# New rat is pregnant-pls help!!!



## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Hi
So a week and a bit ago I brought home two new baby rats, one is around 7 weeks now and the other is around 9 weeks. The one that is 9 weeks (Clover) is most definitely pregnant-she has a very round pear shaped tummy that grows everyday, you can really see her nipples, she sleeps a lot, she eats a lot and squabbles a lot with her little sister Primrose. I am putting her in a cage by herself tonight so she can make her nest and give birth when the time come (which looks like it will be very soon!!) The breeder wasn’t very good and we don’t know what condition they were living in as we couldn’t go in due to Covid. One of the girls I was supposed to be getting turned out to be a boy- and we don’t know if the boys and girls were separated soon enough.
While she is in her nursing cage I am introducing Primrose to my other older girls Willow and Hazel. I am using the neutral space and then the carrier method. Any advice??
Please could I have advice also on pregnant rats, the birth and caring for the kittens/pups? Pregnant rats are completely new to me and she is so young😫
Thank you so much and have a great day!!


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## Rex the Rat (Apr 7, 2020)

DaisyWillowHazel :D said:


> I am using the neutral space and then the carrier method


Watch their body language carefully. If you see signs of stress, aggression, or fear, have a towel ready in case they start fighting. If they fight, don't separate them with your bare hands. 



DaisyWillowHazel :D said:


> Please could I have advice also on pregnant rats, the birth and caring for the kittens/pups? Pregnant rats are completely new to me and she is so young😫


This playlist from Isamu Rat Care has videos on the birth and care of rat pups: Breeding Rats 
And here's an article: Taking Care of Accidental Litters

If you still have questions, feel free to ask!


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Thank you so much this is really helpful!! I will look at the videos and article now


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Hi there. Congratulations on your new baby rats, Clover and Primrose.
I'm sure things will work out with Clover having babies. 
Our two 9 week old females got pregnant after a mishap telling the gender of a male. They were 12 weeks old by the time the babies were born, and they both did a wonderful job of delivering, feeding and caring for the litters. The only long term affect I can see is that females that have litters young tend to stop growing and stay quite small little girls for life. 
You've obviously picked up that she is eating a lot. Their weight gain is phenomenal near the end, so always have unlimited food and water available (which you probably do).
You've done the right thing putting her in a cage alone. Don't be surprised if she out-of-character bites you, either before or after birth. Ours did this and when the babies were a few weeks old, she stopped doing it. Its just protective mothering behaviour.
I would also suggest ramping up your vet fund from now on. You may find yourself needing an extra cage/s (for example when you separate boys and girls at just under 5 weeks), extra bedding, and definitely extra food! Our little rat collection got through 2kg of rat food _*every 5 days*_ at the height of growing.
As Rex the Rat said, keep asking any questions you might have. There are great resources online, and people here on the rat forum are so helpful. All the best to Clover! Let us know how many babies she has. 
Here are some more links that seem quite tried and true for accidental litter situations. 






Labor and Birth – Rat Guide







ratguide.com










Labor Emergencies – Rat Guide







ratguide.com


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

ratbusters said:


> Hi there. Congratulations on your new baby rats, Clover and Primrose.
> I'm sure things will work out with Clover having babies.
> Our two 9 week old females got pregnant after a mishap telling the gender of a male. They were 12 weeks old by the time the babies were born, and they both did a wonderful job of delivering, feeding and caring for the litters. The only long term affect I can see is that females that have litters young tend to stop growing and stay quite small little girls for life.
> You've obviously picked up that she is eating a lot. Their weight gain is phenomenal near the end, so always have unlimited food and water available (which you probably do).
> ...


Thank you so much- this has made me feel a lot better!! I will have a look at the resources now. Clover is now happy in her new birthing cage and sleeps a lot. I introduced Primrose to Willow and Hazel last night-Hazel got really stressed and started shaking her ears so I put her back in her cage and Willow and Prinrose were very relaxed around each other, trying to groom each other. After a while they seemed to have enough so they started fighting (not a serious fight we broke them up pretty quickly)


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

DaisyWillowHazel :D said:


> Thank you so much- this has made me feel a lot better!! I will have a look at the resources now. Clover is now happy in her new birthing cage and sleeps a lot. I introduced Primrose to Willow and Hazel last night-Hazel got really stressed and started shaking her ears so I put her back in her cage and Willow and Prinrose were very relaxed around each other, trying to groom each other. After a while they seemed to have enough so they started fighting (not a serious fight we broke them up pretty quickly)


Pleased you found it helpful. 
Also, have you heard of female rats wiggling their ears when they are on heat? I just thought I would mention it in case that is what Hazel was doing. Here's a video link of what it looks like.


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

ratbusters said:


> Pleased you found it helpful.
> Also, have you heard of female rats wiggling their ears when they are on heat? I just thought I would mention it in case that is what Hazel was doing. Here's a video link of what it looks like.


No I didn’t know they did that when they are on heat-I think Hazel was in heat then but was also really stressed about meeting Primrose.
Introductions went better last night, and Clover is now very round and is sleeping most of the time. I think the time is near!!


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Oh, well I hope that little Hazel settles in with her new friend. Sounds like you are making progress. 
Hope all goes well with Clover. No wonder they get so tired, though - there can be quite a lot of babies on board.🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Thank you!! Here is a picture of Clover this morning-I don’t think it’s long now!!


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Aww... look at that tummy in the top photo! 
My other bit of advice is to enjoy the journey. 
I would never encourage anyone to backyard breed on purpose for any reason, but when you find yourself with a pregnant rat mum through no fault of your own (as we did) you may as well enjoy it and be amazed by the whole experience. 
Take lots of photos and treasure them while they are little babies. They grow so soon.


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Here is an update-she is sleeping all day and not moving around as much, and she seems to have ballooned overnight. I think she will give birth in the next few days? (My birthday is in the next few days so it will be amazing if she gives birth then!)
She is such a sweet rat and always lifts her head and walks to the front of the cage when I come into the room


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## RatCrazyGirl (Feb 7, 2021)

ohh her litter gonna be BIG


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

OMG!! Clover has given birth today-on my birthday!! I cannot believe it!! (The crazy thing is, I had a feeling that she would give birth today and so did my mum!! Must be intuition!! Also- a couple of days after we got her before she was even showing I had a feeling that she was pregnant and ever since had dreams about it😂 Mental!!)
It happened while I was at school so my mum took a few photos, not disturbing them of course. When I got the message I started crying I was so happy😂Clover gave birth to eight healthy babies and I could not be happier!!
This really is the best birthday ever!!


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## ratsbian (Feb 4, 2021)

Awww, congrats on the babies and happy birthday! 🥳


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## Tinytoes (Dec 23, 2020)

Congrats!!! You got birthday babies, so awesome! Let us know how many and how they are doing. We are always jonesing for baby pics lol.


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Thank you both so much!! It really has been the best birthday ever sharing it with little ones!! Clover has got even more friendly, and always come running when I call her name for a treat.
There are nine babies-I miscounted!! Here is a picture of them yesterday morning and I will update you all soon!!


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Congratulations on your birthday babies. 
Looks like Clover is a natural.


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## Tinytoes (Dec 23, 2020)

Aw!! She's gonna be a great mom! 🥰


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Hello!! Here is an update!!
The babies are now a week and two days old-I have been handling them and they are so soft-they are starting to grow their coat! You can really see their markings now! We have four girls and five boys. All have survived and are doing well!!


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## ratsbian (Feb 4, 2021)

Oh my gosh, they are so adorable! I’m glad they are doing well.


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## Tinytoes (Dec 23, 2020)

What gorgeous little hand-puppies!! They are going to be beautiful


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## DaisyWillowHazel :D (Apr 4, 2021)

Hi!! Here is an update-the babies are almost four weeks old so I will be separating them in the next few days. I have five boys and three girls and guess what!! I get to keep all of them!! My parents surprised me last weekend-my dad is going to make two big cages-one pink and one blue!! (Obviously the girls and boys will be desperate) I am so happy!!
Also in the last week or so, Clover had suddenly turned veryyyy living and human motivated, always licking my hands and face, holding my face still so she can lick me!!

The last picture is of Potter, a little boy rat who has a lighting bolt down his face like a very well know wizard!


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Oh, what delightful little babies! It looks like they are having loads of fun together. I'm really excited for you that you can keep them all - your parents sound really supportive. 
I bet you are getting some really impressive rat piles in the cage! We had our 7 girls piled into a tiny little hammock yesterday, like 2 or even 3 rats deep, and right near them were a sputnik and 2 large hammocks. No thanks. We'll pile on top of each other and all you will see is a fluffy pile with lots of ears.


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## Sue1208 (Aug 4, 2021)

ratsbian said:


> Oh my gosh, they are so adorable! I’m glad they are doing well.


They are so cute! How long did you keep the adult rats apart?


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