# Accidental Litters?



## Caenis (Aug 30, 2009)

So I have this boy rat, I've had him since he was a baby. I'm not sure he's mentally all there, but there isn't anything I could find about rats who are a bit (y'know in the head). I began to wonder after half a year had passed if maybe he just really needed a friend, I had never had a lone rat before, normally I had families of them, and the one time I did have a lone rat (the happiest rat I knew), he died (dog). 

So I took in another rat who just so happened to be a girl (unexpected). I was disappointed because I couldn't get another male rat, and she was a girl. He took no interest in her just ignored her for a while, she bounced on his head and he would squeak and run to us. After a while he warmed up to her and they seemed like friends.

That's great...but now I have a problem. It's been a few months now and she has grown much slower than other rats I've had, she's really short and I give it 2 more months before she grows anymore, but one things fo certain she's interested in sex, because she lifts her butt up sometimes.

The vet said he couldn't neuter her because of her size, so I was a bit bummed about that, it would cost more but if I had to decide who to neuter I would neuter her not my boy, even though he'd be cheaper. 

I decided that the only one I'm willing to neuter is her, and recently unexpected things happen so now we can't afford neutering/spaying.

If I were living anywhere else I would welcome the babies and have plenty of room and space for them (room and board for them isn't a problem...it's t he landlady).

Longstory short, I need to know if there is any method of birth control besides spaying/neutering for these rats. Because if a litter does accidentally happen (and I don't want to isolate them), then there are several less desirable actions we would be forced to take. 

So does anyone know any other options of birth control?


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## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

How long have they been caged together? There's a good chance she's already pregnant. Separate them immediately, even if she is pregnant she needs to be alone. Honestly I can't see why you would think you could house an unaltered male and female together without her getting pregnant. It's pretty careless.


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## SpinningLoafers (May 7, 2009)

And what do you mean you could only get a female? Couldnt you just have waited until there were boys available? Im sure he woulndt have died of loneliness in that short time. This was really not a smart thing to do, and if you say youve housed many rats together before, id think you would know better. NO there is no other form of birthcontrol. If you want them to live together you must get one of them fixed. The boy would be cheaper so i think you might just need to do it. Its less risky aswell. And your female is probably definitely already pregnant. This is just so irresponsible, im sorry


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

If he'd already been alone half a year, I don't see why you couldn't wait until you found a suitable cage mate.... Why did you get the female and put her with your boy?? I'm sure you could tell she was female when you went to collect her. 



> That's great...but now I have a problem.


The problem is her possibly being pregnant.

Why are you only willing to spay her? This is even more irresponsible. You have the option to neuter the boy and you won't. Also you're saying you don't want to isolate them - so you'd rather risk her life with the possibility of complications with pregnancy and not to mention anything that could go wrong with any litters born?

What do you mean "then there are several less desirable actions we would be forced to take"?

Separate them. Either spay the female or neuter the male. If this isn't an option, get another male and another female so they can live in same sex pairs in separate cages (NOT allowing them to mix together at any time). Although if you can't afford to spay or neuter, then I suggest you don't get any more rats if vet bills couldn't be covered and rehome your boy and girl separately to live with other rats (same sex or spayed/neutered opposite sex).


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## Caenis (Aug 30, 2009)

Yeah I thought of that, no she's not pregnant they've been together for several months now, no pregnancy. I've had plenty of rats.

Right now I have 2 rats, one is male, one is female. I'm in a situation where we can't have babies. I know she's not pregnant yet, they're not housed together they have a giant open space, and my point is. There's a lot of stuff about neuter/spaying, that's not an option.

Does anyone here know besides not allowing them to chill together, any birth control methods. kinda like humans take 'the pill', 'condoms', etc. May sound crazy, but if humans weren't so focused on humans we wouldn't have to pay a bunch for those things, any methods would be appreciated, no judgments please you don't know the background or the situation, thanks.


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## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

They're in separate cages or just a big cage? ??? If they're housed together, you're being rather careless. I hope you'll reconsider, if that is the case. Pregnancy isn't easy on a rat.


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## Caenis (Aug 30, 2009)

Please don't assume anything. I've had a lot of rats, and have studied them for many years now. Up until recently I wondered if there was any such thing as rat birth control beyond spaying/neutering. I don't have a lot of the same beliefs/philosophies, and I have a very different background, so talking about money etc. won't do anyone any good.

I don't mean to sound blunt or rude or anything, I just have one question(well two by the end of this message), and I should have worded it more specifically and given less half background than I did in my first post.
*
Question: Besides spaying/neutering does any other method of birth control besides separation exist for rats.*

I don't need to know whether I'm responsible or not, because if the case is that there isn't any other method of birth control, then the Answer to my Question can't be answered and that is all I want a yes or no answer with explanations if it is a yes. If the question can't be answered because you either don't know, or because you believe it's a no (based on not knowing), I already know the answers to what I have to do. 

2nd Question, since I've never thought to look it up. Is the only issue with a male and female living together breeding? If so then I already know and it cycles back to Question 1, and if not what's the other issues? Because thus far I've had plenty of rats but all of them had separate rooms, and when I say room I mean one big giant, room with beds, and computers, and lots of items that could possibly be destroyed.

I'm sorry if I sound blunt, I just want to beat around any lecture bits and get straight to specific answers to my main question.

Thank you


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## ChloeLouise (Apr 5, 2009)

The answer to your question is NO


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

1) No other form of birth control

2) No issues beyond pregnancy with having a male and female together. ALL my boys are neutered and the boys that live with a harem of girls adore them.


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## flying.spaghetti.monster (Aug 4, 2009)

What 'other option' are you going to do? I really hope it is rehome her...


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

The OP states in the first post that she really doesn't know what's up with her rat (y'know in the head) but then follows up to say: "I've had a lot of rats, and have studied them for many years now."

Ok, I guess you missed the fact that rats are highly social creatures & the require the company of other rats. I mean, missing this fact in your studies should totally support the fact you are doing your research in the wrong places. Finding a solid source of accurate info would have helped you to avoid having a single rat for 6 months in the first place.

Sounds like you read a bunch of crap online & consider yourself knowledgeable. That plus the manner of stating... 'I've had lots of rats - for many years' doesn't mean a darn thing... people can have or do things for decades & be completely clueless. I've had rats for well over 25 years & I am learning new things about them on a near daily basis. 

Obviously you know best & you have it all worked out... good luck with your birth control experiment, too bad it will have casualties (I gather that was the cloaked meaning of 'several less desirable actions)



btw... the subject of your post shouldn't be worded as accidental 

Accidental would imply that you had no way of knowing what brought about the undesired circumstances of a potential litter. When the litter happens while in your care it will be the result of willful negligence, carelessness & irresponsibility on your part as you created the conditions that will produce what you have determined to be an undesired result of keeping two intact animals together.


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