# Girls in Heat?



## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

I have two young (probably under a year) female rats. Haven't had them long but every now and again they seem to both go quite psychotic with the nesting and become MUCH more destructive. I'm assuming this is coinciding with them being in heat? Can anyone confirm that and maybe give me some clues as to how to handle this? I'm trying to give them extra bedding material when I notice them getting like this but I'm not sure if that's helping. When they have gotten every scrap and torn up all the cardboard boxes they then get so frantic trying to find stuff to nest with that they actually claw up all the fleece on the floor. Not even food seems to distract them for long.

Also if I'm right about my assumption, I have a couple questions about the process. I read that they go into heat every 4-5 days but it only lasts 12-24 hours? Will they always be like this?


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I've honestly never seen a girl do that while in heat. Mine while get a little more frisky, popcorning around, racing all over, twitching when I touch them, etc, but I've never seen nesting behavior from any that weren't about to give birth. You may just have some unique little girls lol but of course someone else may be able to provide some insight.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

My five do this every once in awhile. I've taken to just putting the dig box in with them with scraps of newspaper and scattered treats in it. They'll take all the paper to various hides and nest with it. It needs to be replaced weekly but I think its worth it if it stops them from ripping up the flooring in the cage.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

I haven't heard about this behavior but sometimes mine go through this once in a while, it could be when they are in heat I never thought of it that way. Is it cooler in the house when they do this? Do you put extra material in the cage at all times? My hairless rat did this and she did it almost compulsively I just put it with that she gets colder and needs more things to keep her warm. 

Maybe their nesting instincts are stronger then other rats.


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

My 4 started doing this when the cold snap hit my area... the hoarding started too.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

LilCritter said:


> the hoarding started too.


SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE DOING IT!! I didn't put two and two together till your post. I can fill a bowl and two hours later it's empty >:/


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## Jessiferatu (Apr 30, 2014)

You know, I'm not sure if it's related to them being in heat or what, but my female rats (only 3 of them, mind you) are more destructive and messy then the rest of my rats combined (9 boys). I have no idea why, lol. Their cage is ALWAYS a mess. They chew everything, hoard things, hide things, destroy hammocks like nobody's business. I know it could be a sign of boredom but their routine doesn't seem to affect how they behave in this regard. They're just super restless.


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

Hey-Fay said:


> My five do this every once in awhile. I've taken to just putting the dig box in with them with scraps of newspaper and scattered treats in it. They'll take all the paper to various hides and nest with it. It needs to be replaced weekly but I think its worth it if it stops them from ripping up the flooring in the cage.


What's a dig box? I've very new to rats and I' always looking for new things to entertain them and keep them healthy/happy.


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

Mitsy said:


> I haven't heard about this behavior but sometimes mine go through this once in a while, it could be when they are in heat I never thought of it that way. Is it cooler in the house when they do this? Do you put extra material in the cage at all times? My hairless rat did this and she did it almost compulsively I just put it with that she gets colder and needs more things to keep her warm.
> 
> Maybe their nesting instincts are stronger then other rats.


I've not noticed a connection in the temperature but I haven't been looking for it. I'll keep an eye out for that.

I always have extra blankets and scraps laying around the cage but when they start to get compulsive I usually give them an extra box full of shredded paper. It seems if I give them more "easy prey" they don't try to dig up the floor liner.


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

LilCritter said:


> My 4 started doing this when the cold snap hit my area... the hoarding started too.


Like I said. Not sure if the temperature is the issue or not. I'm going to try and take notice. My house is old and doesn't hold the heat well and I have forced air gas which can go up and down a bit more than other types of heat. I generally keep the thermostat between 68 and 70.

Neither of them hoard (well not much) but they do take scraps of fleece and the cage blankets and stuff them in the food dish. I'm assuming to "hide" it?

This happened once...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzPbwCVF1Ctdc2d4aFRDUDVNWkU/view?usp=sharing


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

Jessiferatu said:


> You know, I'm not sure if it's related to them being in heat or what, but my female rats (only 3 of them, mind you) are more destructive and messy then the rest of my rats combined (9 boys). I have no idea why, lol. Their cage is ALWAYS a mess. They chew everything, hoard things, hide things, destroy hammocks like nobody's business. I know it could be a sign of boredom but their routine doesn't seem to affect how they behave in this regard. They're just super restless.


*sigh* Good to know. I sigh not because I don't love the little buggers...I do. I just feel like I'm doing something wrong if they're this restless and compulsively destructive.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Here's a link to one of our members, Isamurats, site. She's an ethical breeder in the UK and has several great ideas for toys and enrichment. This link shows what dig boxes are
http://isamu.weebly.com/cage-enrichment.html


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## jlhummel (Oct 23, 2014)

Hey-Fay said:


> Here's a link to one of our members, Isamurats, site. She's an ethical breeder in the UK and has several great ideas for toys and enrichment. This link shows what dig boxes are
> http://isamu.weebly.com/cage-enrichment.html


Thanks!


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