# Could my rat be pregnant???



## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Hi, was wondering if anyone could give me there opinion on whether my rat could be pregnant? I got Storm 10 days ago. When we got her she was slightly smaller than the rat we already have (both rats are female) but the last 2 days we've noticed Storm has started to get a bit of a podgy belly which you can only really notice from the front when she's climbing up the cage. Saying that when she isn't climbing you can tell she's put a bit of weight on around her back/rump area (but not overly). I've only just been able to weigh them today and both rats are around 165 grams so just from that and the way Storm looked when we 1st got her we know she's put on a bit of weight (as I said she was smaller then my other rat). I'm not sure though whether the weight gain is because she is eating a lot more now then before we got her as beforehand she was kept in a cage with quite a lot of other rats so don't know if she would have had access to enough food there. So really what I want to know is how far along in a rats pregnancy can you definitely tell she's pregnant and should I weigh her everyday? I would be grateful for any advice, thanks.


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## Jess <3 (Jan 23, 2014)

Do you know how old she is? If she's young she could just be growing or 'filling out'. And yes, the fact that she lived with a lot of other rats could mean she wasn't getting enough food and so now she's putting on weight, if she weighs the same as your other female then i wouldn't be particularly worried. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to see the signs of pregnancy until nearer the end. For some rats, around day 18-19, you can actually see the babies moving inside. I think it is a good idea to weigh her daily, a steady increase in weight is probably the best sign that she's pregnant if it's early on. 

Is there any way to find out if she was previously in contact with any males?


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Jess <3 said:


> Do you know how old she is? If she's young she could just be growing or 'filling out'. And yes, the fact that she lived with a lot of other rats could mean she wasn't getting enough food and so now she's putting on weight, if she weighs the same as your other female then i wouldn't be particularly worried. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to see the signs of pregnancy until nearer the end. For some rats, around day 18-19, you can actually see the babies moving inside. I think it is a good idea to weigh her daily, a steady increase in weight is probably the best sign that she's pregnant if it's early on.
> 
> Is there any way to find out if she was previously in contact with any males?


Thanks for getting back to me, we think she's about 7 to 8 weeks, we got told she was in a cage with just females but I'm really not convinced about this, we'll keep an eye on her and try and weigh her daily, I've heard that the nipples become noticeable but not sure when this will happen, my daughter thinks she can see her nipples but to be honest I've not been able to have a good look yet.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Thanks for getting back to me, we've been told she's between 7 to 8 weeks, we were also told that she was kept with females but I'm not convinced about this. I've been told that the nipples become noticeable although I'm not sure at what stage this happens, my daughter seems to think she can see Storms nipples but to be honest I've not had a chance to really check. We'll try and weigh her daily (although she's not to keen on this). Thanks again for getting back to me.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Sorry for repeating myself, my reply didn't show up 1st time (whoops).


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## Jess <3 (Jan 23, 2014)

Well, there are cases of rats getting pregnant extremely young, but at 8 weeks it's unlikely. If you post a picture in a week or so i can give you my opinion and just keep weighing, but i wouldn't worry. Rats grow really fast so it's probably just a 'food baby'.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Hopefully she's not because I think she's to young to go through a pregnancy (my opinion) although I did get told they can get pregnant from 5 weeks (I was told this by a rather rubbish vet when we asked advice about our first rat). I'll post some pictures next week if the weight gain continues.


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## Jess <3 (Jan 23, 2014)

It's true they can _get_ pregnant at five weeks, but surviving the pregnancy and birth is another matter entirely. Unfortunately some vets only have very scarce knowledge when it comes to rats, finding a vet that has rats of their own is always a blessing.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Jess thank you so much for your help and advice, I've been doing as much research as I can online, I must admit I'm now panicking a bit as she's so young and if she is pregnant might suffer from complications. I've got everything crossed that it's a 'food baby' and not a real pregnancy, I'll definitely keep you posted on weights I'll put some pics on next week if there is any more weight gain.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Just got home from work and observed Storm (couldn't get any decent photo's, sorry). She definitely has a roundness to her stomach and her nipples are noticeable but not protruding, I think there is a high possibility that she is pregnant from what I've read online. I'm absolutely gutted after reading about the complications a young female rat can go through  I know we've only had her a short time but she's one my little ratty babies.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Also just noted it looks like she could be trying to make a nest, she's tearing up paper and putting it in one place, she's also moved a small fleece blanket from the shelf to the bottom of the cage (she's putting the shredded paper on top of this). In the 10 days we've had her she has never made a nest, she's preferred to sleep on the shelf on top of her fleece blanket.


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Sounds like you may be correct about her being pregnant. It's not all bad news though as I've seen some very young girls pull through having a litter beautifully. We're all here to help you if you have any questions or concerns as well  Best of luck to you and your girl.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Gestation is around 21 days and they don't start showing the belly much until near the end. I also adopted a pregnant girl who had her babies 6 days after I took her home. She ballooned during that time, and she started making a nest the night right before she gave birth (really only hours before since she started having her babies around 8am). There are lots of great resources and good advice in the "caring for accidental litters" page. If possible, try to be with her when she's having her babies. It's not super high risk I think, but just in case anything goes wrong, you will want to rush her to vet as soon as possible.

Keep us posted! I hope everything goes smoothly.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Thank you all so much, I got in touch with the so called breeder this morning, he said he separated the males from females 5 days before I got my girl (WTF!!!). I've had Storm for 11 days. He told me when I got her they'd been separated for longer. (Words cannot describe how I feel about this man!!!) He said if she has been caught she will be due in the next 2 to 5 days. I weighed Storm yesterday morning and this morning and she's gained around 8 grams (very hard to weigh a wriggling rat). I'll keep you all posted on any further developments.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

What an idiot! Did you tell this breeder that they need to be separated at 5 weeks? Well, I guess you will be enjoying babies soon after all! As well as any one else who adopted a female from him..


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## Jess <3 (Jan 23, 2014)

Oh dear, how irresponsible of him. I truly hope everything works out well.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Got home from work this morning and found a huge nest at the bottom of the cage, no sign of babies yet though. Storm definitely seems to be getting bigger everyday! I wanted to move her into a large plastic container as the cage she's in has a shelf in and I've heard it's best to keep new babies in a single story cage or tank. I was wondering seeing that she's built a huge nest (and still adding to it!) whether it would be best leaving her where she is until she has her babies and move them after a few days, or if I should move her into a safer container/tank/cage before the babies come??


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Sorry, I'm probably boring you all now (haha) but I had to post some pics of Storms nest that she's building and a (really dodgy) pic of Storm from behind.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Kinda hard to tell by that picture, but I definitely see roundness on her and if you can see nipples I think you are probably right about her being pregnant. She's super adorable btw. 

You might consider giving her a little extra protein. A little cooked egg-hard boiled or scrambled, some chicken, tuna or even a little tofu. Pregnant moms use more protein and she is still a baby herself and could probably use some extra even without.

Ideally I would try and move her before she has the babies so she doesn't get tempted to move them to a less than ideal place before you can get to them all.

She is a lucky little girl to get placed with someone willing to help her through this.

Kristine


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

It's nice hearing about babies in cases like this! Totally not boring! You can try to just gently pick up her nest (or slide a folded page of newspaper to scoop it up) and move it to a tank. Try putting an empty tissue box or something similar like that she can hide in and feel secure. You may already have one though, I just saw that she's built her nest out in the open. Once the babies are active and climbing around, you can put them back in the wire cage as long as the bars are small enough that no one can squeeze through. Climbing is very good for active little babies!

She is looking rather rotund in those pics! I think putting her in a baby tank is definitely a good precaution. She's so cute! I'm sorry she's so young, but hopefully she will be fine. There's been plenty of people here who have adopted baby girls and found out they were pregnant, and in most cases they did just fine. I guess just make sure the labor isn't too long and there isn't too much blood. I'm sure she'll be fine. Seeing babies be born and grow up is really rewarding! Have you thought yet about what you will do with the babies? Will you plan to keep some? I love having my mommy rat with 4 of her babies all living together. Feels like a happy little family! I just wish I could have kept all her babies!

I'm not sure if she is high white, but she has a blaze which might indicate she has high white genetics. These genes may put her babies at a higher risk for having Megacolon. My girl is high white, and 2 of her babies have megacolon. I first noticed their symptoms after they began nibbling solid foods, before they were 2 weeks old. They have needed lifelong medication, special foods, and enemas and other care to maintain their condition. If not, they would have definitely died a painful death.. But the good news is that they have been maintainable and just celebrated their 2 year birthday a couple days ago! It might be a good idea to research high white and megacolon just in case, especially if she may have bred with a brother. There's a thread you can start in the Health section here. Or feel free to message me with any questions! I'm excited to see baby pictures maybe soon!


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

mimsy said:


> Kinda hard to tell by that picture, but I definitely see roundness on her and if you can see nipples I think you are probably right about her being pregnant. She's super adorable btw.
> 
> You might consider giving her a little extra protein. A little cooked egg-hard boiled or scrambled, some chicken, tuna or even a little tofu. Pregnant moms use more protein and she is still a baby herself and could probably use some extra even without.
> 
> ...


Oyster and cooked beef liver is good too for getting essential Iron on top of protein.

Try buying soy infant formula (or goat's milk!) to give her. And when the babies are about a week old, soak their food in the formula to help them chew the new solid foods and get extra vitamins and minerals that is gentle on their tummies.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Wow, I am so overwhelmed by the feedback, advice and support from you all, you are all truly amazing  I had quite a panic yesterday after reading online about young expectant mums and the complications they can have but after reading all your comments I feel a lot more positive. I will keep you all updated and post pictures when I can. Thank you all so much. xxx


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

No babies yet but I have got a couple of pics of Storm, again not the best as she just won't keep still lol.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Aw such a round tummy! Probably won't be too long until she has them! My girl looked like she swallowed a tennis ball right when she was at her fullest. ;D


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

She is so adorable


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Your girl will probably be that round in just a couple days too!  Can't wait to see baby pics soon!


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Hi all, I'm pretty sure we have little rat babies yayyyy  it must have happened a few hours ago (when I was in bed after working a night shift........typical!). Storm seems to be doing fine and has had a bit of scrambled egg, we've tried to peep into her nest without touching it and we are all fairly sure we saw the tiniest little pink thing with the tiniest little legs moving awwwwww  there seems to be little tiny squeaks coming from the nest too which I've heard is very normal from the babies. I can't wait to have a proper look at them in the next couple of days and to take some photo's to show you all. (Yayyyy, so excited :smile xx


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Photo


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Congrats! What's the count? You can lure mom away and start handling them to ensure they have milkbands; just be sure to put them back into their nest for about 15 minutes before putting mom back in.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

We think it's about 10, and we've noticed milk bands, :smiley: going to have a proper look tomorrow. Mum and babies up to now doing well, even got kisses off mum before, so proud of her :smiley:


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

How cute!! I've been checking the forum everyday to see if you've posted about babies! How is the mom doing, is she acting totally healthy and back to normal? I know you were worried about her since she was very young. You should be able to sex the babies whenever you feel comfortable with picking them up. You should try handling them a lot while they're little. The mom shouldn't care at all, and it'll be good for the babies. Lots of touching and petting and comfort is very healthy for little babies. And yes, they do talk a lot and lots of squeaks! And whenever mom moves, they will all start singing too haha. It's super cute! Congrats on all the little jellybeans! I'm looking forward to seeing updates and pictures!


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

Mums doing fine :smiley: I think she must have been a bit bewildered yesterday as she was still very friendly with me, whereas today she seems to be more a bit more aggressive and protectiv (nip to the finger to prove it haha). Going to have a proper look at the babies a bit later on to find out exactly how many she's had and to make sure they're all healthy and ok.


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## janrobwei (Jun 25, 2015)

9 little cuties :smiley:


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Aww and they're already getting their colors! With the babies I had, once I could tell the difference between them after a couple days when their fur patterns were coming in, I started to weigh them with a kitchen scale every day and keep track of them. This is very important if you might be worried that your mom rat has high white genetics. If a baby starts to lose weight or isn't gaining weight as fast as the others, that could be the starting signs of megacolon (or a number of other issues). That's one of the big red flags I had when I discovered that 2 of my little ones had megacolon at about a week and a half old. Just thought I'd mention it.

The babies are so cute!! Have you been able to sex them yet? This is making me miss having babies. I'm sooo tempted to take a pregnant mom from a hoarding rescue case nearby!! They have so many pregnant females and babies. I can't wait for more pics as they grow. don't they have the cutest little feet and faces?


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