# Chances of our 7week old girl getting pregnant?



## alexis42982 (Aug 3, 2011)

We have a 7-8week old female ratty we just got last week. We got her as a companion to a baby we where hand feeding, we got her to keep a baby orphaned wild mouse company. Once we where able to let her go we needed a friend for the rat. We where heartbroken when we lost our first girl. She got formula down the wrong tube and we thought she would pull through with the meds and treatments from the vet but lost the battle. So now we have this little girl and our two boys (who are almost two) in separate cages obviously. I got a large cage for her and we plan on getting her a friend. Last night was her first night alone in the cage and she managed to squeeze through the bars and sneak in with the boys! Thankfully they didn't harm her, she was snuggled in their hammock. But I'm worried that even one night could have got her pregnant. She's less then half their size but I've heard it's possible. Any advice would be great! We're keeping her in a smaller cage until she's to big to squeeze out.


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## Bananana (Aug 1, 2011)

There's a good chance she's pregnant if she spent all night in with the boys. 

She's a little young for an e-spay (I think three months is the lower limit on that operation, but someone correct me if I'm wrong), so you might have some eepers on your hands in a few weeks. Make sure to feed her plenty of protein and try to bolster her health as much as possible. She's really young to be having a litter, so she'll need all the help she can get, nutritionally. 

On another note, I'm concerned about the wild baby mouse thing you mentioned. Wild mice can bring in a whole host of viruses and parasites (I'm currently battling a wild mouse problem in my house and it has been a constant struggle dealing with all the nasty things they brought in, including mites and some sort of mystery virus). I worry that your rats may have been exposed to something. 

If you don't have your rats on antibiotics already (doxy and baytril for the boys, azithromycin for your girl, since it is safe for pregnant rats), I'd highly recommend starting a treatment regimen to prevent any secondary infections. Certain viruses can suppress a rat's immune system, making secondary infections quite serious. You also might want to take them in to the vet to get checked for mites/lice. Wild mice almost always have mites or lice. Be on the lookout for other things like bladder threadworms and ringworm. In the future, please don't expose your rats to wild mice or rats. It is very dangerous for them. 

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this and I really hope your girl isn't pregnant.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Sorry to say it is likely. She is young and fertile, and they are boys. It may NOT be the case, but you are 3 week watch now, if she does not have babies in at least 21-25 days you are in the clear, as a precaution I would supplement her with extra protein just in case, since she is young and growing it can't hurt anyway.

I am also concerned about the baby mouse, mice can be carriers of SDA, which is a deadly disease that can kill many rats very fast.

Also rats should never be company it mice, rats can and will kill mice.

How big is the bar spacing?small Females, and babies can easily squeeze through 1 inch bar spacing, they need minimum of 1/2 inch, while males are usually fine with 1 inch spacing.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Most likely your girly was in heat when she decided to visit the boys  There's a good chance she is pregnant.

Can you get your hands on a digital scale? This is the best way to determine pregnancy. With young rats in the middle of growth spurts it can be much harder but the pattern is still there. You need to weigh once a day at the same time each day, and record the weight for us.

Here was my little 6 week girly already pregnant.

arrival
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/Theo/Peaches2aug3.jpg

6 days later









11 days later


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## alexis42982 (Aug 3, 2011)

We had the mouse checked by a vet and she was (thankfully) healthy. It seemed the only chance for her survival was to get her a companion so i tried to rescue a baby feeder. We also had her vet checked. 
As for our new girl, I'm very concerned she may be pregnant. She spent the night in the cage. Is there anything a vet can do? Lilspaz68...did your tiny girl have any complications? I'm keeping my fingers crossed she isn't pregnant. I feel horrible, the cage was never a problem for our boys when they where her size. I'll definitely increase protein. I'm just hoping for the best and expecting the worst. :-[


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