kind of changes her silhouette.

I personally wouldn't be worrying too much quite yet.

 

[Cait]

One thing that makes me think it's her build is her face; it's also pretty puffy. Plus Moon, you're right, her fur throws things off as well. The picture where she's on my arm is the reason I am wondering though. When Iris stretches, she stays sleek, she doesn't have any sort of bulge.

Hopefully she is just a Mac Truck girl and not pregnant. I guess we'll know soon enough. Would getting a scale help any? She's still growing, so any weight gain could simply be her growing... Although I imagine if she was pregnant she'd gain such and such amount of weight, yes?

 

[Godmother]

She is really beautiful! I don't know enough to hazard a guess about pregnancy, but your idea of a scale is a good one. One of Shelagh's posts (and someone else's too) tracked the daily weight gain of a pregnant ratty as compared to a not-pregnant one of a similar age. The difference in rate of weight gain is VERY noticeable.

 

[Cait]

She is a very gorgeous girl; I remember when I hadn't ever seen mink in person and now they're every where all the sudden.

I remember that thread! I will try to find it. Thanks Godmother!!

 

[user 78]

If Iris and Maude 2 are about the same age, you can weigh them both to help get a 'baseline' of weight gain. Babies grow, and they grow fast! Obviously, the amounts will vary some, but if Maude 2 packs on 40g in a week and Iris only pops on 10g, you can start to get a wee bit paranoid.

Looking at the pics, it does look like Maude is bigger overall than Iris is. Her head shape and overall build just look bigger. Her belly doesn't seem disproportionately fat, either. For reference sake, I've got a Mac Truck of a girlie. She looks *huge* compared to her cagemate, who is very slim and dainty.

Penn is the beige girl: aprox 18mo, Grey is in the middle: 8mo, Lil is on the far right: 3mo.

As you can see, Lil was already bigger overall than Grey was, even so young.

 

[SQ]

As previously suggested, you can keep an eye on her and track her weight.
She doesn't look pregnant to me but she could be in the early stages.

 

[Cait]

Thanks Javakittie! I'll weigh them both. Seeing your girls helps a lot! I'm just paranoid... I know John can't handle eepers and I really don't *want* to handle them. If it comes down to it, it'll be on me more than likely. I feel bad; these are his first rats. :/

I'll keep an eye on her and weigh her... Need to get a scale! I know we have one around here somewhere. *thinks*

 

[user 78]

You can pick up a postal scale at places like Office Depot relatively cheap. I think I got mine for $13. A digital kitchen scale works, too, just make sure it has a flat surface. You want one that weighs to within 1 gram. Your friend should get one for himself, though, since he should try and keep track of their weight from time to time. Rats can lose weight very quickly when sick, so if you're weighing them on a regular basis, you'll notice and be able to supplement their diet as needed.