# Is my young rat pregnant!!!???



## Faithhorse8

Ok so i had recently gotten a baby rat from a family owned pet store (i looked for adoptable rats but there are only old boys neer me for adoption) i had forgotten to ask how old she was when i got her I estimate she was 5 weeks when i got her but she was kept with males at the pet store. Ive had her for just about 2 weeks now and her tummy has gotten quite large. She is pooping just fine so ive ruled out megacolon. IDK if its just baby belly or if she is pregnant i have been measuring her wheight on a digital scale and in two days she gained .7 oz or 16 grams. I had felt her tummy but i may have just convinced myself that i felt tiny lumps. Im at a loss.


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## FinneganandRemy

It looks like a normal chubby baby tummy to me. If she was only with males until 5 weeks it’s unlikely, but not impossible that she’s pregnant. I keep my foster litters with their brothers until 5 weeks, sometimes 6 and have never had an incident. If she was with older males it’s more likely that she is pregnant as opposed to if she was just with her 5 week old siblings. Males rarely show interest in mating at that age. She looks awfully young. If you’ve had her two eeeks than it might be too late for an espay but I think you should take her to the vet anyways just to be sure and if she is pregnant consider aborting the litter or giving the babies to a surrogate mom when she has them. She seems too little to me to raise a litter  poor girl


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## FinneganandRemy

Also, you should definitely get a young friend for her. Rats need to be in pairs or groups.


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## Faithhorse8

Thanks for responding!! Ok good to know, she was kept with older males so i will definitely keep an eye on her. I have two other girls but they are full grown and in my critter nation. If she is pregnant Would they possibly be good to have as a surrogate mom?


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## Faithhorse8

I just have her in the small cage i have in the picture temporarily until she gets big enough to be with my other girls and/or I figure out if she’s pregnant or not.


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## FinneganandRemy

Oh okay thanks for clearing it up that you have other girls! And unfortunately, no you would have to find a lactating mom to nurse the babies. It’s possibke that she could raise them no problem and be fine but it would be hard on her little body. If she has babies, I would highly recommend calling around to local rescues and pet shops to see if they have a lactating mom you could buy/ foster.


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## Faithhorse8

Ok I definitely will do that thank you!


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## FinneganandRemy

ALso, she should be showing very telling signs of pregnancy if she’s over 16 days along. She should be pear shaped, might have visible large nipples, and might be showing nesting behavior but not all girls nest before giving birth. Don’t worry too much about labor, rats usually do very well and rarely need human intervention. She’ll probably give birth in the middle of the night.


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## Faithhorse8

Ok turns out it was a false alarm. (Thank god) if she was pregnant she would be huge and ready to pop but she seems as healthy and happy as ever! Thank you for helping me even though it turned out to be just me freaking out. XD <3


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## Phoene

Great news for you! I would also have a total freak out if I thought my girls were pregnant. I actually had a dream about that a few days ago . I woke up and remembered that I don't have any boy rats.


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