# Pregnant Elderly Rats?



## ChlamydiaLydia (Apr 21, 2017)

Hello, I'm currently very worried that my two, three year old rats may be pregnant. I purchased a pup about three months ago and was told that it was a female. After figuring out it was a male, I was going to get him neutered when the time would come. Unfortunately I never did separate him from my two females and found the male chasing them around the tank and mounting them yesterday night. I quickly took him out and put him in the tank I had been preparing for him a few days prior so that they would not all be together. Of course I don't watch them 24/7 and this has probably happened many other times while I wasn't around. Any advice for what I should do? I will monitor my girls weight and check for signs of pregnancy, but I would obviously prefer not to have them euthanized or have them get e-spays unless absolutely necessary. 
Thanks,​


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

Well if they are actually pregnant (VERY HIGH CHANCE OBVIOUSLY) they will need e-spay. I personally dont know when the cut-off for e-spay is so ask a vet. Old rats can be infertile but there is no definite age for infertility and I read that rats older than 2 years have become pregnant. If I was you I would in no way let them give birth because they are far too old for it. Either get them e-spayed, or risk having both of them die a long painful death during pregnancy/birthing complications along with the risk of all the babies suffocating. No new lives should be allowed to be created just to die like that. You might need to take them to the vets regularly to determine pregnancy, as some rats dont show pregnancy very much (especially if they are less fertile due to age, and only have a small number of offspring) so it could be very difficult to determine pregnancy just by feeling or watching their weights until its too late for an e-spay. This mistake of yours might end up costing you lots.
Why didnt you separate the male when you found out??


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## ChlamydiaLydia (Apr 21, 2017)

I'll see what I can do to get an e-spay for them, high chance my parents may say no even while I'll be the one paying but I'll figure something out. Any idea what the price range would be? As for why I never separated them, when I was purchasing him (from a reptile show not really the best idea) I had asked the 'breeder' just in case if it would be possible for my girls to get pregnant at such an age. He said no that they would be infertile, but I'm assuming he was only saying this to get a deal. I want to slap myself for believing him I don't know what was on my mind besides exams the past few weeks but I never really thought anything of it, until what happened yesterday night. Like I said I already had a cage prepared because I hadn't wanted anything like that to happen, and because I needed somewhere for him to be post-neuter. I feel like a terrible keeper now and all I can do is hope they pull through with this whole situation.


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

I personally dont know how much e-spays are as ive never had females myself, and also vet bills vary hugely depending on where you are. For example good quality neutering at my vet practice here in new zealand is only $60 NZD (probably around $45-50 USD) but Ive heard of neuter costing over $150 in other countries. The best course for you would be to make a contact list of all the vets you are physically able to get to, call them up one by one and ask whether they see rats and the approximate cost for an e-spay. Wouldnt hurt to try ask some questions to a vet over the phone if possible (when the e-spay should be done, whether its ok for old rats etc).
Its definitely less likely for the 3 year old to be fertile but still possible because no one can really say for sure whether a female is infertile, unless a vet does hormone examination or something. I can understand your situation but your parents honestly should not have a say in how much money you spend on your own animals, they are living things and if they need health care they should not be denied any of it. I hope you can find a vet that can help
It really pays to do some research online or ask questions on the forums, rather than trusting people such as pet store workers as a lot of people seem to get some seriously wrong info about rat care


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## Mait (Apr 24, 2017)

Lol it's $400 to get your boys clipped here. $60 to just walk in.

You should regime your boy or get him fixed if you want him back with your girls. I'm really disturbed by the tank talk :/


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

Producing milk and nursing a litter of 10 or more takes an extreme amount of energy. The mothers may not be able to cope with the strain and they may not be able to produce enough milk, if any at all. A 3 year old rat having babies is like a 80 year old woman having a baby.


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## ChlamydiaLydia (Apr 21, 2017)

Sorry for the late post but I did get one of my rats tested and thankfully she isn't pregnant. I chose the one who I 100% saw the male mount which is also the one who did not have a tumor. I'm very relieved, now all I need to worry about is neutering my male. I asked local pet stores and animal rescues for good veterinarian options and will be visiting them soon to see about prices. Thank you all for the advice(


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## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

I'd recommend testing the other one for pregnancy too, just because you didnt see it happen doesnt mean it didnt, as rats mate very fast and a lot! Glad at least one of them will be fine. It may be easier to call the vets rather than visit each one of them for prices, as I easily found the best option for neutering my rats by asking them the price over the phone chatting to about 8 different vets


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