# Young pregnant girl(s)



## PandaBruja

This sucks for a first post lol >.<
So a few days ago i adopted 3 more rats off of Craigslist. Last night i noticed that one of them is awfully round and her tummy feels a little lumpy. 
I am nervous because she is so young and also because she has a streak on her face, which i know is a common characteristic in rats with MC genetics. I plan on making a post in the adoption center here, on craigslist (i will be very picky on who gets to take them) and i might even keep a few (or all if its a small litter ;D;D)
She's going into her own cage soon just in case. I am really hoping that she's just chunky.. but the other girls feel normal. 
I contacted the woman who gave them to me, and she has yet to reply. I dont think she plans to. She didnt say anything about them being with any males but who knows. 

So anyway, here are some pictures that i took last night. I plan to keep you all updated through everything. She doesnt even have a name yet >.<










I've had an oops litter before, so i know what to do... but it's been a while and i am nervous!!


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## Rumy91989

Hmmm... that's a hard call. She definitely looks pretty round but not SUPER pregnant so it's possible she's just a fatty. I'd definitely keep her separated for another week or so just in case. Since rats don't usually start showing until about the third week, a week on her own should be enough to tell whether or not she's expecting. I'd keep an eye on the others as well because if one was kept with males, it's likely they all were. :/
She's very, very cute though! Get her some extra protein both for her age and her possible pregnancy and make sure she gets extra lovin!


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## PandaBruja

Thanks for your reply! I'm a little nervous that it could be MC... but i just had her out to take pics and she had a few poops.
I will definitely be keeping an eye on the others.
So i tried contacting the woman and she never replied. Of course. Should i say something else to her or just forget about it? It's not like i'm going to give them back to her lol. That may be why she wont answer me, she thinks i'll try and make her take them back. 

Anyway, i took some more pictures of her. She looks bigger in person xD
A bit of an overload, but i couldnt decide which pictures to use. I hate not knowing. So nerve-wracking >.<







excuse that hair >.< she was playing around on the couch.



hehe


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## Kaliloca

Congratulations on your new rats. 

They're adorable. 

As far as the tummy on your one girl.... She could be pregnant or she could be a little chubber.  Either way, she looks to be very healthy. 

She has a nice roundness and the nipples are a bit exposed. That would point to pregnant, but it doesn't always mean pregnant. 

Depending on her age and if she was in with a male, she could be pregnant. 

If no male was present, then she's just chubby. If she's too young, then she's just chubby. 

Hopefully, the person you adopted her from will get back to you with more info. 

Anytime there's a "possibility" of a rat being pregnant, you should treat her as such. 

One way or the other, time will give you the answer. 

I hope all turns out the way you hope.


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## PandaBruja

Thanks Kaliloca. She's such a super sweet girl. The other two newbies are still skittish 

The woman i got her from said 2-3 months. She looks about 6-8 weeks to me.
I DID get one of her brothers, because these were the last 3 babies. I have two other males (ALWAYS SEPARATED) 
When she brought me the rats, they were all in the same cage, but that couldnt have been when she got pregnant because she wouldnt be showing yet...
She said that they were in 10 gallon tanks, but i assumed she knew to have them separated so i honestly don't know. I didn't ask. She didn't tell me much (i kept her waiting for a little while so she was kinda rude lol). This woman works at a pet store! She should know better.

I'm getting another cage today... might need some extras around here lol. I think im going to give her EXTRA pregnant spoils because i just feel so bad for her. She is still a baby and now she might have to be a mama. 

This is how i HOPE it to turn out:
1st i HOPE that she ISNT pregnant
2nd.... if she IS then i hope she will have an easy birth, and a very small litter ;D

My hopes might be too high lol.


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## Reikiru

Firstly shes gorgeous! Secondly, I will have my fingers crossed for you that if she IS preggers that she has a small litter. Though last time i crossed my fingers for a small litter, i ended up with 11! I hope it all pans out with for you and your new darlings.


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## Isamurat

Poor thing, her tail is tiny, she reslly will need all the protien you can give her, it should looi more I proportiin with her body.

If her brother came with her and her sistera then the chances are they are all now pregnatn, thouh may not be as advances as this girl looks. You need to prepare for the worst potentially.

There is another option, though an unpopular one, galstrop has been shown to be pretty effective when used in a single dose to encourage rats to effectively reabsorb there litter, and so stops pregnancy. Personally I think its better for the mum rats in these kind of situatiins, though many people are against it as they prefer mum to have babies. Your vet should be able to discuss or perscribe it. Its low risk and a lot safer than preventative spaying in such a young girl.


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## LightningWolf

She looks pregnant, and might be close to having babies (I'd say a week?). though by her belly it will probably be a smaller litter (maybe around 8 or less?)

Also she does not have High white markings. She looks like a blazed Variegated, which means it is a Recessive blaze and has never been associated with megacolon. Also her blaze is a Lightning blaze which is what almost all (maybe around 98%) of blazed Variegateds/recessive blazes have while most high white blazes (around 98%) have wedge blazes.

you do not have to worry about Megacolon.


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## PandaBruja

What a relief, LightningWolf. Thanks for the lesson! 

She will be going into her own cage either tonight or tomorrow. Im still seeing no sings of pregnancy in the other girl so fingers crossed!
Isamurat, i never noticed her tail... it looks normal in person. But she will definitely be getting LOTS of protein and nutrients and some ensure. Ive never heard of the galstrop, but i think im just going to let her have them and hope for the best.

Here is tonights picture... she gave me a nice angle! 



Im so stressed out about the pregnancy that i can't even sit and try to think of names for her and her siblings lol.


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## Rumy91989

Now she's definitely looking pregnant. Separate her as soon as you can and load her up with proteins and vitamins. Hopefully since she's so young she won't have a big litter.


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## Kaliloca

Yeah,
The angle of that last picture with the side bulge..... And when you factor in the males..... That really doesn't look like a food belly anymore. 

Here's what a food belly looks like. It's very similar, but lacks that "side bulge". http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?67970-What-do-you-think&highlight=rice+belly

 Keep a close watch on her.


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## PandaBruja

Oh she does look pregnant! What a pretty chubby girl... she looks like my Poppette, only she's a standard ear and only has one eye.


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## Kaliloca

PandaBruja said:


> Oh she does look pregnant! What a pretty chubby girl... she looks like my Poppette, only she's a standard ear and only has one eye.


Thanks, 
That's my little Holly. LOL. 

I was really hoping your girl had a food belly too. I know how stressful unexpected babies can be.  

What happened with Poppette? How did she lose her eye?


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## phatdaddy

def pregnant, poor thing.


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## PandaBruja

Kaliloca said:


> Thanks,
> That's my little Holly. LOL.
> 
> I was really hoping your girl had a food belly too. I know how stressful unexpected babies can be.
> 
> What happened with Poppette? How did she lose her eye?


Poppette (Poppy) was another craigslist rat. Got her from a feeder breeder. She was either BORN with only one eye, or it got injured and she lost it. All i know is that she didnt have one when we got her and it looked healed other than being a little moist for a few days. Shes about to be on my profile pic!


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## PandaBruja

I HEAR SQUEAKING AND SEE LITTLE PINKIES UNDERNEATH HER!!! It doesn't seem to be a very big litter (thank goodness)
I havent touched anything yet but im about to make her an egg.


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## PandaBruja

Lol she's doing a good job of being on them but not a great job of not stepping on them. Shes eating her egg. Im about to check for milkbands and take pics! Should i make another thread or keep this one going?


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## PandaBruja

I think they other little girl may be preggers too... im going to make a bin cage soon and she's going in there.
What a life lol. 
I must admit i was a little excited to see bright red little things under her tummy!


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## PandaBruja

lol sorry for post overload but... i counted 7 babies. I found two buried in the bedding dead so she had 9 and two died somehow 
We buried them real quick and now it seems like she is looking for them or maybe making a new nest.
It took alot out of mama... she feels MUCH smaller now. So she's getting lots of goodies. 
But i am guessing 4 females and 3 males! 

heres mama


babies


and this caught my interest. shes got a black spot on her little snout? 


They are now in the adoption section!


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## Kaliloca

PandaBruja said:


> lol sorry for post overload but... i counted 7 babies. I found two buried in the bedding dead so she had 9 and two died somehow
> We buried them real quick and now it seems like she is looking for them or maybe making a new nest.
> It took alot out of mama... she feels MUCH smaller now. So she's getting lots of goodies.
> But i am guessing 4 females and 3 males!
> 
> heres mama
> 
> 
> babies
> 
> 
> and this caught my interest. shes got a black spot on her little snout?
> 
> 
> They are now in the adoption section!


WOW!!

That was really fast. LOL. I never would have thought she was that far along. 

Congratulations on your new babies.  

Mama rat looks more like a big sister then a mom. It's good that the litter was small. 

They're so pink and cute.  
Even with unexpected litters, the babies are always extremely cute. 


I hope your other girl does well too. Since this girl was obviously pregnant.... It's probably a given the other girl is as well. 

I like the picture of Poppette. 
She does look a lot like my girl. I'm glad you saved her from the feeder/breeder. It doesn't seem like having an eye missing has affected her at all. She looks like a very happy girl.


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## PandaBruja

Thank you! I let the woman know that she gave birth and that im pretty sure the other one is preggy too... i asked if she knew and all she replied was
"no... sorry" *facepalm*
Oh well i guess... i'll take much better care of them than she could have anyway lol.


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## Kaliloca

PandaBruja said:


> Thank you! I let the woman know that she gave birth and that im pretty sure the other one is preggy too... i asked if she knew and all she replied was
> "no... sorry" *facepalm*
> Oh well i guess... i'll take much better care of them than she could have anyway lol.


I know they're much better off in your care.


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## Rumy91989

OH SUCH CUTE BABIES!!! So sad mom is so young, but hopefully they'll all get through it alright. My Cloud is a retired feeder breeder and was bred pretty consistently from her first heat on and she's now almost two and is doing fairly well, so I think your gal will be fine! Keep posting pictures! THEY ARE SO SO CUTE!!!


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## LightningWolf

Aw, adorable.

The other two were probably born stillborn. The black dot is probably just a bruise either from mom pulling him out of the birth canal or possible that she accidentally bit him while cleaning him off. it happens.


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## PandaBruja

Thanks Rumy! I think she will be alright too. The mama of the oops litter i had years ago was a youngin too (just a little older than these girls)
Thanks Lightningwolf, that's good to know. 
I plan on posting pictures at least once a week 
I am a bit nervous though... i am going on vacation either the end of this month or early next month for two weeks... I will be so worried about them!

So... would anyone in or near Alabama like to adopt some baybies? 
Ive got the other little girl on watch... but since this girl was so far along when i got her, i'm almost positive that she's pregnant too. 
I plan on keeping some of the babies.. but there's no telling how many the other girl might have
Making a bin cage tonight or tomorrow! 

Would anyone like to throw name suggestions out there? Im looking at fairytale-ish/ snowy/ gem/ unique names. 
And i'll probably end up giving all the bubs a name theme as well xD


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## Rumy91989

I vote you go with the fair tale name theme! If you give me a few I'll come up with some suggestions...


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## PandaBruja

Thanks Rumy  
So far i like Bliss for the current mama rat and Faye for the other girl.. and Basil for the boy! 

The babies will probably either have nature based name theme or fairytale (or both, they kinda go hand in hand)


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## RosesRufflesandRats

Love the current names! Here are some others (I'm not going to bother separating by gender as some can go either way.)

Some nature names: Primrose, Daisy, Rose, Violet, Honeysuckle (any other flower name). Maple, Alder, Lichen, Ivy, 

Fairytale: Dumbo, Belle, Cinderella, Alice, Tinker Bell...whoops, I guess these are more like disney, lol! Sorry! Okay, let's see: Hansel, Gretel...oooh, you could name a pair of girls Pie and Piper, Princess, Fairy or Faerie if you want the old spelling which would be cool...Titania...I'm really drawing blanks here, so sorry. If I can think of more later when my brain is being more intelligent I will. (Don't count on that happening, lol!)


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## PandaBruja

Thanks Roses, i like Primrose, Violet, and Pie and Piper is cute! Ive got a little list going lol.
Quick question... is it okay to give mama some tuna?


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## Rumy91989

Yes and she'll love it! My gals ho bonkers over fish!


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## PandaBruja

That's what i thought xD I knew that rats can have fish.. just didnt know about the babies. She will be having some tomorrow!
She seems like such a nervous mama... right now she's moving them for the third time to a different corner xD 
She just had playtime with her sissy.


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## poodlecrazy1

Awww they are so cute and so is mama! Good luck with them and I cant wait to see more pics!


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## LightningWolf

Tuna is safe, but Ive noticed that rats tend to go more crazy over Sardines, plus since it's a whole fish mom will get a bit of calcium from the bones.

Not sure on names, I'm not very good with staying within a theme.


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## PandaBruja

Yeah ive ALWAYS heard about rats loving sardines but i've never ever given it to them in all my 5 years of owning rats... i will definitely have to give it a try sometime.


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## Rumy91989

Do try it. Sardines are nice and cheap and all eight of my girls go nuts for them!


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## PandaBruja

Maybe i'll pick some up if i go out today  I need to get some ensure too. 
All babies are still doing well. I have a feeling im going to have LOTS of blue babies on my hands. As far as i know, the father of the ones i have is blue, and all the siblings that i know of were blue. I asked the woman what color the mother is and also if all of the babies were blue.

The other girl is starting to feel very full and heavy. Her belly is still pretty small though. 

Lol, i just remembered me picking up one of the female rats and my boyfriend asking "What's that red thing??" He was referring to her nipples hahahah. I guess that should have been my first indicator of a pregnancy. He never saw exposed nipples on my other girls xD 

Here are tummy pics of the other little girl... Apparently the woman i got them from told me that "they are a little skittish, this one is friendlier because i just love that face stripe and we gave her more attention" UGH! Yes, her siblings are much more skittish than she is... so it was harder to get a belly pic. She was squirming out of my hand in the last one... but it's a good angle lol. These were taken just a few minutes ago







She's got the roundness and the heaviness.... but not a very big belly. Maybe she will have an even smaller litter!


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## Flora

Awww!!! Cute babies!! Glad everyone is doing well. Poor girls for being such young mommas! I have a female that is is just tiny! She is the same size as my 4 months old. I think her mother was a very young mom also so dont be surprised if the babies dont get big like most rats.

Sardines are great and cheap! I also give mine oysters.


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## Rumy91989

Honestly I don't think the second one is pregnant... I could be wrong, but it almost looks like she's in heat in that last picture, and those belly shots look pretty normal. She's probably heavier from actually being taken care of. I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one.
SQUEEE BLUE BABIES!!! Where in AL are you?
NO WAIT NO. I cannot have more rats. I can't. Really, I can't.


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## PandaBruja

Mmmm yum oysters! I'll have to try that too  
My OTHER two females are pretty small too... these girls are almost as big as they are and they are about 6 months old or so. 
These new girls of mine will probably outgrow them soon.

I noticed that her vag kinda looked in heat too... but her tummy feels a bit lumpy. She feels different than her brother so that's why i think she probably is. I could be wrong though! And it would be GREAT if she were not! 

Hahahah i am between Cullman and Birmingham! I used to live up by the state line.
LOL that's what i said... and now look what happens xD 

I tried posting in the adoption center yesterday.. but i guess it wasn't approved


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## Rumy91989

Hmmm... yes, the lumps would suggest that something is going on. It's normal for a girl's tummy to feel different from a boy's, though, as their body chemistry is different and their builds will become more and more different as they age. Anyway, I guess it's just a waiting game now!

Man, you aren't that far of a drive. But actually by the time they're weaned I should be living in Chicago, so... I guess I'm safe. Not sure why I feel disappointed about that.


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## Rumy91989

Also, I didn't know adoption center posts had to be approved. I wonder why yours wouldn't have been? You may have to wait until they're weaned to post on here.


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## PandaBruja

Wow Chicago! Yep they are supposed to be weaned by June 14 BUT im going to Panama on June 9th for two weeks so they will probably have to wait until i get back. Ugh its going to drive me nuts hahah.

Yep we are making a bin cage right now, Mama is going into that and then the other little girl is going into the cage that the mama is in right now. 

And that sucks... i was hoping to have them a place to go by that time!


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## LightningWolf

Well, if dad was blue your going to have all blue rats since blue is a recessive gene. 

Hopefully you can find someone to watch them. I also had no idea that the adoption center needed permission to post. Probably to help cut back on people spamming it? Granite I've never had to post there so not sure if that's new or not.


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## PandaBruja

Maybe they didnt accept my post because I linked to this thread? *shrug* 
Theres a good chance that the daddy of the litter is the brother, and hes all blue. And THEIR daddy is all blue. I know this because the woman told me that he looks just like dad.


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## PandaBruja

oh and my boyfriend is going to watch them... I trust him but that doesnt mean im not going to be nervous! Plus I want to watch them grow!


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## PandaBruja

Well, mama is finally in the bin cage and the other girl (ugh they need to be named im tired of saying girl and other girl lol) is in her own little cage. 
The babies are showing faint colors and it looks like they are ALL solid except for 1 boy and 1 girl! Wow. hopefully there will be some way to tell them apart.


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## Flora

Is "other girl" getting any bigger?


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## PandaBruja

She looks very very big today... but her tummy is not bulging like the current mamas did. She really FEELS pregnant. She feels very full, tummy is hard and i swear i feel some lumps. I took more pictures but you can't really tell. 

Here are this afternoons pictures

Mama came to get some scritches 



The babies



Sissy visiting mama




Tummy!




All three males might have a home together!


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## PandaBruja

Couple more questions....
1. If sissy has a litter, could I then put them in the cage together?
2. Can I give them one of my womens caramel calcium chews?


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## Isamurat

1, Since they've been seperated for a while i wouldn't put them in together at least at first. Once the babies have there eyes open and are furry and moving around then the mums would probably appreciate sharing the load a little

2, I would stick to any cooked bones you might have or egg plus the shell, its a human size dose in your calicum tablet and unless you can divide it down small they would be getting a lot extra. Calcium can cause problems if they have too much. Using bones and such they will naturally only eat a small amount. Also try and make sure they get oily fish like sardines etc at least once a week (or fish oil like salmon oil) and some seaweed powder or chopped up nori sheets (sold for sushi) is great too, full of minerals for growing things.


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## PandaBruja

They've only been separated for 4 days and they get daily visits with eachother. But okay i will still wait. 
Ive got some seaweed sheets that i feed them sometimes, cool i'll feed them even more! Maybe i'll just give them a tiny bit of the chew as a treat.


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## PandaBruja

Here are todays pictures

heres little girls belly today


baby girls 




baby boys


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## Rumy91989

Looks like you'll have some hoodies and berkies! So so cute! Still can't tell if the sister is pregnant or not.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

Awww!!! They are adorable!!!


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## PandaBruja

Yep! It's going to be hard to tell the berkies apart if they are all going to be the same color!! 
When i pick her up, she definitely feels preg. I wish there was a function where you could FEEL her lol! Like, she feels pregnant so much that im afraid to lift her up or be anything but extra gentle with her.


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## PandaBruja

So... I just got bit HARD. like harder than ever before in my 6 years of being a rat mom. The little girl has built a nest... I reached in to pet her, letting her sniff my finger first and she bit me so hard I was gushing blood and it wouldn't stop. im still applying pressure and typing with one hand. she is going to be one tough mama and ill definitely be afraid to put my hand in once theyre born. So anyway I think theyre going to be here very soon because she built a nest, bit me, and her sides keep sucking in and she seems pretty uncomfortable. Fingers crossed for an easy delivery!


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## Rumy91989

Keeping my fingers crossed, too! Make sure you disinfect your wound thoroughly. We I got bit by Cloud (to the bone) a few weeks ago I wrapped my finger in gauze and put medical tape around it because the band-aid wasn't doing much for me. If you can do something like that I'd suggest it. Make sure you keep it clean and try not to use it much and it'll heal quickly.
And yeah, sounds like little momma is getting protective. I'd only handle the babies when little momma is out and about exploring.


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## PandaBruja

Please send good vibes for an easy birth. Little mama seems to be having a hard time. Shes been squeaking every once in a while and appears to be having contractions. I thought she might be stressed out because its daytime so I put a blanket over the cage to make it nice and dark. here are some pics. 

she was laying like this for a few minutes. I got pretty worried.


then she got up to stretch. 



on a lighter note I also took these earlier

this baby girl on the top right corner has a heart on her back. the other hoodie is a male


and I took this for the person who said they wanted the 3 males. they look like baby seals!


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## Rumy91989

Those are very cute pics, but is does seem like little momma is struggling. She might just be uncomfortable in general, as giving birth is never fun, but keep an eye on her.


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## PandaBruja

Yeah im hoping that she just started the process during the day and ive never witnessed it so what im worried about could be normal. ive left her alone and will be checking on her periodically. wish us luck.


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## PandaBruja

Ive been checking the cage at least once every hour, and this time there is a little bit of blood!


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## RosesRufflesandRats

Poor girl, I hope she does well! Those babies are so chubby!!!! Their Mamas (rat and human) are obviously giving them good care.


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## Debra

Good vibes your way!


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## PandaBruja

Still no babies. Should i be worried?


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## Rumy91989

It's possible she re-absorbed them, though I think that's rare this late in pregnancy. Has there been any more bleeding? How is she acting? Does she seem OK?


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## PandaBruja

She is alert and looking alright, she's just laying around a whole lot and she's moved corners since then. I was wondering too about the absorbtion... but i dont know a whole lot about that. I havent noticed any more bleeding. She sure is round though.


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## Andrew21

What are we talking about here? My new rat has a white streak on her head. Is she okay?I'm new to the rat owning community.


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## PandaBruja

Your rat looks fine. This is a thread about my new mother rats. Please make your own post for your rat.


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## Rumy91989

PandaBruja said:


> She is alert and looking alright, she's just laying around a whole lot and she's moved corners since then. I was wondering too about the absorbtion... but i dont know a whole lot about that. I havent noticed any more bleeding. She sure is round though.


I'd actually PM Isamurat if you can about this, as she knows quite a bit about this sort of thing and I only know the little I've learned in passing. I believe reabsorbtion is harmless, but I don't want to say that and be wrong.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

Oh poor thing! Do you have a small animal vet in your area that you can go to if need be? I don't know too much about this sort of thing, but animal births are usually pretty quick, aren't they?


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## PandaBruja

To be honest and quite blunt, if I had the means to take her to the vet, she probably would have already gone, bit unfortunately I just cant make an appointment right now. Other than the strange things I've mentioned she seems normal. I am waiting to see if Isamurat stops by, if not ill pm her tomorrow.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> To be honest and quite blunt, if I had the means to take her to the vet, she probably would have already gone, bit unfortunately I just cant make an appointment right now. Other than the strange things I've mentioned she seems normal. I am waiting to see if Isamurat stops by, if not ill pm her tomorrow.


I completely understand. I try to get along without a vet as much as possible with my pets. If she seems pretty normal, then it sounds like you have things under control. Sorry if I sounded like I thought otherwise!


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## PandaBruja

Youre not wrong in any way for asking. I usually make sure I have enough to cover emergencies, but lately its just not possible. Im having to sacrifice in other areas of my life as well.
But anyway, im working to make that change. 
What im hoping is that little mama is just uncomfortable because shes so small and young. Maybe her litter is bigger than her sisters was and the babies moving around are bothering her.
Or shes reabsorbing them. Only time will tell... but that time isnt coming soon enough!


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## Isamurat

I think this long after youve seen blodd probably does mean your not going to see any live babies. She may still go on to have stillborn babies though. You need to watch for if she appears to be straining or in pain. This could be a sign she is trying to give birth and the baby is stuck. A vet may be able to help pull the stuck baby out or give a jab to help her contractions but she may need an emergency spay to save her life. One of my friends had this recently and nearly lost her girl, 8 hour emergency vet trip later and the girl somehow pulled though and is doing well.

Most rats in this situation reabsorb fine, it is well worth putting them on something like baytril or another broad spectrum antibiotic whilst this is going on, and expect them to possibly pass a little more blood (old browney looking not new bright red). Just keep her warm and well fed and think about moving her in with her friends in the next day or two so shes not on her own. I wouldnt put her in with mum and baby though as her hormones will be a bit haywire right now. If its reabsorption she will start feeling softer soon and gradually loose weight over rhe next week or two.

Best of luck for your girl, a gentle reabsoption followed by a happy childhood to grow up into a happy rat.


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## PandaBruja

Thank you so much. There are no eepers this morning but she did build a more elaborate nest. This will be maybe the third or fourth nest she has built.
I still haven't tried to touch her since she bit me. Is it normal for her to want to build a nest even if shes reabsorbing or about to deliver stillborns?
The mamas have been having (respectively) 
eggs, nori sheets, sunflower seeds, bit of chicken, veggies, cat food, sardines, tuna, rice, beans, apples and I think thats it
anything else you think they should be having? I have several vitamins and supplements I could give, but I really dont know how to go about that if its possible. 
Ive decided if this mama ends up with no litter, we will keep two females and one male from the current litter. Ive finally found a way to tell them all apart. I might have individuals up later. Theres one slight veriberkie girl that im set on keeping xD

Heres little mamas nest. Try to find her!


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## PandaBruja

well guys I went in to feed her. Coaxed her out to find her 5 times smaller and a dead squished baby in the nest. The baby was quite warm so im not sure if it was a still born. I guess she either ate the rest or reabsorbed them. I gotta say im quite relieved but also a bit heartbroken. Shes still getting treated like a mama until she gains some weight back!


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## Debra

At least mama came through this okay! 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## PandaBruja

Definitely! Shes spending some time with sister right now and ive got the babies out. 

Here she is on the left! 



And... baby pictures! 





Girl with heart on her back <3




baby face 


My Variberk girl. Its hard to tell because the sides barely come up.


Now i gotta figure out which other babies to keep >.< tough!


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## PandaBruja

This is how i tell the babies apart. They are officially one week old!

Between the males there is one hoodie, and two solids. Out of the two solids though, one boy has more of the "white socks" so he will be more berkie than the other.

Between the females, there is the heart hood, one variberk, one girl with socks and shes got a pink tail tip and also a pink ring around her tail, and one all grey girl.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

EEEEEEE!!!!! They are so chubby!!!!!!! I love the one with the heart!!! That's too cool!!!!! Darn, if you weren't so far away I would want dibs on her!!!

That's so sad about the babies. After all mama went through, and she doesn't even get her babies. This sounds heartless, but perhaps it was for the best because finding homes for two litters would be really hard. I'm just so glad she's doing okay. It is not fair that these girls had to give birth so young.


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## PandaBruja

I agree that it was for the best even though its sad. she seems to have bounced back already though. I might have a great home lined up for two girls and so far the guy who wants two males still wants
them. So hopefully everyone will have wonderful homes and this will end happily! 

Im going to keep posting pictures of mama and babies so you can all see them grow


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> I agree that it was for the best even though its sad. she seems to have bounced back already though. I might have a great home lined up for two girls and so far the guy who wants two males still wants
> them. So hopefully everyone will have wonderful homes and this will end happily!
> 
> Im going to keep posting pictures of mama and babies so you can all see them grow


I'm glad there is a happy ending to this bittersweet story! I would love to continue to see pictures! I can't get over the little girl with the heart! Lol, I showed the picture to my friend and she went crazy over it and said she wants to drive all the way down to Alabama now. So if she goes missing under mysterious circumstances, we shall know who the culprit was.


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## PandaBruja

Lol if you want her you might be able to come down and get her if you also take a sister. But don't you come sneakin around stealing babies!


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## Mitsy

I loooooove the one with the heart mark on its back  its soo cute


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## PandaBruja

Yeah i love her but I chose not to claim her first because I already have two blue hoodie girls and second because I know she will be easy to home. 
These babies really were born into alot of love and shes proof! lol
But I would love to adopt to someone on the forum becsuse I know ill for a fact that I will be able to see lots of pictures and updates


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> Lol if you want her you might be able to come down and get her if you also take a sister. But don't you come sneakin around stealing babies!


Hey, it wouldn't be me, it would be my friend. I'm not responsible for her actions, lol! And she's not a euphemism for myself, I promise!


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## PandaBruja

LOL you know if she came down youd probably go with her!


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> LOL you know if she came down youd probably go with her!


Sigh. You're probably right....

And then we would start fighting over the rat and making a big ruckus which would alert you to the situation. So your rat is pretty safe.


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## Isamurat

The mums are such babies themselves, its really heartbreaking, I do think its for the best that the second girl had a stillborn litter and the first girl a reasonable sized litter (often young mums have a massive litter), poor things need to grow up themselves too. Has your second girl got any other friends she could live with? If not I would think about putting her with mum and babies in a few days time once the babies eyes are open. Try them on your couch first and see how your first girl reacts before putting them together. If at all worried give it another week. By 3 weeks most mums are realising how full tbere paws are and appreciate help.


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## PandaBruja

Yes i am so grateful that mama had a small litter. I think i've decided to name her Adhira. Its a female hindi name meaning Lightning. And the "other girl" im calling Mimosa. 
So Mimosa does have two other girls about 6 months old that she can play with. She's been having short play times with them... im still not sure if i'd rather stick her in there with them or put her with Adhira soon. 

All of the babies have their baby names!


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## PandaBruja

Today i got a little camera happy. I am also excited that all the babies have names that i can tell them apart from. So i took some individual shots! I decided to go with a plant/herb theme. 

Here's a girl group photo, showing off my variberk girls belly 




This is Basil. One of the boys i want to keep (can't decide) He's got a little tiny headspot! 






This is Sage, the other boy im trying to choose from. Blue capped boy with an x on his back!






This is Hawthorne hes a berkie






This is my girl Indigo. Variberk. i love her! 





This is Clover, i will probably be keeping her or Rosemary. Clover is all blue but will have some tummy spots.






This Rosemary. Shes got a pink ring around her tail and is a berkie





And this is Lavender, you all know her 






As you all can see, im going to have quite a few blue rats 

Sorry all my pics are so big >.<


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## RosesRufflesandRats

They are beautiful boys and girls!!! Mama must be proud!!!


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## PandaBruja

Yeah shes a wonderful proud mama! It astounds me how much of a good mom she is and how sweet and quirky she is. Shes definitely an extrovert.
We put Mimosa in with my other two girls Amelie and Poppette last night. I might but her back with Adhira once the babies get bigger.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> Yeah shes a wonderful proud mama! It astounds me how much of a good mom she is and how sweet and quirky she is. Shes definitely an extrovert.
> We put Mimosa in with my other two girls Amelie and Poppette last night. I might but her back with Adhira once the babies get bigger.


Awww, I'm glad this is progressing towards a very happy ending. It amazes me what good mamas animals can be, even when they are really young!


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## Rumy91989

So glad everything is going well! Those babies are so incredibly adorable! AHHH


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## PandaBruja

Yes, I realized today that I don't want to give any of them up. I want to keep them all! They are just all too sweet and adorable. I just dont know if it would be feasible. 
Id have 14 rats! O.O 
I dont have enough cage space lol.

I took some videos today! I shall post them tomorrow. 
I dont know if its just lighting... but some of the babies seem like they are different shades of grey. And mama Adhira is a bit lighter than Mimosa... hmm.

Ive got a question and didnt want to make a whole new thread for it 
My boyfriends dad brought home a few cans of sardines that he had in the fridge at work and said I could give them to the rats (sweet, huh?) The only problem is that 1 they are in tomato sauce
2 is that they expired in February. I opened a can, and I thought it smelled strange like baby food.
Is it ok to give rats the sardines in tomato? Are they too far past the expiration date?


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> Yes, I realized today that I don't want to give any of them up. I want to keep them all! They are just all too sweet and adorable. I just dont know if it would be feasible.
> Id have 14 rats! O.O
> I dont have enough cage space lol.
> 
> I took some videos today! I shall post them tomorrow.
> I dont know if its just lighting... but some of the babies seem like they are different shades of grey. And mama Adhira is a bit lighter than Mimosa... hmm.
> 
> Ive got a question and didnt want to make a whole new thread for it
> My boyfriends dad brought home a few cans of sardines that he had in the fridge at work and said I could give them to the rats (sweet, huh?) The only problem is that 1 they are in tomato sauce
> 2 is that they expired in February. I opened a can, and I thought it smelled strange like baby food.
> Is it ok to give rats the sardines in tomato? Are they too far past the expiration date?


Fourteen rats would be awesome...but a little unrealistic I'll admit. If I was you, I would want to keep all of them too. Such sweeties!

I'm not sure on the sardines. I think that tomatoes are fine but don't quote me on that. And I have no idea about the expiration date. I never eat anything past the expiration, but my grandmother doesn't believe in expiration dates as long as the food _seem_ ok and has been known to eat stuff that is a couple of years old. She hasn't died. But I would get a second opinion on the sardines because I don't trust me and would feel awful if your rats got sick and it was my fault.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

Oh, and I forgot to say this, but I love the herb theme!


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## Isamurat

Sardines are great for young rats, mine get them regularly, oily fish are nice and high in vitamin d too which is great. I tend to always feed them in tomato sauce as its better than the brine and olive oil they often come in otherwise. I have 3 tins of this in the cupboard at home for random rat meals lol.

I'm not sure about the feb sell by date, is it sell by or use by, as use by is worse. I tend to work on the principle that the rats get what i would feel ok eating. Tinned food is pretty good at keeping though


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## ratclaws

As long as the tin is not perforated or warped in any way, shape or form they will be fine.


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## Rumy91989

Frankly, I didn't know sardines expired. Haha. You should be fine.

14 rats would be a whole lot, but if you're willing to put the time into them (and the money into new cages and all the food and bedding and toys you'd need, plus vet bills (yeesh, with 14 that'd be tight!)) then go for it. I know a few people on here have between 12-18 rats (I think one of the mods has 19?) and generally it's a similar story--an accidental pregnancy and most or all o the babies kept.


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## PandaBruja

Thanks for the advice guys. 
Here are cute pics and videos for your viewing pleasure










videos :







unfortunately im going out of town this weekend to see my sisters graduation so i wont be here for the babies to open their eyes! they should be open when i get back.


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## RosesRufflesandRats

They are growing so big! I can't believe their eyes are already starting to open!


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## PandaBruja

Im going to see their eyes open afterall!!! They are opening right now! Some babies have both tiny eyes open and are exploring. I love it!


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> Im going to see their eyes open afterall!!! They are opening right now! Some babies have both tiny eyes open and are exploring. I love it!


That's too precious!!! 

I've always wondered what it would be like to experience the first part of your life blind and then to suddenly be able to see what all the things you are so familiar with actually look like!


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## PandaBruja

Well it looks alot like this: You run around like crazy and explore! 
Ill post pics/video tomorrow when hopefully all their eyes will be open


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## RosesRufflesandRats

PandaBruja said:


> Well it looks alot like this: You run around like crazy and explore!
> Ill post pics/video tomorrow when hopefully all their eyes will be open


Hahaha, I imagine so! Can't wait to see their beautiful eyes!


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## Kaiser

Oh be still my beating heart! Those ratties are adorable.


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## Isamurat

I must say I love it when there eyes open, you start to see more of there personalities coming through and they start to become real individuals. Around about 3 weeks is my fave age I think


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## PandaBruja

I agree, i love it when they are still tiny but their eyes are open. 

I was wondering... is there anything else i could be giving her for extra protein and nutrients?
Ive been kindof juggling between boiled egg, sardines, sometimes tuna and sometimes chicken. I feel like her mommy diet needs a bit of sprucing up. Im afraid she will get bored of the same things lol. 
Ive also been giving her pieces of 12 grain bread with honey on it, nori sheets, veggies...

Anyway, here is a video of the babies today! 

[video]http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/PandaBruja/media/20130522_131201_zps353c8efa.mp4.html[/video]


and a couple of pictures. They have ALL opened their eyes except for Lavender, the little heart girl. Ive decided that i might just keep all of the girls, but i have a martins 695 and 8 girls living in it would be pretty cramped. Im looking for a used Ruud. A critter/ferret nation would not be practical as i live upstairs :/ 



























(hey i learned how to post pictures without them being GIANT!)


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## PandaBruja

...


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## Rumy91989

Oh my gosh they are too, too cute!


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## j_kalman

D'Awwwwwe!!!!! I LOVE when they first open their eyes. They are gorgeous!!


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## RosesRufflesandRats

I can't believe these pics/video! They are way too cute!!! You should keep all of the girls, that would be awesome and would bring you up to how many ratties?


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## PandaBruja

Lol, 12! I buy big bags of HT/Native earth.. so food isnt a problem. Really my only concern is vet bills... 
Im still thinking about it! I haven't really found anyone in the area interested that I trust anyway so I know I will at least be keeping them for a while.


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## PandaBruja

Sorry ive not updated, i was visiting family! When i got back i couldnt BELIEVE how cute and big they had gotten! They are growing so fast. It's already so hard to keep up with them xD 

Here they are the day before i left






video





And here they are today! I decided to post another video because... they are so fast i couldnt get any good pics! They got some honey bunches of oats and strawberries <3


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## PandaBruja

They are officially three weeks old today and are irresistibly cute and so active and playful! They have to learn not to nibble too hard. Im going to try to find the good camera before I post more pictures. One of the little boys has a bald spot in between his shoulder blades... I dont know what to make of it. He appears healthy happy and active. I will post a pic soon.


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## FamilyRatters1

I would love to get some cute new photos and updates!!


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## Flora

Who did you end up keeping?


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