# Grandma Part 2, Electric Boogaloo



## Marritz21 (2 d ago)

Hi all! I'm new but I just had to share the news lol.

My partner and I got what were two, supposedly, "young male rats" for our two adult boys (Remi and Ravioli). Well, we should have done our research better (and now are much more experienced) - Lovage and Thyme are two girls! We found Lovage's litter (4) after I had been hearing high-pitched squeaking for a few days. I thought maybe s(he) was just super protective of the one house they all had. We moved the girls into their own cage within an hour and the next day Thyme gave birth to 4 more. All 8 babies are doing well and four have been adopted (we kept 2 girls and 2 boys). We thought this was the end of it.

Surprise! Lovage gained weight - a lot of weight. She got that pear-shaped abdomen, her nipples were still hairless, and she was getting very aggressive. Yesterday she gave birth to _fourteen_ little potatoes. It's been exactly 30 days since she had her first litter, so I was thinking that her weight gain could have been tumors or she was going to have a miscarriage due to length. However, all fourteen babies look super healthy and are doing well! 

I feel terrible that my partner and I were irresponsible enough to not thoroughly research the difference between the sexes (which...it's noticeable now that we've raised them from birth). However, raising the little kittens has been absolutely lovely - it's been a great experience and taught us about how to properly care for rats, sex them, identify illnesses, coat colors, Rex vs Regular, etc. We are thankful to have some homes lined up for the second litter - Lovage is going to be getting examined at the vet just to ensure that she is ok after having another little so quickly after her first. Once I can get pictures of the babies (we're moving her to a larger maternity cage soon, but for now we're leaving her be to nurse except for quick checks on their milk bands and for bruising) I'll post them on here  I'll add some of the previous litters as well - they're all super cute and so friendly! Definitely not the road I thought we'd go down, but man, the love of rats in our household has just grown.


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## PotatoPancake<3 (9 d ago)

Marritz21 said:


> I feel terrible that my partner and I were irresponsible enough to not thoroughly research the difference between the sexes (which...it's noticeable now that we've raised them from birth).


Don't feel bad! We all make mistakes while we're learning, and it seems like you've grown into very knowledgeable, loving, and responsible rat parents! Have fun with the babies! They're so cute when they're between the "pink bean" and "energizer bunny on meth" phase.


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## KefirRat (7 mo ago)

Oh dear! At the very least, it seems like you earned a greater understanding of rats what with the care, defining the coat colour and identifying any illnesses, so there’s a nice silver lining to the situation.

But yeah, rats seem to get pregnant scarily quick!


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## LT_2022 (1 mo ago)

KefirRat said:


> But yeah, rats seem to get pregnant scarily quick!



They have a post partum estrus. Meaning as soon as the female rat gives birth to one litter she is immediately receptive to the male and will get pregnant. It's not uncommon for mom rat to be nursing one litter and be pregnant with her next litter.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Talk about diving into the deep end!

Welcome and I look forward to hearing more about your experience


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## Marritz21 (2 d ago)

PotatoPancake<3 said:


> Don't feel bad! We all make mistakes while we're learning, and it seems like you've grown into very knowledgeable, loving, and responsible rat parents! Have fun with the babies! They're so cute when they're between the "pink bean" and "energizer bunny on meth" phase.


Lol! "Energizer bunny on meth" phase is pretty accurate! Our previous litter was such a joy to watch growing up - we've kept four of them (2 boys, 2 girls, separated and easily identifiable now that we know what we're doing!) and they're an absolute joy. Seeing them come into their own personalities is amazing - Sesame is so much different from his brother Bagel, while Fern is much shyer than her sister Sage and her mama Thyme. Definitely a rewarding (if not eye-opening) experience!


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## Marritz21 (2 d ago)

KefirRat said:


> Oh dear! At the very least, it seems like you earned a greater understanding of rats what with the care, defining the coat colour and identifying any illnesses, so there’s a nice silver lining to the situation.
> 
> But yeah, rats seem to get pregnant scarily quick!


Yeah, the silver lining is quite nice! It's inspired us to become more responsible/respectful rat owners - I'm now my office's resident Rat Lady, in addition to the Goose Lady lol


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Hi there and congratulations on the babies.
We have also travelled the road of unexpected babies, so I can relate to your story.
I think this post is great because it highlights to people how quickly rats can become pregnant a second time, which will help other rat owners to avoid this happening.
It sounds like you are taking good care of everyone and getting lots of info.
Here's a flashback to some rat babies of ours that were born a couple of years ago.


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## Marritz21 (2 d ago)

ratbusters said:


> Hi there and congratulations on the babies.
> We have also travelled the road of unexpected babies, so I can relate to your story.
> I think this post is great because it highlights to people how quickly rats can become pregnant a second time, which will help other rat owners to avoid this happening.
> Here on the forum, we often tell people to separate the male immediately to avoid the mum getting pregnant straight away. And your situation is living proof that it really does happen! LOL
> ...


Oh my gosh, they're so cute!! I remember the fuzzy little bean stage very well lol. And yes, I'm so glad we now know about the postpartum pregnancy chance!! My partner and I are now very good at sexing rats and keeping them separate xD


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## PotatoPancake<3 (9 d ago)

Marritz21 said:


> Lol! "Energizer bunny on meth" phase is pretty accurate! Our previous litter was such a joy to watch growing up - we've kept four of them (2 boys, 2 girls, separated and easily identifiable now that we know what we're doing!) and they're an absolute joy. Seeing them come into their own personalities is amazing - Sesame is so much different from his brother Bagel, while Fern is much shyer than her sister Sage and her mama Thyme. Definitely a rewarding (if not eye-opening) experience!


It really is! One day they're fuzzy little wiggly beans and the next, they're teleporting around the enclosure and getting into EVERYTHING.
Their unique little personalities are so precious! My favourite part of rat ownership is definitely getting to know them individually and finding all their special quirks.


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## Ratty_123 (2 mo ago)

Marritz21 said:


> Hi all! I'm new but I just had to share the news lol.
> 
> My partner and I got what were two, supposedly, "young male rats" for our two adult boys (Remi and Ravioli). Well, we should have done our research better (and now are much more experienced) - Lovage and Thyme are two girls! We found Lovage's litter (4) after I had been hearing high-pitched squeaking for a few days. I thought maybe s(he) was just super protective of the one house they all had. We moved the girls into their own cage within an hour and the next day Thyme gave birth to 4 more. All 8 babies are doing well and four have been adopted (we kept 2 girls and 2 boys). We thought this was the end of it.
> 
> ...


Dont feel bad! Things happen! Congrats on your ratty babies getting adopted! 💛


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