what are other symptoms beside the obvious swelling and excess urination? i'm looking for other physical signs. are they more sensitive to your touch? if anyone has great tips on helping make a pregnant rat more comfortable, i'm all eyes...
2006-07-27 18:54:23 · 3 answers · asked by werewolfpixie 5 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
when are they old enough to have babies?
2006-07-27 18:55:41 · update #1
like your avatar...i had to stand on my head...
2006-07-27 19:02:10 · update #2
Oh goody another rat lover!
Well, their nipples do swell a bit, but mostly it's the belly that gives them away. Also they will want to build a nice nest for their family, so make sure they have plenty of clean bedding (cotton batting, paper towels, old clean rags) to tear up and a box to put it in. They value their privacy so the best is a box that you can cut a doorway in, but leave intact otherwise so it is dark and cozy inside.
She will be pg for about four weeks, then give birth to 4-8 small, hairless babies (or "Rittens.") DO NOT TOUCH THE RITTENS! If you do she will reject them and, er, eat them. It's horrible to watch. Just let her raise them for a couple of weeks, then they will have hair and their eyes will open and they will start exploring outside their box on their own. At this point it is probably safe to handle them, especially if the mother rat trusts you.
Make sure mom has plenty to eat, including some people food. My rat loves corn, peanut butter, scrambled eggs, pasta of any kind, toast, and salad veggies. She also likes meat but it is not very good for her so she gets it very rarely - usually when she steals it off my plate! She will need more calories while pregnant and nursing, so put these goodies close to the door of her box where she can reach them without having to leave the rittens.
Good luck! Send me a pic at lacticrat@yahoo.com, if you can - I haven't had a litter of rittens in many years and would love to see yours.
2006-07-27 19:02:24 · answer #1 · answered by Samlet 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
you could probably more efficiently and accurately search for this through google.
in all honesty, not too many of us here are "rat people".
and I will be very careful and tiptoe my way to the submit button now. I unintentionally offended a "rat person" once, and she sent me a REALLY nasty email, actually several of them.
2006-07-27 18:59:59 · answer #2 · answered by powhound 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here's some sites about pet rats. I found them on google.com
http://dir.webring.com/rw?d=Science/Biology/Animals/Mammals/Rodents/Rats/
http://www.mypetrat.com/links.htm
http://www.rmca.org/Resources/links/links.php?CID=1
http://ratguide.com/care/beginning/choosing_and_obtaining_a_pet_rat.php
2006-07-27 19:08:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋