# When is my rat due?



## Rattieqxeennn (Oct 17, 2016)

Hi! Ive posted on here before asking if my rat, Bianca is pregnant. Well im 99.9% sure she is. So shes in a well ventilated 105 qt bin with polar fleece and a little shredded paper towels. Shes doing well, sleeping a lot, restless but she seems healthy. I want to provide the best care for her. And I know you shouldn't bother them while/after theyre in labor but I wanna know when to expect her to be in labor so I can at least be home if any complications occur. Plus, im excited now and hate waiting lol!  I havent been home all day today so I just got home to put her in her new huge bin and give fresh food/water. She was laying on her side/stomach with her legs stretched out behind her but when she saw food she ran over and started licking my hand. So I picked her up and noticed that in the past day or two it looks like she's eaten a bouncy ball. All of her nipples are visible. I was petting down her back and she freaked out and jumped around, licking and nibbling my hand. Does anyone have any ideas for how far along she is. She hasn't had any contact with a male for 16 days but I dont know when she got pregnant before then


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

I don't have any experience with pregnant rats so I cant tell you how far along she is but I know the gestation period is roughly 3 weeks so I'd be expecting a litter within this week or the next. I read somewhere that during the late stages of pregnancy you should be able to see the babies moving in the abdomen.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

21 days is average for pregnancies. But in general when the rat looks pregnant it is soon.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Make sure she doesn't lose a baby under the fleece. A baby will die if it doesn't nurse for more than a a few hours- I actually don't know how long a baby can go without nursing but it isn't very long Put TWO water bottles in the cage in case one is start malfunctioning because the mom won't be able to produce any milk if she is dehydrated.


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

Gribouilli said:


> A baby will die if it doesn't nurse for more than a a few hours- I actually don't know how long a baby can go without nursing but it isn't very long


It's actually a sadly long time.. I've seen newborn mice left that were still alive 24 hours later.. poor guys.


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## Rattieqxeennn (Oct 17, 2016)

I checked on her this morning and shes even bigger. Shes very protective of her nest and wont let me touch her much but I did find a couple drops of blood in her nest. No signs of labor tho. should I be concerned?


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

She is probably going to have them today...can you see them move inside her? You have her in a large well ventilated (hardware cloth) storage bin, right?


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## Rattieqxeennn (Oct 17, 2016)

Yes I do  I drilled lots of tiny holes on the top and all 4 sides (small enough that a baby cant escape) and I switched her from fleece to carefresh the other day and she seems to be doing well in it. She has also pulled all of her things (huts, food dish, bedding) to one little corner of the bin. I havent seen the babies moving but ive been trying not to bother her because it seems to stress her out today if I spend too much time around her. So ive been giving her some space. I haven't given her extra protein in a few days so I gave her a little egg and fresh carrot. Her appetite is good. Hopefully she has them tonight. The suspense is killing me cx


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## Fanciful_Foxling (Sep 17, 2016)

did the babies pop yet? I'd love to hear any updates


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## Rattieqxeennn (Oct 17, 2016)

Nope, but I think both of my rescue girls are pregnant and there is a chance they couldve gotten in with my male for a few mins. :sweat_smile: They get bigger everyday so hopefully if theyre gonna have them theyll have them soon


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

Glad to see you smiling over such a dangerous and irresponsible situation.


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## Rattieqxeennn (Oct 17, 2016)

The only way she couldve gotten pregnant (unless she came to me pregnant) is when the latch on my males cage didnt close all the way a few weeks ago. I had him out for a while, put him back and I guess it wasn't pushed all the way in. Anyways, I came back 15 mins later and he was wandering around my room. So now I check twice when closing the cage. Yes it was a mistake but these rats are all new to me and they were all pet shop rescues. My two girls wouldve been snake food and my boy wasn't even sexed properly at the store. I dont think ive done anything wrong by providing a healthy, safe environment for my pets. One mistake as small as the cage door not latching does not make me irresponsible. I love my rats. I would never want my babies to go through a pregnancy especially this young but now that I know they probably are then I will do everything I can to care for them and their litters.


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## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

I remember reading something about buying a 12 week old male and not realizing he was male for two days and kept him housed with the female. I don't recall reading anything about a faulty latch. It is REALLY REALLY easy to tell a male rat at 5 weeks, and by 12 weeks, it is painfully obvious. 

You don't need a pet store employee to tell you a male rat is a male. You should be able to see it. I'm not trying to insult you, but your recent threads are raising eyebrows. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it really was an honest mistake. 

In the case that maybe this was intentional (and I'm not just talking to you, I'm talking in general here), a pregnancy in a rat that young is SOOOO dangerous. Chances are the girl(s) will survive, but I've personally seen what such an early pregnancy can do to a female. It is super traumatic to both their fragile body and young mind.


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## Rattieqxeennn (Oct 17, 2016)

I was worried about how she would do being so young so I took her and had an espay before the pregnancy got too far along.


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