# Preparing for the babies



## Bronte18 (Jun 2, 2014)

So my intersex rat is pregnant for sure! I've gave him/her plenty of nesting material in his new cage but he's actually made a nest in my sock drawer, he's always desperately trying to get out the cage when I put him in. He's also taking everything he can find and making a nest in my drawer, I'm really concerned that he's going to give birth there when the boys are out as they still free range together so what should I do? Keep the boys in the cage or keep cuddles in his cage and force him to build his nest there? Has anybody's rat given birth outside the cage? Will I 100% know there's babies there?


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Bronte18 said:


> So my intersex rat is pregnant for sure! I've gave him/her plenty of nesting material in his new cage but he's actually made a nest in my sock drawer, he's always desperately trying to get out the cage when I put him in. He's also taking everything he can find and making a nest in my drawer, I'm really concerned that he's going to give birth there when the boys are out as they still free range together so what should I do? Keep the boys in the cage or keep cuddles in his cage and force him to build his nest there? Has anybody's rat given birth outside the cage? Will I 100% know there's babies there?


nesting is not an automatic assumption of pregnancy, so you can rule that out. 

Are you weighing your rat daily? How long since your rat may have been impregnated, how much weight has it gained?


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## Bronte18 (Jun 2, 2014)

I know that lol, he is an intersex and has been living with males for about 6-7 months, checked by a very trusting vet btw. There was an incident about 17 days ago that I posted where all of the males began humping him one night, an isolated incident, in the past week he went from a very steady 330g over 3 months to 344g, his belly is swollen and firm and his behaviour has changed, he's constantly nesting and stashing. I'm 95% he's pregnant and due in a few days, I'll upload a pic of his belly tomorrow, the full story is on my other posts. I say he as before I found out he was intersex the day after the incident I was told by another vet he was a he so it's just kind of stuck with me.


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## ratbasket (Apr 26, 2014)

Do you have a birthing tanks for him/her? because the babies could fall out the bars of a cage when they start moving around.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

Isamurat has already told them that their cage is fine as it has a nice deep pan in it.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Delilah hated the birthing tank and still does. She wanted to build her nest with Dean in the big cage. I would put her/him in the birthing place where you know s/he can't get out. You wouldn't want to find out that sh/e moved the babies somewhere and you have no idea where they are.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I would definitly be moving them perminantly into the birthing cage at about day 19, the babies can come as early as day 20-21. You can let herout for quick cuddles and handle her sill right up to the end but i wouldnt encourage her to nest elsewhere, she needs to settle.

I will say though that around day 19 phanotom pregnancies tend to show up, and if a rat appears to loose babies around then it was often phantom to start off with. I would have thought this is more likley with an intersex rat, though they are rare. I have heard of one case of an intersex rat succesffully having a litter as both a doe and a buck but thats all of one case i've ever heard about, and i tend to read a lot


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

I thought phantom pregnancies wernt proven in rats? Arnt they born out of a desire to have a baby in humans? Can't ser that scenario in rats...


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

Dogs can have them too. Causing them to produce milk and exhibit nesting and nursing behaviors.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Phantom pregnancies are pretty common in rodents and many other animals in general. It useually triggered by an encouter which fools the body into preparing for a birth, its isnt pschologically driven as much as a biological response. Theres even mention of mice on the wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_pregnancy with some decent references quoted. Ive come across quite a few in rats and its fairly commonly accepted in the breeding community that it happens though not massively frequently. In rabbits its very common, one of mine had a phantom pregnancy shortly after we got two "girls" (her brother was definitly not a girl) but thankfully the litter never came and it resolved itself earlier than a real pregnancy would.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Well thats good to know. I had no idea. Learn something new every day I guess.


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