# Could both of my rats be pregnant?? I would love some advice!



## Clementine_jam (May 21, 2012)

Hey there!

I adopted 2 rattie girls from my local humane society 18 days ago, and I am starting to suspect that they are both pregnant. I actually adopted them from a litter that was born at the humane society, and they are still very young girls. However, they were just over five weeks old when I adopted them, and they were being kept in the same cage with their brothers. At first I was worried about megacolon, but they are still pooping like crazy, eating a lot of food, and drinking a LOT of water. The reason I think they are pregnant is because they have starting sleeping a lot more than usual (however they still remain fairly active, just not as much), they have built separate nests in their two different nesting boxes (even though they both still sleep and cuddle together in one box), I have to refill their water bottle & food container every day from how much they consume, they seem to get rounder every day (I think they have both taken on a pear shape- however they are still not huge, or "golf-ball" size like I have heard people describe-like I said before they are still very young, small rats), I have started to notice their nipples (which I never noticed before), and their little vaginas seem to be slightly swollen/enlarged. So..could they be pregnant? Or could it still be megacolon? (they are white & cream w/ pink eyes, no high white markings)

I don't know if I am just paranoid...I get worried about my sweet, little babies and want to make sure they are safe, happy, and healthy. Anyways, if they are pregnant, what should I do to prepare for their babies' arrivals? I have provided toilet paper & shredded toilet paper roll strips for their nests..is this okay? Will I need to separate them or can they stay together? They are sisters and get along very well with each other, they groom & snuggle together all day. They do tussle with each other every once in a while, but it always seems to have a very playful nature and they never squeak or squeal. 

Also (last thing, I promise!) in the first couple of days after I brought them home, they were having pretty bad sneezing & wheezing fits. I was worried about myco flare-ups turning into pneumonia, so I took them to the vet. She prescribed .07 ml of Zithromax for 10 days, and that has really cleared them up. They never sneeze, their noses are dry, their eyes are bright, and their coats are nice and shiny..but could this antibiotic could have effected the babies and their development? I did start to notice their tummies getting bigger a couple of days after the medication stopped.

Anyways, I would really appreciate any advice or input! I have never had pregnant rats before and have never dealt with a litter of pups (let alone two at the same time), but I am staying calm and optimistic  Thanks a lot! Ps- Sorry I can't get any pictures, I don't have a camera


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

They will need to be separated and it does sound as if you might have babies on the way. Give them high protien foods, like eggs and chicken, to help support them and their babies. Tanks are the best for nursery cages, but a bin cage will work as well. (google them, they're made of rubbermaid bins)


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## EleashaC (Jan 30, 2012)

Posting some profile pictures of their tummies might allow us to give you a better idea, buuuut it sounds pretty suspicious to me. I just have to say, too, how irresponsible of the humane society! If you do end up having babies, I would absolutely call up the place and give them a (polite and friendly) chewing out. If they can't be bothered to investigate their rescue animals enough to know at what age to separate them, then perhaps there should be a little more education going on. Especially in the case of possible babies begin born! One of the human society's highest goals is to prevent a surplus of baby pets-- to which they have just possibly contributed. I truly hope there were extenuating circumstances, but it sounds like someone goofed, to me. Also, if they're still housing the males and females together, it behooves them to a) warn any other people to whom they may have adopted females, and b) spay the rest. 

Post pictures! If nothing else, everyone wants to see their little faces, I promise you.


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