# Is my new rat pregnant?



## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

I got my little girl Minnie here yesterday, and she's looking rather plump. She looks to be about 7-8 weeks old. We are having a hard time telling if she is pregnant. Can anyone help? The White and black spot top is Minnie and the black top is Moxxi who we presume to be her sister. They were together at the pet store, and my girlfriend thinks she might be pregnant. She is there for comparison' sake. We have every intention of taking care of any ensuing babies (in fact happy about it), we just want to be accurately appraised of the situation.

Furthermore, both seem to be relatively calm and sweet ratties for coming from PetSmart. They were accepting of treats instantly and very calm when it comes to be picked up and held. We wonder if they/she will change or if she already has. Any help or advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.


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## CrazyRatLady (Oct 20, 2012)

Im not an expert by any means so I won't try to say yes or no by the photos but will say that pregnant rats generally have a chubby pear shape with visable nipples. Hope all goes well with your ratties, they're very pretty


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## Rat-1- (Jul 22, 2012)

I don't know. You might have just gotten out. She looks abit too young to be pregnant. I'm not sure though. She might start nesting, pull off her hair around nipples, grow as a pear or become protective of her things. These are just general things though as every rat is different.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

The bellies dont look pregnant but that doesnt mean they arent


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

They don't look pregnant, just like normal baby rats. I would still watch out though, if they are you won't be able to tell for another week or two.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

I just read that they are from petsmart. I highly doubt they are pregnant. They rarely mix up boys in a girls cage and they separate sexes into different stores. Further more, rats are usually there for very long periods of time as they are usually not bought as feeders bc of the cost. So I highly highly doubt they are pregnant.


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

I got them very shortly after they had been put out, and PetSmart (at least the one I go to) keeps rats for 3 days before being put out to watch for health issues. So my guess is she was just being shipped a little less than a week ago. I was under the impression that PetSmart buys from rat mills, and that is where you will find males and females making babies together. Of course I could just be misinformed.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Most do get from mills, though some are now starting to get them from local breeders (those who breed for snake food and get a surplus of rats sometimes). They typically get them at 3 weeks old before they are able to get pregnant though, if from a local breeder it's often at 4 to 5 weeks. Pet mills are able to sex them, most of the time, and feeder breeders can sex them properly 99.9% of the time. Even then Petsmart employees are trained to be able to sex animals properly.


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## PhoebesHuman (Nov 18, 2012)

I've had a couple of people ask me if my older girl Phoebe is pregnant. I have to explain that now she is slowing down and finally beginning to chill out, her belly is a bit round but that's because she is older. This rat seems quite young and could struggle, but you can't really tell with rats until like 2 days before they're due.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Those look like typical 6-7 week old baby girls  They get this lovely potbelly at that age. Being Petsmart girls its probably unlikely they are pregnant if they came in a week ago. But the best way to determine pregnancy is to weigh them with a digital scale, once a day, every day at the same time. Record the weights and we can help you figure out what is pregnancy or what is baby girl growing rapidly and normally


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## cccgina1 (Nov 11, 2012)

Glad to read about the pot belly thing, I was wondering about one of my girls... she's a little chubby. She's the oldest of the three, but none of them are very old. So I think it's a potbelly. She does hoard food though, does that mean anything? She lets everybody dig it up and eat it. It's funny to watch her do it!


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

I don't have a school, but I've really been paying attention to how she feels when I lift her. She definitely feels like she is getting heavier and denser. She also seems to only squeak when we lift her while putting our hands under her stomach. When lifted more around her chest with 2 fingers and her rump another 2 she is really calm. She also eats quite a bit. She manages to fit 3 cheerios in her mouth when she gets to the treats without me looking. I've never had a rat do that before.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Those are normal. Mt rat Soda will store 7 Oxbox lab blocks (they are shaped like dog kibble) in his mouth at once and carry them around, drop them, and eat all of them. He does the samething with all food, he is still learning he can't carry 2 full size baby carrots in his mouth And jump with out dropping them. She could just be growing, rats between 3 and I want to say 12 weeks go through a rapid period of growth. Still watch out.

cccgina1 - she's hoarding, all rats do it, even males. they do it to store for winter in the wild or when food is scarce.


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

classlessrat said:


> I don't have a scale (not school).


 I must've been thinking about school when I typed that. Weird, lol. Anyways thanks for all the good replies. I will probably post again when she's a little bigger.


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

The only differences between now and when I posted are as follows: she feels heavier than before though this can simply be power of suggestion at work, she is actively nesting when provided with paper towels, and her vaginal area appears to have been groomed completely clean, fur and everything. Her area is definitely much tidier and fur-less than the others. We just want to know as soon as possible because we have five other girls in her cage, and one can be aggressive.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Can you get some pictures? She might be pregnant then, though a lot of rats nest (My rat Storm, who is a male, likes to make nests). Though her vaginal area being hairless can also be a sign of being in heat. Any thing else unusual? is it possible she is just in heat?


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

Yeah, another one of my girls that is a bit older and isn't pregnant likes to nest. Unfortunately, I have not had her long enough to know her little tendencies and quirks when she's in heat. Though today she has pretty much separated herself from the group and is spending most of her time sleeping solo on her little nest. Usually she is with everyone else, and she's very sweet and quite socialized for a PetSmart rat. Furthermore, it seems to be increasingly discomforting for her to be picked up with most of the weight supported near her mid-section as the days go by. She doesn't mind being held or picked up at all, but once you put any decent amount of pressure near her tummy she gets iffy. When giving her the two-handed scoop from underneath, she doesn't fight it at all. I realize you could make the argument that she just doesn't like to be picked up, but from my experience with her, it's very localized to her mid-section. Nothing else seems to bother her. She is also a massive hoarder, and despite being 7-8 weeks old (a guess based on her size) she is very, very dominant. I know pregnant rats have a tendency to become dominant and hoard food, though these are both still potentially normal behavior. If I knew how normal Minnie was for sure, I could guess whether I have a pregnant Minnie or not. -,-


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

Sorry I am not well versed in the art of ratty picture taking, but I tried. Maybe the last picture can give you a decent look at her rotundity.

Edit: Further apologies for the annoyingly incorrect rotation on some of the pictures. Forgot to rotate them both times.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Well, that is actually hard to tell not to be rude 
Hold her up so she's standing and you can see her belly better. Take the picture so it shows her belly not her back (Though a back picture would also be nice). If you have to give her a piece of cereal or a cracker piece.


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

Oh, no problem. I figured they would be of little use. Maybe these will help. It's really the best I can do. Also, when she moves just right, I can see a lump on either side of her, perhaps I'm just seeing things, but I don't feel like I've been able to capture that correctly. I see it randomly and can't have my camera ready.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Doesn't look pregnant, the only "bumps" i see are from her back leg, which is just muscle (Rats have very large hind legs to help jump and swim, rats can actually thread water for 3 days due to it, yes there was a study done on this). of coarse the cage bars are in the way so it might be blocking it?

Keep an eye on her, she Could be pregnant, but she doesn't look pregnant at all from what I'm seeing.


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## classlessrat (Nov 19, 2012)

Thank you for the prompt answer. I appreciate all the help. I will watch her and keep her safe from any falling and the like just in case. Will post again if there are any significant changes. Thanks again!


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Your welcome


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