# Possibly pregnant? Need help/advice



## Andrew21 (May 16, 2013)

I've had my rat for a little over 2 weeks now, and she has been great aside from a URI when I first got her. When I got her from the pet shop, she was housed with one other rat, a male. She is pretty young I believe, but I'm really not sure exactly how old she is. I'm worried she might be pregnant having lived with the male for at least a week before I brought her home. I've noticed over the past day or 2 that she has been acting a bit different. The position she sleeps in is usually just upright and curled up. Now, she will lay on her back and sleep or dangle off of her wheel and sleep half on half off. I don't really know what to think. She doesn't have a BIG belly but it has gotten larger I think since I brought her home, although it could be just her growing. I have a few pictures I tried to take to give a better idea. Any help or tips are greatly appreciated. I just want to do all the right things for her.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Hmmm... it doesn't look like a pregnant belly to me, but until you've had her for a full 4 weeks I'd be on pregnancy watch. She is a super duper gorgeous girl! Does she have a friend to keep her company, or are you waiting to find her a friend until you know if she's pregnant or not?


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## Andrew21 (May 16, 2013)

Thanks! She's pretty awesome. She doesn't have a friend yet because if she is pregnant then I want keep one of her daughters as a buddy, but if she ends up not being pregnant then I definitely plan on getting her a friend.


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## RosesRufflesandRats (Apr 25, 2013)

She doesn't look pregnant, but then, it's hard to tell. I agree with Rumy, if time goes by and you don't find any little pink wiggly things in the cage, she's not pregnant.

She's really gorgeous!!! Congratulations!


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## Andrew21 (May 16, 2013)

So I got home today and thought my girlfriend had left some watermelon in the cage for my rat, Emmy. However, watermelon doesn't squirm or squeak, so I was surprised to say the least. She had a litter of 6. I thought her being pregnant was possible but was obviously unsure. Now that there are babies, what should be my next step? I've never dealt with anything like this before, and any help is appreciated. I assume its normal for my rat to be protective and nip at me a little? How long might that last? When should the babies start to be weened? When is it safe for me to handle them? I've got a ton of questions but its hard to think right now. When should they be separated? Should I avoid handling Emmy at all for a while? Would this desocialize her at all? If you have any tips for me or answers to questions I didn't even ask, I'm all ears. Sorry for lack of structure in this post.


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## Emyhb22 (Apr 19, 2013)

Ahhh she is gorgeous! And I am looking forward to seeing ratty pictures! I don't know a lot about breeding myself so can't really offer my help.. But wishing you and your babies all the luck  x


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

You can handle them whenever she lets you. if she's nipped at you it means she doesn't want you to handle them yet. You'll want to wait until she's out to play before you handle them until it seems like she's happier with you touching them. She will still need to have time outside of the cage every day and time with you, so she shouldn't be desocialized at all. 

It is normal for her to be protective--that will subside once the babies are weaned, perhaps sooner.

They will be weaned by 5 weeks of age, but they'll start eating and drinking on their own as early as 2-3 weeks of age. 

They should be separated no later than five weeks by gender. 

Feel free to ask any other questions you may come up with!

Also make sure mom is getting lots of extra protein--eggs and fish are best.


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

Hi,

Congratulations on your litter. A bit of an unexpected beginning to rat ownership. I think you mentioned elsewhere that your rat has a white blaze on her face?

I am not sure if your question was answered but if not, it might be worth posting a picture of the marking. White blazes are sometimes a marking referred to as high white which is associated with increased risk for a genetic disease called megacolon (not an issue for your rat as it manifests in very young rats and is lethal). It might be worth clearing up the issue so you will know what to look out for. More knowledgable people than myself will quickly tell you if you need to be on guard. 

Good luck with the kittens!


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## Andrew21 (May 16, 2013)

Here is a good, straight on picture, as well as one of the babies.


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## RosesRufflesandRats (Apr 25, 2013)

She's a pretty girl and those babies are adorable!

Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable about megacolon, but Hephaestion brings up a good point.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Awww, look at the bubs with their little milk bands! You might want to give mom some paper towels to shred up to build a nest for them so they don't have to lay on the plastic all the time.


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## Hephaestion (Jan 27, 2013)

Hi guys, 

Would anyone au fait with high white markings be able to inform Andrew21 if he needs to be vigilant regarding his recent litter? A surprise litter is a terrible enough introduction to rats without having to deal with unexpected occurrences of megacolon in the young as well. The picture of his rat's marking is on the previous page.

Thanks!


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

I have a high white, as does Rat Daddy. A blaze, head spot, or other irregular marking on the face can indicate the risk for mega colon. Not all of the rats with high white markings come up with it though. Rat Daddy will know more about this as he told me about it in the first place. His rat, Amelia, is a high white. It should be easy to tell, they will look extremely bloated. I'll see if I can find a picture to post of a rat with mega colon. It's pretty disturbing.


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Here is the picture that I was thinking of:






sorry if its small...
Here's my high white, Stitch









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