# Possible unexpected litter coming soon!



## Yummy (Jan 18, 2015)

I NEVER expected to be posting in this section of the forum. And yet here I am.

I have a recently adopted new girl (a sweet, beautiful little Siamese), and in the last few days I have noticed her belly growing seemingly rounder. Uh oh. 

I hope it is my imagination. But just in case my suspicions are indeed confirmed, I may be looking for homes in a few short weeks for an unknown number of babies! Eek. One step/day at a time. (Just have to remind myself of that).

I will update this thread as I learn more. I have already been searching the forum for information on raising a healthy litter. I would so love to be wrong in my guess, but I'm not sure yet. The next few days should tell.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

Hopefully she isn't  You can take her to the vet to confirm and even terminate the pregnancy which may be the safest and best option.

Many rats gain some weight when they first come home. Most rats don't really show much until their last week. You can take a pic of her and we can give advice. Hold a treat over her head so she stands up and get a nice belly shot.

If you do think she is...You should remove her from the cage and away from your other rats if she is caged with others. I highly suggest making a bin cage for her to have babies in. It is the most ideal and safe for her and the babies.

Depending on what food you feed her already, you can up her protein level. I like 18% for pregnant moms/babies but up to 20% is ok. hardboiled eggs, alittle bit of chicken breast, etc... are good. Don't over feed her but give her healthy veggies and such.

Mom pretty much does everything herself. Most rats are good moms but there is always the risk that she won't. I would suggest putting her on aspen bedding. Don't use fleece when the babies are pinkies, they can easily be lost underneath to new moms. Paper can stick to the pinkies skin. 

You will need to separate the boys from her/the girls at 5 weeks old. So you will also need a second cage to put the baby boys into. I would also highly suggest adopting them out in only pairs or more. But be prepared to keep them all if you can not find homes. It can be difficult to find homes for rats and even more so finding loving forever homes. It is a really bad time because right after Christmas is one of the worst times for finding pet homes because many people decided to buy pets for the holiday and right after Christmas there is alot of pet rehoming going on sadly 

Some helpful links for the babies development & sexing:
http://www.afrma.org/babyratdevdaily.htm
http://tigertailrattery.weebly.com/growth-picture-journal.html
http://ratguide.com/breeding/baby_development/birth_to_weaning.php
http://mainelyratrescue.org/rattieblog2/?p=42
my pages:
http://www.onceuponamischief.com/sexing
http://www.onceuponamischief.com/baby-development


bin cage:
http://www.onceuponamischief.com/#!How-to-make-a-bin-cage/yqplu/57b158f40cf2a28cd69e0068


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## Yummy (Jan 18, 2015)

Thank you Moonkissed! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond! And yes, you are correct, the timing is not the best. Too many people think pets will make wonderful Christmas gifts...until they change their minds!

I believe I have already looked at the links you provided (thanks to searching old posts on this forum, lol), but it never hurts to look again! So thank you!!!!

I am certain today that she is pregnant. The difference is obvious just in the day or so since I first posted. I will call my vet tomorrow, but I really think she must be due at any time. If she has them, I will absolutely own responsibility for any babies I cannot find good homes for. But fingers crossed I can at least rehome A FEW! (To GOOD, permanent, rat-loving homes)!

Unfortunately, I do see a lot of backyard breeders and feeder breeders post on Craigslist in my area, so there is certainly no shortage of rats.  So fingers crossed she has a small litter... Still going to call the vet tomorrow though as I mentioned.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

You could try contacting local rescues as well, they might be able to help you find homes.

If she is showing definitely it should be soon. I'd make sure to get her in her own cage/bin and ready.


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## Yummy (Jan 18, 2015)

I separated her last night. I have extra cages and bins, so that wasn't any problem thankfully.


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