# Pregnant rat at work



## crash (Jul 22, 2008)

I work at a petstore that opened about 3 weeks ago. We got our animals in about 3 days before the store opened so I would estimate that we got the rats about 19 days ago. We got in four adult female rats, and no males. Well one of them just had babies on the 23rd(I estimate we had her 17 days before she delivered) so she had to have gotten pregnant just before being shipped to us. I wasn't able to get a good look at the litter because she was very protective of them and I didn't want to stress her, but I asked the manager and they will be sexed, separated and sold once they are old enough. My question is actually about her cagemates...how likely is it that they are pregnant as well? I'm fairly certain that one of them is because she has prominent nipples, but wouldn't she have to be due anyday? She doesn't look huge, but she is a little chubby. I don't want her to have her babies there because I don't want her to have to raise them in a petstore and then have them be sold as feeders. I can't do anything about the other rat except try to improve her diet since they plan on selling them. Should I buy this other girl and then try to adopt out her babies if she is pregnant? One thing, she does have a growth on her eye, I'm not sure what it is but it doesn't seem to bother her. I need advice! I already have two rats living in a rat manor so I don't have space in there for anymore. I could come up with a nursery cage, but I don't know what I would do once they were old enough to be separated. Would anyone on here be interested in adopting (I'm in GA)? I know there are a lot of rats already in rescues that need homes. Should I leave her in the store? I don't know what to do...


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