# My new 7 week old rat is pregnant!



## Rosie13Xoxo (Apr 10, 2017)

First of all dont hate on me about the spelling and grammer. I brought two male rats from pets a home but unfortunately one of them died I was worried because i know rats need to be kept in pairs so the next day i decided to go down a get another male rat. I kept them in seperate cages next to eachother and they so they could smell, hear and see eachother and after a while swapped around one toy so they could smell eachother then the next day i put them in the bath tub since the older one (Bailey) had never been there they bonded straight away so after a couple nights of putting them in the same bath tub i put them in the same cage i got them out every day but every time i thought to myself he is defenatly a girl and i started researching and he (hershy) is a girl! She is only 6-7 weeks old ane what if Bailey has already mated with her. She is so young will she die giving birth? If she does give birth what should i do with bailey? Also i chucked away the other cage because i thought it wouldnt be needed the only thing i have is a little gerbil cage but if she is pregnant im going to put her and her pups in there but how will i know when I need to move her in there before she gives birth? And if i have to seperate them then will bailey be alright by himself for 5 weeks? And at 5 weeks could i give the pups to a rescue? Also dont hate on me i didnt know pets at home told me he was a deffernet male im sorry guys but i need your help. ):


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## BearNecessities (Dec 6, 2016)

I won't give you stick, I worked for pets at home and I know how clueless some of the staff there are. Are you certain she's pregnant? Regardless, separate them immediately if you haven't already done so. If she's not pregnant, you'll need another male for Bailey and another female for Hershey for company. Bailey will need a cagemate regardless. A gerbil cage really isn't a great choice of accommodation but if it's all you have, put her in there for now and look into getting two new cages. You'll need a single story cage for mum to give birth and raise the kits in and then another cage to separate the male babies into at 5 weeks. Ideally, you shouldn't find new homes for the babies until 6 weeks. You need to separate them now, so she can stay in her cage until she gives birth. You won't be able to reintroduce her to Bailey unless you get him neutered but I wouldn't agree with him being alone for 6+ weeks. Get him a male cage mate, like I said. I don't usually do this but I'm willing to help you out.. where in the UK are you based? If you're local to me, I'd be more than willing to take Hershey in and help her raise her litter. She's very young and may not be able to properly care for her litter, young rats aren't always mature enough to do so. I can put her babies with a surrogate mother and find them homes instead of you putting them into a rescue when rescues are already overrun with rats that struggle to find homes.


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## Rosie13Xoxo (Apr 10, 2017)

Thank you so would you take the babies in at 6 weeks to find them homes?


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## BearNecessities (Dec 6, 2016)

Hershey is 7 weeks old, there's always a chance she'll neglect her litter due to being so young. I'm offering to take the litter from birth and raise them at my rattery, if I'm to take the babies off of your hands I'll need mum here for the birth and until I've successfully introduced her babies to a new mother. Would you mind private messaging me so I can give you my email address and I can discuss it further with you.


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