# MY RATS ARE PREGNANT!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!



## ambernd

Well my names Amber Im 13 and I own 4 rats. Swiss, Cheese, Brian, and Stewie. On april fools day Cheese got out of her cage and was running around my room then Brian got out with her. Then Swiss got out of her cage and went in the boys cage with Stewie. So Cheese and Brian where running around the room while Swiss and Stewie where in the cage together. From what I've read it's pretty much impossible for them not to be pregnant but I can't tell. If they are pregnant then they are due this weekend (april 21, 22, 23, 2007). I live at my moms and my rats are at my dads and I'm trying to talk my mom into letting me bring them to her house for 5 weeks so I can take care of the babies but no luck so far. I've been reading up on breeding rats and the care but I havn't really found a site that actually helps me. I'm hopeing that some breeders on here would help me out and tell me what to do. By the way I'm not what you would first think of when you think of a 13 year old. I'm very responsable and I usually don't have any support or help from my parents. They havn't really been the best but anyway so if you reply to this don't say "ask your mom or dad this" or anything because they won't. Please reply I don't want to hurt these babies because I didn't know what to do. Thank you


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## Night

Exactly what type of cages were they in?


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## ambernd

well they where in aquariums but after I fed them i forgot to put the lids back on both of them then I left to go to my sisters so I wasn't there all day.


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## Night

There are no breeders on here.

What sort of help do you need? I've raised a couple foster litters.


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## ambernd

well i need to know what kind of bedding to use, what to put in the cage (shoe boxes ect..), do they need extra food, do i keep the females together, can i handle the babies ect.. anything you think would be helpfull.


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## 2manyrats

Here's what you need to do:

1) separate the boy and girls, permanently. they need to be in another room, or you need to have the girls spayed or boys neutered.

2) an aquarium is too small for one rat, much less two. get bigger cages! however, an aquarium is okay for your rats to give birth in. you should have one female in each cage, as pregnant & new mommies are very territorial. also, the male rats should not be in the same cage as the mothers.

3) fabric bedding works well for a rat giving birth. tissues, paper towels, aspen, carefresh, etc. will get stuck to the pinkies.

4) you should have a vet lined up in case there are problems.

to be continued later...


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## ambernd

well their in a 20 gallon.


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## Stephanie

20 gallons still aren't that big and it is really bad for their respitory problems rats are already prone to. I had three boys in a HUGE aquarium witha mesh top and i still cleaned it out like three times a day. The aquarium is one of those like 150 /200 gallon things has a stand and all


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## ambernd

im wanting to build a bigger cage. But i don't have any materials to do it with.


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## JennieLove

When I first got my baby Jay he was in a 50 gal then when I got him a friend (Bob) I made a three story topper for it. You may want to consider making or buying those and making a cage for your males.  Its acually pretty easy and there are lots of thread on here to give you some ideas. Cages are very easy to clean and much more fun than tanks.


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## Vixie

2manyrats said:


> 3) fabric bedding works well for a rat giving birth. tissues, paper towels, aspen, carefresh, etc. will get stuck to the pinkies.


I'll have to disagree, litle pinkies could get little paws or even their head stuck in the fraying of the fabric. If you use fabric, it should be fleece which does not fray.


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## 2manyrats

Vixie said:


> 2manyrats said:
> 
> 
> 
> 3) fabric bedding works well for a rat giving birth. tissues, paper towels, aspen, carefresh, etc. will get stuck to the pinkies.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll have to disagree, litle pinkies could get little paws or even their head stuck in the fraying of the fabric. If you use fabric, it should be fleece which does not fray.
Click to expand...

good point.


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## 2manyrats

ambernd said:


> im wanting to build a bigger cage. But i don't have any materials to do it with.


I don't know where you live, but there are some other options for getting cages other than building. Google "Craig's List" and your city, and look for cages. Freecycle  is another option - that's the URL for the listing of groups, so you could join your local one and post a request for a cage. Also, my friends and I have gotten some very nice large birdcages at our local thrift store for under $10. They usually need a good cleaning and a new pan (rubbermaid bins from WalMart or Target work well).


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## ambernd

ok thank you


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## Poppyseed

Does your dad take care of them, play with them and feed them while you are gone for such a long time? D: I know when I had hardly visited my dad and had animals at his place, it never went well. Iguanas that escaped and a cameleon that died. I don't really think it's possible to take care of animals from afar especially if the parents aren't willing to help out as you claim.

And I think if you ask enough and are demanding enough they are likely to give in if they know it's that important to you >_> I've had to do a TON of complaining with my parents to win at the issues that really matter when I was a kid, because they weren't very supportive as well. It works if they know your heart is really set on the animals.


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## OnlyOno

do the female rats get along well? you can leave the females in the cage together as females that get along will often take care of each others' babies. see if you can get tank toppers for the tanks, they run about $30 each online (although 20gal toppers are harder to find than 10gal, i know martin's cages has some). the females don't need a topper right away, keep them in a single level cage so they don't feel like they need to drag their babies up and down ramps.

i've only ever had hamster babies, but i've done lots of random reading on rat babies, and it's pretty much the same. get your females a place to hide their babies, like a couple igloos. klennex boxes (i.e. the cardboard inside) might get stuck to the wet little newborns which will hurt them very badly. get fleece (good call on the frayed towels idea, vixie) and make strips of it so they can move it around. scrap fleece and stuff is often sold at walmart, joanns, hobby lobby,etc for a couple bucks. start feeding your mommas some higher protein foods like a slice of hardboiled egg or a sliver of deli meat.

you can start handling the babies pretty much right away although i'd give her a couple days, especially if having babies makes them edgy. continue to give momma the same love and attention she usually gets, and if she does have babies, keep doing it, but stay close to her cage so she doesn't worry. try finding homes for them as soon as they are born (usually you'd find homes before they're born, but if you're not sure anyway...) on craigslist.com or other rat forums. separate the boys from the girls at 5 weeks of age (you can leave the girls with mom).

good luck!  hope your parents aren't mad at you for all this, lol. i know mine would be.


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## ambernd

well my dad feeds and waters them when im gone but he's scared to touch them. So they don't get played with but once a week and every other weekend. But eveytime I go over there they are as friendly as ever. Well I REALLY REALLY want to take them to my moms so I can take care of the babies and watch them grow but I'm scared to ask my mom again because she got really mad when I asked her last time. (By the way I live in Greenwood Indiana if anyone has a cage they can sell me.)


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## reachthestars

Don't leave the females together, they should each have a seperate tank for the duration of their pregnancy. Females have been known to get VERY agressive while they have a litter, and I have heard on more than one occasion of a female killing her cagemate (both had litters).

Rats should get atleast an hour out of their cage a day, once or twice a week isn't cutting it, especially as they're in an aquarium. Is there any chance you could get over to your dad's more often?


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## ambernd

I got some carefresh bedding to put in their cage yesterday. They havn't started nesting yet, should i be worried? (and yes my females yet along very well.)


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## reachthestars

You should still seperate them, there are many hormone changes they go through when they give birth and even the friendliest rat can change temporarily.

How many days ago did they get to the males? They should give birth about 23 days after that.


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## ladylady

I dont want to cause alarm but there is a chance Mum will needs emergency surgery during labor costing $$$ the other thing I would worry about is Mum regecting babies or not producing milk so you have to feed lots of little mouths evey 2 hours for a few weeks. I would think about contacting a local rescue and asking for help if its needed and they may help you find homes for the babies once there 6 weeks old.

http://www.ratlovers.org/articles/pregnant.html looks to be a good quick crash course


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## ambernd

They got to each other on april fools day so it should be this weekend.


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## ambernd

well i read that you can give them kittens or puppies fomula as a milk replacer.


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## ladylady

its the time that would worry me, I want to foster a litter but i'd need to take more than 2 weeks annual leave to feed them round the clock so it needs to wait!

So if you can get friendly with a rescue they might lend you a lactating mother if the needs arises.

Theres a good link on that page in my last post with stuff on orphaned litters.


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## ambernd

i really wish they take care of them because there is no way that i would have time to feed them. I have school all day.


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## ladylady

if the rescue wouldent lend you a lactating female they might consider taking the litter as you dont have the time


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## ambernd

does anybody know around how much it would be to put the kittens in the paper?


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## ladylady

that dosent sound like a good idea-I would be looking for people who know about rats and who you can check out-try signing up to loads of forums now and get in touch with people plus rescues who should know what there doing and wont let them go to just anyone. You can maybe find ratty people on mypsace n these kind of sites too.

I'll look for people who would what them on my myspace.


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## 2manyrats

Some freecycle groups let you post pets, or they have sister groups for pets.


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## Rachel-Phantom

The best thing to do is:

1)If both females are pregnant, you can leave them together, they will be nice to the other's babies. If only one is, there is a slight possiblilty the female could turn on the mother's babies and kill them. Its rare but it happens, and I wouldn't want to take any chances.

2) Give the females shoe boxes to nest in. And a lot of soft materials. Paper towels and the most inexpensive and in my opinion best bedding although they will have to be cleaned out every few days. Don't use wood chips like aspen, for bedding its rough on the pinkie's skin. I suggest using Carefresh soft bedding.

3) Feed the mothers kitten food along with their regular diet. It will make them produce more milk which will be very very important if they have more than 12 babies because rats only have 12 nipples for babies to nurse on.

4) Separate the males from their moms when they are FOUR weeks old. they reach sexual maturity then and I don't think you want another oops.

5) I agree have a vet number handy in case of emergency.

6) Get the males neutered. My vet charged me $30 for my two male rats. Don't spay the females, the surgery is less expensive and invasive. Neutering the males is easier and less problems will arrive compared to spaying females. Plus then all four rats could live together. More socialism = better for them.

7) Buy a large cage all the rats can live in. I suggest Martin's cages which can be viewed at www.martinscages.com Get a black powder coated one, it will last you five years. 


A lot of problems can arouse in labor. I'm incredibly sorry if anything goes wrong. I'm not saying something will but there is always a possibility. I hope your parents are willing to buy a new cage and pay for the males to be neutered. Best of wishes, I know your fear. I got one rat and three weeks later she had 12 babies. I was shocked and not to mention scared for the pinkies.

One final thought, the pinkie's tiny little squeaks are not from pain, thats just want they do. I thought they were being hurt at first but thats just what they do, don't worry. Again, best of wishes.


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## Night

Actually, rats reach sexual maturity at five weeks, and should be separated then.

Also, spaying has amazing health benefits and should always be recommended. 

Each pregnant mom/litter needs to be housed separately.

Kitten food is good, but make sure it's high quality - Innova, Wellness, Timberwolf, Chicken Soup, et cetera. Never feed grocery store brands of dog/cat food such as Iams, Eukanuba, or Science Diet.


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## ambernd

the only other cage i have besides my 20 gallon is a 10 gallon...


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## reachthestars

It's not ideal, but for the safety of both your rats you really should.


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## Poppyseed

ambernd said:


> well my dad feeds and waters them when im gone but he's scared to touch them. So they don't get played with but once a week and every other weekend. But eveytime I go over there they are as friendly as ever. Well I REALLY REALLY want to take them to my moms so I can take care of the babies and watch them grow but I'm scared to ask my mom again because she got really mad when I asked her last time. (By the way I live in Greenwood Indiana if anyone has a cage they can sell me.)


I live in Indy, (is it the Greenwood south of Indy?) if so I'm really close. Sadly though I don't have any cages large enough D: I have a good wire cage big enough for one rat but I need it for transport. Hrm...

If you are willing to buy the parts I can make a cage like one level of this:







for you, but you would have to buy the parts and come pick it up or I could also drop it by (if it is the greenwood close to Indy). I could make it much cheaper if the spaceing is larger (but it sounds like your girls like to escape so you need the small wire spaceing. One level holds around 2.5 rats so would be good for your two girls once the babies are weened and fostered out.

There is a rat rescue here: http://hleughmyer.tripod.com/ You may want to contact them about fostering your litter. I would but I'm already maxed out on pets as it is and it's not fully my decision, it's Chris and my decision. Regardless when they get back to you let me know. Let me know ASAP and I will see what I CAN do to help since I'm closest to you.


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## twitch

actually there a bit of a debate on when to separate babies. the range is normaly qouted between 4-6 weeks. in fact i have posted about this all before. 

"there's mixed sentiments on when to separate the genders. the facts are that the males are starting to become sexually mature at 4 weeks and that the females can get pregnant at 5 weeks. but it is reported that the males won't be mentally there until 6 weeks though there are always bound to be the overachievers. by 4 weeks the babies are able to eat solid foods and strictly speaking no longer need mother's milk (in my experience the mothers were no longer nursing by then either). so rat babies can be separated anywhere between 4-6 weeks and anything after that is REALLY asking for trouble. however at 4 weeks the males still should have an adult rat to be with to teach them how to be rats, socailize them. so some people give the boys until they're 5 weeks but if you do have an overacheiver in there he could get mom pregnant, so there is that risk. what i did to prevent this and not to harm the babies social upbringing was to borrow an "uncle" for the boys to be with until they got a bit bigger and separated everyone at 4 weeks. it worked great too and "uncle" Tsume loved the little ones and they him. when they were grown other then a few of Snicketts (who had temperment issues of her own which i believe were passed on to some of her babies) they all grew to be well mannered and behaved little men." --copied from http://www.ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=5990.html#5990


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## ambernd

yea, i live in the greenwood south of indy. how much do you think this would all cost me to have you make a cage that you where talking about?


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## Rachel-Phantom

I agree spaying has health benefits (I've had four different rats have about 15 tumors between all of them) but there are also risks. Rats getting spayed have to but cut open, have all their organs pushes aside, and have their uterus cut out while the ovaries are tied or removed. That is all very difficult with such a small animal as rats. Of course this risk is greater if the females are over six months which I'm assuming might be. Its also more stress on the female's body which she doesn't need after having babies. Neutering is much more straight forward and much less expensive. I doubt mom or dad are going to want to spend $200 for two females to be spayed. I would think a parent would much rather pay $30-$50 (depending on vet) for two male spays. 

In the end the decision is entirely up to you Amber.


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## Poppyseed

two sections of wire shelfing is $30, cause you need 12 feet total and it comes in 6'x16". You would also need two coroplast sheets for top and bottom, this comes to $10 so around $40-$50 ^^;; It might be better and more simple to look for a two rat cage on other sites, but you really two of these as well...

here are cages from PetCo you could buy for that range, and I wouldn't have to make it lol. All of these house 2 or more rats. You would need one for the girls and one for your boys:

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.a...age&cp=12&Nao=132&sku=426350&familyID=100285&
this is a bird cage, but it will hold two rats. You need to cover the bottom with stick linolium which could be purchased at the dollar store for 3 squares for $1. 

This one can house four rats and it's only $45:
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.a...t+cage&cp=4&Nao=36&sku=870773&familyID=10638&

http://www.ferretstore.com/suppetlarmyf.html
Two rats, shipping will add some but by far this seems the best thing for you looking at your lack of funds. Two of these will cost $60 plus shipping.

that's really all I could find. You really need to get the courage up and ask your parents about this. Did you contact EARPS, the local rat shelter? I posted a link earlier and I bet they would be willing to take in a litter and mom or maybe even foster the littler for you. You really need to find someone who could take care of her while she becomes pregnate.

I'm finding myself over my head with animal cost personally. I would love to help you out but I have to watch out for the animals I have and save up for my vet fund. Good luck. Like I said, contact EARPS and get two of those cages from PetCo or The Ferret Store. Another place to look is craigslist but personally I've not had much luck with that.


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## ladylady

Any babies yet?


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## ambernd

no not yet i think she is going to tonite. I really dont think one of them(cheese) is pregnant but i DO think the other one (Swiss) is cuz she has a pot belly.


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## fallinstar

2manyrats freecycle is amazin


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## Poppyseed

Did you get your mom to let you watch the rat babies?


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## wowman5

*My rat was pregnant but the pups are nowhere to be found????*

OK so bought a female rat from my local pet store and about last week she got fat I mean really fat. and she started acting really strange the other day well when i got home from work today shes not fat was like she was when I first got her so my question is was she pregnant , If so where are the pups I looked everywhere in the tank did she eat them since this could be her first litter. I also put her by herself yesterday so I'm a little confused could anybody help thanks


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## ema-leigh

*Re: MY RATS ARE PREGNANT!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!*

She could of reabsorbed the babies. I had a rescue that was pregnant, she had a huge belly and I could see the babies moving. But she reabsored approx 2-3 days before her due date. 

If anyone needs any specific questions answering on babies just PM me. 

Babies should be seperated 1 day before they turn 5 weeks old. 6 weeks is too long and you could end up with more pregnant babies. 4 weeks is too soon, they are still suckling and need their social development.


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## lilspaz68

*Re: MY RATS ARE PREGNANT!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!*

Don't forget you ONLY need to separate out the boys, the girls can stay with mom indefinitely. I usually take my out a few days after 5 weeks of age so they get a bit more education from mom.


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## PixieRei

*Re: MY RATS ARE PREGNANT!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!*

Any update on the babies? Did you manage to persuade your mam to let you have them at your house?


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## Stace87

*Re: MY RATS ARE PREGNANT!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!*



PixieRei said:


> Any update on the babies? Did you manage to persuade your mam to let you have them at your house?


This thread is over 3 years old...


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