# New Rats (surprise)



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

Hi, I’m new to the forum and new to rats, I live in Colombia an purchased 2 rats yesterday, a winsor and a hooded rat, in Colombia there’s only 1 breeder that ships to my location so I had to do it through him, to my surprise last night he send me a picture of my package ( after it had already been shipped) and there’s 4 rats in my package 2 males 2 females, the hooded rats are too young (45 days) and the winsor are 5 weeks (witch according to w u have read are already sexually mature), the worst part is that they are all together in a box, I already have a cage set for 2 rats ( 2 sq feet and 2 stories high)
I know I need another cage, but further than that I have a few concerns

How do I sex them
If she is pregnant can she be kept w the younger female when she gives birth?
Is there a special diet for young rats (45 days old) or can they be introduced to the adult diet already
Is there a chance the young ones will be hurt when I receive them?
How do you bond to 4 rats at the same time
As a first time owner should I start with only 2? Send the other 2 back? Find them a home? (money is not an issue, time can be)
Any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, DIY ideas to keep them all together?

This is not how I planned my rat experience to start, but do to a irresponsible breeder this is how it has to start and I don’t want my rats to have to pay for his incompetence
Thank you for your help


----------



## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Sexing them will be easy male rats start to show there make parts very noticeably at five weeks. It's possible that you will end up with pregnant rats. It's possible for them to be hurt as well. Anything that you asked about is possible. Bonding with four rats will be hard but do one on one time with them and them you can bond with them all by have special time with them. Taking on four rats all at once like that is probably going to be very hard if its possible I would suggest rehoming two of them together. If not you will need to cages one for the males and one for the females. If any of the females are pregnant they can stay together until they are close to when their due and then Ina deprecate temporary cage it doesn't have to be like a big cage you can make one called a bin cage for the mom and babies. If you need help rehoming them I'm sure this forum will be lots of help with that and lots of help with helping you with the babies if there is any. Good luck. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

The 5 week old ones should have testicles. Flip them over. Females will have nipples. What do you mean "too young"? 45 days is 6 weeks? They don't look 6 weeks.

You should keep her alone. Fashion a bin cage (google it). I would recommend taking any rats you suspect to be pregnant to the vet for a wellness check. If no pregnant rat, keep females with females males with males. I would recommend looking into a spay/neuter if you wanted to keep all four so that you could keep them in one cage.

They have oxbow for young rats.

Hopefully not, but due to just throwing them in...maybe.

I would recommend bonding in sets of two.

I don't think four rats should be too difficult. Maybe give yourself a couple weeks. If overwhelmed, rehome them.

A side note: is the cage 2 sq feet in TOTAL? because a single rat needs 2 sq foot, I'm pretty sure.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

the cage is 4,63 Ft3 acording to http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml it should fit the two rats, its a starter cage, im getting a bigger one soon, well 2 bigger ones now


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I would recommend one of the ferret cages that can be separated into two levels -- I have a Feisty Ferret, and either it can be two levels open to all or I can make it like two cages stacked atop each other. Ferret Nation / Critter Nation cages also do this. It'll help with bedding and space. The spacing will almost be an inch, so hardware cloth may be necessary to attach but its pretty simple.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

i would love to have access to all those cages, but i live in colombia, if im lucky i can find a rabbit cage, but i will keep my eyes open for any of theso models


----------



## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Try online websites to order cages.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

the shiping due to the large size, is way more expensive than the cage, how small do the spacings between bars have to in order to keep them in?


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

less than 1/2in. However, if there is a hardware store nearby you can purchase hardware cloth and attach it with zip ties. it allows you to use bigger cages meant for guineas or rabbits, even ferrets.


----------



## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Numbok said:


> the shiping due to the large size, is way more expensive than the cage, how small do the spacings between bars have to in order to keep them in?


I found a cage that shipped to me for free some online websites have free shipping over a certain price. Try amazon.com I am unsure if they ship there but they might.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

ok, ill try those

my rats got here
,


----------



## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Well, looks like you have a bin cage if either (or both) of the females are preggers, it doesn't look too big but it should do. Good luck with them!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck too. It made me happy to hear that you want to do what is best for them given the situation 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

New rats playing w me


----------



## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Cute. What about the hoodeds? Are they doing ok?


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

they whwer asleep in my feet, i was sitting in the balcony w them


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

actually the hooded where happier to come w me, the albinos took more than an hour to get on my hands


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

it's very weird to feel them walk on you for the first time, you are nver prepared to feel them nip you, or to feel theyr feet, it was a great experience

im taking the cage i bought back tomorrow, to try and change it for a larger ine


----------



## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Good to hear they're doing well!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Awwww the hooded babies are so cute!
I don't know if I misses it or not but are the two hooded rats the same gender or is one girl and one of the albinos a girl as well?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

he sended a couple of each class so 2 boys 2 girls,

i just sat and hand fed them some mealworms, i gave the albino male (still no names  im on it ) a big superworm, it was real fun to see them eat them

i have crickets, superworms, and mealworms, can i feed them all to my rats? im guessing feeding them crickets will be the most fun.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

So i got this cage (as a temporal sol)

and turned it into this















did i miss something? do i need to take something out? is there any hazzard i did not see? im placing my albino male in here until i can know wich is the male and the female from my hooded


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Check the hooded for nipples, or post pictures of their bellies/genitals and we can help.

Just cover the wire level with cloth, maybe stick a small box he can hide in. You should try to get bird toys or something to hang so he can chew. You could also put a stick in there, my rats love to climb and balance on their stick.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

so acording to w ive read this is my male?


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

May I see the other? That looks a lot like a female to me.

Again, as your rats have their fur, females will have nipples. Males should have a growth that looks like where the ballsack will go.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

it cudled on my hand 








then i took pictures of her parts









hahahahaha tipical hahahahah


----------



## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Both females I think.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Yes, they both look to have vaginas. Trust me, I have babies that'll be two weeks Monday and it's already pretty obvious who is what.

Since it looks like you have three girls, one boy I would suggest neutering him so all four can live happily :]
Otherwise, rehome to someone who already owns another rat. The other three can be kept together happily -- and since the two are so small, it shouldn't be a problem that your current cage is for two adult rats.


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

This is what you should be seeing (nipples may be hidden by hair, as pregnant rats tend to groom hair away to expose nipples):
http://www.rattyrat.com/images/guidebook/female.jpg


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

rehoming a single rat will be difficult, rats are not usual pets here in colombia, so this is how its gonna go down, im gonna keep them all in pairs for now, the pups are too little to become pregnant and the albino female is too young to be reproduced,

im gonna breed one litter, that should give me abuot a month or two, so before i have babies, and i can find homes for them in pairs, and keep the odd number pup 

and tonight ill take a deeper look just to make sure they are in fact femnales


----------



## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I would really recommend not breeding.
I'm sitting here in Ohio with a litter of 13 on accident, and I can hardly find a home for 5 of them. And you just said they aren't usual pets.


----------



## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Yes do not breed them like you said before rats are not normally pets there and sense you had to get yours shipped to you I'm sure rehoming them would be to hard to do and then you would have to go trough sexing them and keeping them separated for a new rat owner I would not recommend breeding rats.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Don't breed. Either keep the ones you have and get the male neutered or sell the male.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

This is about the best sexing information I can share with you.

http://www.afrma.org/sexing101.htm

I'm guessing the breeder sent you two pair of rats. It's not uncommon for animals to be shipped in pairs. 

You will need two cages. One for the boys and one for the girls or you will have baby rats sooner than you think.

Cages can be made out of any strong metal mesh which can most likely be found in a hardware store near you. Even large old aquariums can be converted to rat cages. Having had Colombian friends, I realize that not every part of the country has everything handy all of the time. But the Colombians I've met were very resourceful people and much better at fabricating things than many Americans more used to buying finished products. A rat cage is a pretty simple project for a handy person... Just remember, they can't chew through metal or glass. Some people have also converted large plastic containers into reasonable makeshift rat cages.

Best luck


----------



## Mball77 (Jul 3, 2013)

I have seen some really awesome jury rigged cages. My friend worked at a pet supply store (no pets! just supplies) and people still dropped off animals at the door. She got creative real quick on how to house them all. I've seen her take bookshelves on the side of the road and turn them into snake, rabbit, rat, and lizard cages. She did this because she thought the cages you pick up where too small and expensive. NOTE: These were plastic bookshelves, wood can get very stinky. 

I think a neuter would be a good idea if you have a vet that knows rats. If the vet does not know rats just remember there is a possibility you can lose the rat during surgery. I would say get the females fixed for health reasons but the same applies. Your doing good if your rats are sitting in your hands so quickly. My rats came from pet shops and it took two weeks before they would chill in me. A month before comfortable (then I read the immersion guide and things are well now) The nips stop (especially the feet lol) once they realize what you are made of (though I still get a small on if one of them wants attention.) I think you are bonding just fine, the breeder seems to have handled them and they seem ok with humans if they are sitting in your hands.

As far as food I give my fuzzies Oxbow but if you don't have that in Colombia just healthly scraps. Chicken bones are great for gnawing, fresh veggies and some egg, tiny scraps of meat. I give my rats the left overs from making salads and stir fry, fresh corn, peas, carrots and apple, pear, plumb cores. Lots of long grain rice and the occasional beans. When my Aunt moved to Ecuador they didn't have dog food so she had to improvise and cooked a dinner for her doggy every night (at least rats are smaller) 

Best of Luck!


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

ok so immersion session 3 (sorry for the shirtless pics, just wanted to share)














the girls cuddling me (the albino female's name is juliet)


and these are the boys, im really happy with the little hooded he's the samllest, but hes the one that enjoys the most hanging out w me, he adventured to my shoulder and nibbled on my ear

the albino male (romeo), is still a bit jumpy 

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content















































again sorry for the shitless pic (i know i need more excercise) but i really wanted to share this w you

tomorrow im feeding them more mealworms, ill try and take some pics (shirt on)


----------



## Dinoclor (Mar 2, 2013)

Awwwwwwwww, they're adorable!

I don't know if you've let the rats breed already, but if you haven't, please don't. You will end up with more rats than you can give away, and then you will have to buy more food and more cages and more bedding and it will get very expensive.


----------



## Numbok (Aug 2, 2013)

no im not goona breed them, im getting a hairless boy to keep w Romeo (albino male) in case the hooded isnt a boy, and if he is ill keep the 2 girls and 3 boys all for me


----------

