# My rat is spotting...



## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

I left my rats in the care of some other people another month ago when i had to leave town for a ouple days, and I think they put one fo my males with my girl, Ink.

She's shwon all the normal signs of pregnancy. She didn't get super huge.. she was a small rat, but she's been lethargic for the past 6 hours or so and has been spotting around her cage. Very obvious since I have her on white bedding.. lol :S

My question though is how long is it normal for them to be spotting for before having their babies. I'm really worried about her and don't want any complications.
She's 5 months old and this is her first (and hopefully only) litter, so just want to make sure she makes it through this one!


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## Pixxie (Jun 3, 2012)

How far along is she? From what I know (aka not much) spotting isn't really normal, especially not if she is acting lethargic. Unless she is literally about to give birth I'd be worried.


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

She's about 20-23 days along, guessing from the timeframe I was out of town.


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## Pixxie (Jun 3, 2012)

I would expect babies veeery soon. Just make sure she's in a quiet area with lots of nesting material. I can't help you too much, but I hope it goes well with her.


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## JBlas (Oct 21, 2012)

I was just looking at an older post about this same thing. Sounds like your rat is on target to give birth (21-23 days avg.) and a little spotting can be normal---according to lilspaz on page 3 under this same section of the forum (Caring for Accidental Litters)--under the thread "My rat is spotting". Hope this helps! Keep us posted!


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

Thank you..

Still hoping someone can enlighten me on how long spotting may last before babies though.
Really would like to know if she's been spotting for too long.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Normally spotting is a few hours before birth, however there shouldn't be lots of blood, hope there are lovely babies eeping away now.


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

Still no babies :s


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I would be concerned a bit now, if she appears to be having troubles I would take her to the vet, or at least call the vet (I'm just assuming you have an exotic vet).


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

She has yet to have any babies. However, she seems very comfortable right now. No lethargy. Eating/drinking/playing normally.
Picked her up and examined her a while ago.. she still has a belly, but as I mentioned before, she never had a huge pregnant belly. 
I'm assuming the babies will be stillborn if she even has them, I've never felt/seen them move... and given the current time after spotting.
She appears to have stopped spotting though. Will change her bedding in the morning just so it's clean to make sure I can tell if there is any /new/ blood.
Spotting never alarmed me too much as I was aware it was normal for some rats. Not excessive blood, just a drop or two here or there in her cage. Just very noticable since I have her on white paper bedding right now.

Called a local vet.. hard to find someone here that will even see rats. Initial appointment is $80 alone, no idea what extra costs will be.
And to top it all off, I don't get paid till Friday. What a mess. :l


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

She may well be reabsorbing, this isn't unuseual in rats that have been moved around during pregnancy. I this has happened you will notice her feeling softer then loosing weight. It can be a good idea to put her on some antibiotic coverage as it helps prevent infection.


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

Thank you everyone for helping out.She finally went into labor. She ate her first baby, the next two were stillborn. She got up and started moving around after that, so not sure if she's done or not.


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

One final update.Left my girl alone for the day so she wouldnt get stressed. Came back in the evening and didnt see anything in the cage so I took her out to investigate. She hadn't eaten the babies, but buried them all in the bedding so I had to clean her cage.She had 14 babies, and out of all of them, only one was a proper pinky size. The rest were small and underdeveloped which I'm attributing to both her small size and the fact it was her first litter.And thanks again to those that helped.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Glad she's doing ok. Also don't forget to post pictures


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Sorry for the losses but it was for the best. Glad your little girl is doing fine.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

So sorry it was such a hard experience.


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