I bought them at petco...1 is really sweet and loves to cuddle and the other is sweet as well but doesnt like to held as much..I noticed that her belly a lil swollen...could they have sold me a pregnant rat w/o knowing? how would I be able to tell if she is pregnant?
2007-09-08 15:37:50 · 5 answers · asked by hopelessromantic 2 in Pets ➔ Rodents
If the rat is obviously getting bigger, is lathargic, doesn't really want to be held, she is probably pregnant. If you can hold her still, gently feel her belly (compare it to the other rat if it helps). With pregnant rats and mice you can sometimes feel little bumps on her sides where the fetuses are.
Knowing pet stores (and my luck) she is probably pregnant and you should prepare for it now. If you have had her for one week and she is beginning to show, that means you probably have about 14-20 days until she gives birth....
If you are not sure and want to wait it out (you could always bring her to a vet or the petstore for some help), in about a week she will begin to really show, and about 4 days before she gives birth it will look like she swallowed a golf ball.
2007-09-11 20:57:08 · answer #1 · answered by Brad Pitt 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Petco stores in my area have been keeping the sexes separate, but mistakes could easilly occur. We ended up with a pregnant rat from Petco a few years ago & I didn't suspect anything until about 3 days before she had her pups.
If your girl is pregnant, her belly will increase in size dramatically, she may spend lots of time napping & nest-building. Rat gestation is only 3 weeks, so you'll know soon.
Some ppl reccommend that you remove the other female, but that probably depends on the individuals & how they get along. We left our mama rat with her younger cage-mate & the younger rat turned out to be a very loving & protective 'aunt' to the pups. They were in a huge cage so space for the growing pups was never an issue.
If your girl does give birth, put her boys in a different cage by the time they're 5 weeks old or you could end up with more babies. The girls can stay with mom as long as there's room.
2007-09-09 03:35:35 · answer #2 · answered by Catkin 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
That happened to me with my mouse. When rats and mice are 21-28 days old they can start to impregnant each other, and on top of that, it can be difficult to sex them so sometimes boys are left in the girls cage....
If the rat is obviously getting bigger, is lathargic, doesn't really want to be held, she is probably pregnant. If you can hold her still, gently feel her belly (compare it to the other rat if it helps). With pregnant rats and mice you can sometimes feel little bumps on her sides where the fetuses are.
Knowing pet stores (and my luck) she is probably pregnant and you should prepare for it now. If you have had her for one week and she is beginning to show, that means you probably have about 14-20 days until she gives birth....
If you are not sure and want to wait it out (you could always bring her to a vet or the petstore for some help), in about a week she will begin to really show, and about 4 days before she gives birth it will look like she swallowed a golf ball.
Good luck!
2007-09-09 17:34:00 · answer #3 · answered by bpbjess 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
She may be pregnant, if the store sells both males & females, because sometimes, a male gets into the female cage due to mistaken gender identification.
Find a local vet that services small animals, and have them looked at. I always recommend a ''general check up'' with any animal purchased from a pet store anyways.
2007-09-08 22:43:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Signs of drowsiness, laziness, and not the desire to eat, drink, or be held are all signs of pregnancy..If your hamster is experiencing these things than you must get a bigger cage, to fit all of the babies, they won't live without thier mother until they grow fur, eyes, and a tail. That is only if she is pregenant though..Good luck =]
2007-09-08 23:23:20 · answer #5 · answered by 'D a n i e l l e♥ 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋