# Potentially pregnant?



## itsybitsy (May 17, 2017)

So I brought home two baby girls about eight days ago. They were the last two from the litter. The post on Craigslist was made on April 16th (a month ago to the day), so I'm guessing they're at least two months, most likely a little older. I'm unsure about the previous housing situation so its very possible that they were exposed to males. When I brought them home they were they same size, as shown in this photo:







The one with the lighter spots (on the left) seemed very shy and not nearly as energetic. The last few days i've noticed the food supply has been disappearing faster and faster, and she loves to jump on any veggies and fruits I bring, whereas the other baby girl takes more breaks when eating. I was looking at her today and she just looked so so so much bigger in the tummy than my other girl. After a little research, I decided to take the precaution of moving her to a maternity bin. I had noticed her squeaking quite a bit while she was in the cage with her sister, which I know is not good. She's been silent now that I have her on her own, so I'm assuming she was just trying to say that playing was off limits right now. She's been eating and eating and eating, but I haven't noticed any nesting. She had a lot of trouble getting out of the cage due to her stomach being in the way, in addition to accidentally rolling over a few times in the last few hours. I think I see movement in her tummy but I'm just not sure. I did not predict this would happen, but if I've learned anything from fostering and adopting stray animals, it's that one should always be prepared for anything. I'm going to post photos of her and hopefully you guys can confirm. I'm currently camped out right beside her bin to keep an eye on her. 
















Also, they don't have names yet. I'm awful with naming animals. If she does turn out to be pregnant then I really hope I won't be put in charge of naming the babies.


----------



## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

IDK if your new girl is pregnant, but it's quite normal for new (especially) young rats to grow really fast once you bring them home. And whenever I get new rats, they tend to eat a LOT more than you'd expect. Heck, when I had 3 three month old girls, I had to fill the food dish at least once a day, and my food dish is huge! And I know my girls weren't just storing the food, as I checked during spot cleanings. IDK if your girl is a storer (my rat Latte is, so it sometimes seems like the food dish is empty, when in reality the food is all in their nestbox ), but if she is, she could simply be hiding the food after you refil the dish. In any case, I've found that my rats eating habits become steadier once they hit "adulthood" at around 6 months of age. And some rats are simply more "food obsessed" than others. Take my older girl Shadow, who will happily continue eating even after she's clearly full!

As for the squeaking, that's a perfectly normal thing to hear. Rats squeak when pouncing on each other, when chasing, when playing, when getting food stolen from them, and generally all the time. It's just that we can't hear the majority of their squeaks. While it may sound like she's in distress, chances are that her cage mate had just pinned her, and she was just squeaking as rats do. Heck, my girls mock fight all the time, and when they pin each other, the pinned one will often squeak (I imagine she's saying: OK, you got me! Now let me up!" )

I would be worried about her rolling around or not being able to get out of the cage. Rats are very good at adjusting their balance to their physical condition, and I wouldn't expect any rat to roll over by accident on their own. Heck, my oldest girl has a large mammary tumor weighting down one side, yet she still has impeccable balance, and is able to climb the cage, jump, and even balance on thin surfaces. I'd just be worried that the rolling is a sign of an illness such as an inner ear infection, which can throw off a rats balance.

That being said, I've never had a pregnant rat before, so I wouldn't know how their behavior changes. If you post pictures of the girl you think might be pregnant, other members with more experience may be able to help you.


----------



## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

I also want to add that 2 months old is very young for a rat to have a litter. I'd actually suggest ending the pregnancy if she is pregnant, as putting such a strain on her still growing body could be detrimental.


----------



## itsybitsy (May 17, 2017)

Shadow,

Did the photos posted not show up? The very sudden weight gain in addition to where its being stored is what concerns me. 

Its very possible she's well over 8 weeks. The posting on Craigslist had to be over 5 weeks after birth (so that they could be weaned off), and its been at least a month since that point. They're at least 9 weeks, possibly 10 or 11. I don't know how long they were kept before the posting.

Also, I really appreciate the reassurance on the squeaking!! I'm super nervous about health issues popping up and even more nervous about writing off potential symptoms. I just want healthy little rats and they scare me a little when I hear something out of the ordinary.

With how her stomach is currently shaped (like a pear), she has to readjust and jump to get up onto the open cage door. Otherwise her tummy catches on it. Her rolling over only happens when she tries to clean her stomach or genitals. She turns into a little tennis ball. Its almost cute. I've seen her climbing and flipping in the cage around her hammocks, but she's not as fluent as her sister due to how she's shaped. Still a little trooper though.


----------



## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

Oh, I just missed the pictures before, sorry about that. Anyway, your girls belly does look rounder (and more pear shaped) than I'd usually expect. Unfortunately, I have no experience with pregnant rats, so I can't really say if she's pregnant or not. However, she is still very tiny, and I stand by what I said about her being very young to have a litter. That doesn't mean she isn't pregnant, heck, rats can get pregnant as young as 5 weeks of age! I just mean that the strain of giving birth would be much harder on her young body than on an adult females body. That's why I was suggesting ending the pregnancy (that and the fact that rats can have 20 babies  Its pretty crazy!)

Hopefully other members with more experience will chime in as well.

As for squeaking, you only really need to be concerned if your rats are squeaking as they breath. That would indicate a respiratory issue. Any loud, super noticeable squeaking that seems intentional is bound to be her communicating with the other rat (or you).


----------



## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

She does look unusually round. Is it possible to get in touch with the seller and ask them when she was last housed with males (including littermates) and how old she was? 

Though, sadly there are alot of sellers that are flakey and do not want to accept the responsibility of making a mistake. Some will ignore customers as soon as the possibility of a problem arises, its pathetic. Its worth a try though, maybe they'll be nice about it.


----------



## zuldrak (Mar 13, 2014)

to me, this appears strikingly similar to megacolon. is her tummy hard or soft, and what do her poops look like? normal raisins, mucous-covered, oddly shaped, loose/diarrhea? this is from a ratguide article on megacolon: "Thus, you will often see genetic megacolon in BEW (black-eyed white), husky, blazed, split-capped, tei-colored, odd-eyed, and other “high white” lines of rats." their markings both appear to fall under the category of high white. do you know what their parents looked like or if megacolon ran in the breeder's lines? i would take them to a small animal vet as soon as possible for possible diagnosis, as natural death from megacolon is excruciating for a rat to endure.
here are two articles for further reading:
http://ratguide.com/health/digestive/megacolon.php
http://www.ratfanclub.org/megacolon.html


----------



## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

I completely forgot about megacolon! You'll definitely want to to check her stomach and stool as the above post states. I hope she doesn't have this issue, as megacolon is hard to accommodate (I believe the only treatment for rats is a specific diet, enemas, and in certain cases, laxatives) and ultimately fatal. 

Keep us posted.


----------



## InsideSunrise (Apr 28, 2017)

I don't have experience with this sort of thing, but as Shadow mentioned please do keep us posted with what happens. 
I agree that it's probably best to make sure incase she has megacolon, as it is ultimately fatal.
Good luck!


----------



## itsybitsy (May 17, 2017)

We're currently at the vet. Her stool has been on par with her sister's. Very regular. This is why I'm more inclined to believe it's a pregnancy. I got in contact with the previous owner and it seems that she was together with her brothers in the week and a half before I got her (I got her 9 days ago.) So it's very possible. I'll let you know when I get more info from the vet.


----------



## itsybitsy (May 17, 2017)

So we're going to have babies! We even got a small digital xray. I'll post photos when we get home. No word on the size of the litter yet but there were three little spines on the xray, which only covered a small part. 

This does mean that my other baby girl may be pregnant as well. I'll keep any updates on that as well. Meanwhile, I'm camping out for the next few days and hopefully I'll get to witness.


----------



## zuldrak (Mar 13, 2014)

so glad it isn't megacolon!!


----------



## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

It's good that she doesn't have megacolon. But she's still very young to have a litter. Since your going through with the pregnancy, you'll need to feed her a higher protein diet. I believe pregnant rats are suppostet to have 17-19%? protein, opposed to the 14%? adult rats usually require. 

Good lucky you and your ratty.


----------



## ray (Nov 4, 2015)

I wouldn't stay near the cage, you may make a new momma nervous. Especially since you don't know her history you don't know if she's likely to be an overprotective mother. I recommend olive oil dipped veggies to help hydrate and egg to add protein. Other than that you seem to be doing very well! Baby pictures are always appreciated!!


----------



## furlotte2001 (Dec 21, 2017)

how many did she end up having?


----------

