# How do i tell if a rat is pregnant?



## ~shopoholicfreak~

I just bought a rat at a petstore that was with a male for a few days and she is a little big. does any one think she is pregnant?
How do i know if my rat is pregnant?
what would be the signs of a pregnant rat?


----------



## pinnacle

It might be but I doubt it. Unless she was living with other males which never happens at the pet store. She might just be a little chubby


----------



## Esmie

pinnacle said:


> Unless she was living with other males which never happens at the pet store.


*LMAO*

Well, she might be chubby, or she might be pregnat.. How old is she? If she's just a baby and pregnat you should kill the babies when they comes. A babie shouldn't take care of youngsters, she's not strong enough for it


----------



## pinnacle

Esmie said:


> pinnacle said:
> 
> 
> 
> Unless she was living with other males which never happens at the pet store.
> 
> 
> 
> *LMAO*
> 
> Well, she might be chubby, or she might be pregnat.. How old is she? If she's just a baby and pregnat you should kill the babies when they comes. A babie shouldn't take care of youngsters, she's not strong enough for it
Click to expand...

whats so funny?


----------



## ameliaflame

OMG bloody *beeep*l whatever you do don't kill the babies if she is pregnant!!!! Find a suragate mother, or if you can't just hope for the best. I don't know a lot about suragate mothering ive never had the need for it before, but find a breeder in your area if she is pregnant, and ask if they have any rats that could foster the babies. check with several places at once in case the person you ask doesn't have a available female.


----------



## lunascrest

You should ask your petstore if she has babies. Ask them if they have any lactating does for sale.


----------



## STUgirl55

living with other males at the pet store never happens? Try again. I just got a rat two weeks ago and SURPRISE!! I have twelve little bundles of joy (I think, they're in a box and newborn so it's hard to tell) in the cage with her.


----------



## twitch

its been a while. has she had any babies? is she getting any bigger? how old is she? if she's old enough or attentive enough and you make sure she has lots of good foods then she should be able to raise the babies herself. if she is young talk to the pet store and check to see if you can get a lactating female to surrogate just in case. or try to find a breeder in your area. 

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/breeding/ this is a forum for breeders. you might be able to find someone from your area to help you out and at the very least they'll be better able to answer your questions then some of the people on here as not everyone here as rasied babies while nearly everyone on there has. good luck and keep us posted.


----------



## FairytaleRat

I have bought female rats from pet stores and they had babies a few days after purchase. You will know, they get so fat like they are going to explode a few days before birth. It is really kind of cute. Like they swallowed a watermelon
Then you will wake up to the babies crying. I have had so many babies that were so unitentional. Geez they are cute when they open their eyes and start hopping around and playing




~shopoholicfreak~ said:


> I just bought a rat at a petstore that was with a male for a few days and she is a little big. does any one think she is pregnant?
> How do i know if my rat is pregnant?
> what would be the signs of a pregnant rat?


----------



## Nazarath

*new mom*

I know that with my doe mice, if they have a littler sometimes i can place runts or bandond babies in with her. I had one mom who have about 10 litters (about 5 of those came from knowwhere, i've hurd they can get preg. from stored sperm but anyways) and i could place babies in with her and she would take care of them just fine. 
Personally i wouldn't have the heart to kill the babies lol. You can always take her to the vet and get her checked out?


----------



## Nazarath

*new mom*

I know that with my doe mice, if they have a littler sometimes i can place runts or bandond babies in with her. I had one mom who have about 10 litters (about 5 of those came from knowwhere, i've hurd they can get preg. from stored sperm but anyways) and i could place babies in with her and she would take care of them just fine. 
Personally i wouldn't have the heart to kill the babies lol. You can always take her to the vet and get her checked out?


----------



## lilspaz68

Okay for anyone still reading this as just an informational post here goes...

If the girl is extremely young (5 weeks plus they are _physically_ able to conceive) they can be pregnant and can take care of their litter...no killing babies here!!! There might be a small litter, she may reabsorb, etc or if she's old enough you could look into an e-spay. If the ratgirl is well over 1 years old and its a first litter then there could be complications during the pregnancy and labour.

A rat goes into heat every 4 days and it only takes a second to be mated.  The pregnancy typically lasts 21-23 days, except on a post-birth impregnation (they go into heat right after birth) then the pregnancy runs up to 28 days to give the present litter a chance before they are weaned.

Some rats start to get chubby and assume the pregnant pear shape, others will fool you til a day or 2 before, and even others won't show their pregnancy til the eepers are born.

The BEST way besides a vet for telling if your girly is pregnant is to buy a digital postal scale and weigh her daily. You will see a very significant weight gain, more than a growth spurt for young females.

I had an ooops litter this morning from a shelter adoptee who was found in a backyard...I had no idea that she was exposed to a male. 

Here's her weight gain chart so you can see what I am talking about

Bronwenâ€™s Weight Gain (4 months old) 
Aug. 11 â€“ 267 g 
Aug. 14 â€“ 279 g 
Aug. 15 â€“ 289 g
Aug. 16 â€“ 302 g
Aug. 17 â€“ 319 g
Aug. 18 â€“ 329 g
Aug. 19 â€“ 346 g
Aug. 20 â€“ 354 g
Aug. 21 â€“ 364 g (birth)
Sept. 14 â€“ 278 g 

Before birth a lot of females start to nest, and its time to give them bedding proper for a birth then. Some rats get hormonally nippy as their instincts to protect their young kick in.


----------



## Rodere

Culling isn't a good method. Personally I am entirely against it, but I know not everyone is. Culling (killing of healthy kittens that aren't deformed or sick for no reason but to get rid of them), often has bad affects on the mother. Some people have actually found that their litter of 15 did better than a litter of 5 in which a couple died! It's not the number of the litter always. 

Killing a mother's offspring could send her into a depression and I am positive it is stressful. Think about it.. One minute she has 10 little babies, the next there are 7. She didn't eat them, didn't see them dead, nothing. Gone. Obviously she will search and wonder and stress over it. Depression and stress can cause complications with humane births, so obviously they play a part in animal births as well.


----------



## radical

why would anyone EVER kill a healthy litter? it's a disgusting and terrible thought.


----------



## Shar

If she is old enough to conceive and carry a litter then she is old enough to care for them. There is no reason to cull them at all, just let her do her thing, she knows what to do, even if she is still a baby herself. It's her biology to be able to make babies, it's what she was made for. Once she has them, it is up to you to provide her with good quality, high protien food so that she can feed the babies and give them the best nutrition possible. 

You should handle them every day right from the beginning so that they are used to people, they will be easier to find homes for if they are friendly.


----------



## Alyssa_Rat

.ummm wow... nice, ive never had baby rats ((plenty of hamster pups though).


----------

