# Seeking advice on caring for, and either keeping or re-homing an accidental litter.



## MyBoyRatPulledaMulan (Feb 7, 2021)

I adopted two "brothers", but as my username says, one rat pulled a Mulan and revealed himself to be _GASP_ a woman!!! And a very pregnant woman at that.

I have separated Mulan (mama rat) and Shang (daddy rat), and they have a healthy army of 7. For now, Mulan and the army are in a nursery set up, and Shang is in a double critter nation all by himself 

I've ordered a metal pan from Bass Equipment, and my plan is that whenever the army is closer to 2 or 3 weeks old I'll put Mulan and the army in the bottom level of the double critter nation, and section off the top with a metal pan so it's chew proof. Shang will be up there, and hopefully, the smell of Mulan and the babies won't be too stressful. 

When the army is 4-5 weeks old I'll separate the boys from the rest of the litter. At that point, I've gotten mixed advice on whether or not it's safe to introduce them to Shang or not. A breeder I met on Reddit said that Shang is young enough that introductions should go smoothly (he's probably around 12 weeks or so? His balls hadn't "dropped" yet when I adopted him), but others have advised that the babies should be older before I attempt to introduce them.

Either way, it's my understanding that the babies are old enough to rehome when they're 8 weeks?

So, concerns I have and areas where I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice. 

1. I'm hesitant to rehome Shang right now. Once I pull that trigger I can't take it back, and he and Mulan are both such sweet rats. But, I also hate that he's alone right now (he's only been alone for a few days, but still). I'm worried about getting him a friend because I don't have a separate airspace for quarantining, and I don't want to risks the babies health by bringing in a new rat. And if the new rat and Shand didn't get along, I'm maxed out on cage space.

2. If I do decide that I have to rehome an entire gender (either all the girls +Mulan, or all the boys +Shang), what is the best way to do that to ensure they're not snake food or end up being bred by a feeder breeder? Should I ask to see pictures of the adopter's cage set up or would that be too weird of a request? 

3. I don't know how many of the babies are male, and how many are female yet. But if the numbers work out, I think I technically have enough room to keep them all +Mulan and Shang. The plan would be to keep the double critter nation sectioned off with that metal pan and some hardware cloth on the ramp hole for good measure. Or possibly, try to find a way to take it apart and make two separate cages (IDK if that's possible or not). 

The thing is, I don't know if I'm a good home for both males and females at the same time. It might stress me out too much knowing that another unplanned pregnancy is just one careless mistake or escape artist away. Neutering is really expensive in my area, and the vets I've called so far can't confirm that they've even done it before. So even if I had enough money to neuter multiple males or spay multiple females, I don't have the comfort knowing it's by a vet with rat nuetering/spaying experience. I think that if I decide I can't deal with the stress of having a mischief of males and a mischief of females, it's probably in the rats best interest to give them a home that wouldn't require them to undergo an elective surgery like that. This option is on the table IF I'm convinced that keeping both males and females can be done safely, OR I can't find new homes and I basically become a forever-foster-parent.

Any thoughts and advice welcomed. For now, I'm just weighing all my options so that I'm not scrambling when/if it's time to rehome the babies.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

It sounds like you've done a lot of research and have thought a lot of this through already!

1. If it were me, I would give Shang a lot of extra attention right now and introduce him to the baby boys once they've been separated from the girls. Every situation is different but I've successfully introduced boys as young as 5 weeks to adults. Some people prefer to wait until babies are 8 to 10 weeks old before introducing to adults. Being that Shang is so young, I'd guess that it will likely be an easy intro but you'll still want to be careful. 

2. There are some good ways to rehome your rats. First I would do some research to see if there are any rat or small pet rescue organizations in your area. Reach out to them to see if they're currently accepting surrenders. You could also try to find homes for them yourself. Posting on rat forums is a good way to start. I would only post on sites like Craigslist as a last resort and I would charge a "rehoming" fee that is higher than the price of feeders in your area. You could also request details/pictures about cage and general care. Only let people take rats in pairs or small groups, never alone. If you're down to your last 3 rats and someone only wants to take 2 of them, tell them no because you're not willing to leave one rat alone. 

3. 9 rats is a lot but it's not totally unreasonable for a DCN as long as the numbers are fairly evenly split. This many rats can get a little costly, though. Food bills alone would run at least $20 - $50 a month. You'll also want to consider vet bills down the road. Unfortunately, vets don't charge any less for rats than they do for larger pets that live longer. You'll also want to consider the time commitment. Separate groups means supervising two separate playtimes every day. A cage with 9 rats will also need very regular maintenance to keep up with all the poop and pee!


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## MyBoyRatPulledaMulan (Feb 7, 2021)

Thank you so much, you've given me a good deal to think about 

And you do have an excellent point. As much as I would love to care for everyone as a forever home, 9 rats would be a lot. I originally adopted 2 because I knew I could spoil 2, and if either or both had medical issues I could probably afford vet care for 2. Nine would indeed be a stretch, especially if all or most of them got the short end of the genetic stick and ended up with health problems 

Thank you again, I really appreciate your perspective. I'll start contacting rescues near me. In the meantime, at least I have everything set up so that I can take care of Mulan and her army until they can be weaned and go to new homes. I'll admit that while this situation has stressed me out (I tend to be a little high strung, lol) I have enjoyed bonding with everyone so far.

Shang is getting extra love and time outside the cage, Mulan is getting extra protein-rich treats like yogurt, and of course, the babies are to-die-for-cute. Last night Mulan was so eager to have a break from the babies that she decided she's a shoulder rat. Now when I scatter feed her or spot clean her cage she just wants to perch on my arm or look in my ear for any treats she thinks I'm hiding, lol. The pregnancy happened before either of them really got used to me as their new human, so Mulan deciding that she's a shoulder rat was really unexpected. And sweet Shang is doing the best he can. He was really stressed his first night and day alone, but now he's warming up to me again.

Ahg. I'm rambling now. Anyway, thank you again for your advice and things to think about  I really appreciate you taking the time.


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

MyBoyRatPulledaMulan said:


> I adopted two "brothers", but as my username says, one rat pulled a Mulan and revealed himself to be _GASP_ a woman!!! And a very pregnant woman at that.
> 
> I have separated Mulan (mama rat) and Shang (daddy rat), and they have a healthy army of 7. For now, Mulan and the army are in a nursery set up, and Shang is in a double critter nation all by himself
> 
> ...


Hi there,
I agree with what CorbinDallasMyMan said.
Also, if you section off your DCN for boy and girls my worry would be that when the girls go on heat the boys could get agitated because they would be able to smell and hear them but they wouldn't be able interact with them. If its temporary then it should be fine but permanently probably not the best idea. 
I introduced my rat Buster to his boys when they were about 4-5 weeks old without too many problems, however he was neutered by then and has a quiet nature. It does depend on the rats.
If you do decide to re-home the babies then asking for a photo of the cage and lots of questions is a good idea.
I hope you find a good outcome for you and your ratties.


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## lfraser06 (Aug 5, 2020)

Have you thought about having Shang neutered? That way you could keep both Shang & Mulan and maybe one or two of the girls and try to rehome the others?


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## Clarkbar (Oct 28, 2020)

I found some homes by posting on my town's Facebook group. Many people who saw it knew people who wanted rats, and passed it on to them. They went in pairs at about 5 1/2 weeks because I didn't have anywhere to keep the boys, other than an aquarium. Luckily for me they were adopted quickly.

When I wasn't sure about someone, I asked for $5 adopting fee to filter out the snake owners.


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## MyBoyRatPulledaMulan (Feb 7, 2021)

lfraser06 said:


> Have you thought about having Shang neutered? That way you could keep both Shang & Mulan and maybe one or two of the girls and try to rehome the others?


Yes, so far the vets I've talked to go the estimates have been $275-$295 per rat. One vet's office gave me a bad feeling as the receptionist wouldn't say if the vet had neutering experience with rats, and dodged the question when I asked if the vet had any surgery experience with rats. Another vet's office was more straight forward and said I could call back on Thursday when their small animal vet was next scheduled to work. That vet's office said that the small animal vet had experience with surgery on a gerbil, but she didn't know if they had rat experience specifically. 

I've also reached out to the local shelters to ask if they use a small animal vet and if so which ones. I'd love to spay or nueter so that I can keep both, but it's possible that it's just too expensive and too risky. Especially if none of the vets offering the service actually have experience doing it, lol.


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## MyBoyRatPulledaMulan (Feb 7, 2021)

Clarkbar said:


> I found some homes by posting on my town's Facebook group. Many people who saw it knew people who wanted rats, and passed it on to them. They went in pairs at about 5 1/2 weeks because I didn't have anywhere to keep the boys, other than an aquarium. Luckily for me they were adopted quickly.
> 
> When I wasn't sure about someone, I asked for $5 adopting fee to filter out the snake owners.


Thank you for pointing out Facebook. I actually don't have a Facebook account, lol. But it might be worth opening one just to make sure the babies get good homes.


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## theyargimachine (Feb 6, 2021)

Hope god help you. You must be a very sincere person. God bless you.


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## Tinytoes (Dec 23, 2020)

MyBoyRatPulledaMulan said:


> Yes, so far the vets I've talked to go the estimates have been $275-$295 per rat. One vet's office gave me a bad feeling as the receptionist wouldn't say if the vet had neutering experience with rats, and dodged the question when I asked if the vet had any surgery experience with rats. Another vet's office was more straight forward and said I could call back on Thursday when their small animal vet was next scheduled to work. That vet's office said that the small animal vet had experience with surgery on a gerbil, but she didn't know if they had rat experience specifically.
> 
> I've also reached out to the local shelters to ask if they use a small animal vet and if so which ones. I'd love to spay or nueter so that I can keep both, but it's possible that it's just too expensive and too risky. Especially if none of the vets offering the service actually have experience doing it, lol.


Congrats on your army, and your well-thought-out plan! The cost of neutering a rat is ridiculous. The rescues get a discount rate (I've had three neutered, cost was $85 each) so the males are more adoptable. I would talk to a local rescue about what vet they use for the procedure. Don't know if you could get a better rate, maybe talk to the rescue about it. And they can also help with re-homing advice. 

I currently have 6 boys, and they are a handful! They are only 3-4 months old, but quickly becoming bigger and braver and more demanding of my time. 2 hours a day socializing rats is a lot. And I can't easily socialize them when there are that many.

You have time, and you'll change your mind a dozen times, and you'll make the right decision for you and your rats. Until then, enjoy your little monkeys


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## Babe &Ginger (Dec 9, 2020)

Awe. First, let me tell you that I also experienced and unexpected litter. I got a companion for my wild rat that I raised from a naked kit with 2 litter mates that did not survive. Ginger, the one I got from a breeder had apparently had a fling just before coming to be a companion for Babes. The very day that I was going to allow her to be with Babes, Ginger gave birth to 10 babies! Yikes! So much for quarantine, but I am so glad to have been able to have this wonderful experience. I would tell you that being close is very good, and to have lots of contact with those that are alone, daily. I also had to decide on keeping the boys, 5, or adopting them out out and possibly keeping all the girls. So, I found someone that I know that took all the baby girls, and then, out of desperation, contacted a reputable breeder. I left my information with her and she actually referred a very good adopter to me. I had a lengthy conversation, and the next day went to meet her. I Was satisfied by the meeting, about an hour in person, that these boys would have a fabulous home with her. It's hard to really know what the intention is, but, her willingness to drive a long distance, talk as long as I wanted, and also NOT leave with any boys if I felt they were not going to be cared for, was a good indicator. It is fine to ask for photos, and even a reference of another person. Why not. Anyway, enjoy the experience with the babies, be sure that you have lots of fun with them, and best of luck with your decision. I think 5 weeks to separate boys from mama, and then beep next to her cage, but allow another 2 weeks at most before adopting out.


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