My Rat is pregnant Can i keep the male with her when the babies are born and while shes pregnant?
You probably shouldn't. I only say this because the male rat will keep trying to mate with the female, and cause her to be stressed. Your best bet is to remove the male while the female is giving birth, and as the babies are still little, because the male could eat them, though that is uncommon. Also, if you leave your male rat with the female after she gives birth (which I hope you don't) , he could end up mating with the female with in hours, and you would have another liter! Have fun with your rats.
PLEASE HELP can male and female rats live together the same cage?
In less than one years time, one pair of rats can easily have well over one hundred decedents. I learned this the hard way. It is very difficult to keep up with the, ever increasing, number of cages necessary to prevent severe overcrowding, and sanitation, problems. (I could not.) The result was that I got into trouble with the Humane Society. I was threatened with being charged with the FELONY crime of animal hoarding. Last year (at about this time) the grand majority of my rats were executed (against my wishes), in order to avoid my being arrested as an animal hoarder. I am now down to one dozen rats, which is still more than the number that is legally allowed. Actually the number of rats in one litter is MORE than the total number of animals allowed per household. The male does not, usually, eat his own babies; but he will quickly get the female pregnant again. Back-to-back pregnancies are very hard on the female, since they deplete her of her resources. Zoe (my original female) was still friendly, even after her three litters. But, because I could no longer distinguish Zoe from her daughters, I lost her in last year's massive execution. I miss her.
Will my pregnant rat have to be separated from her 3 female cage mates when she gives birth?
Yes, please do. I dont know what type of cage you have but if you have: -A bar cage, you can get a bin cage and put it next to your usual cage. (dont get another bar cage for the pregnant one since the babies will escape) -A tank, you can put a fine wire mesh in to section a bit for the female thats nursing. Make sure the squares are really small so the babies dont go through. You can put the females back together when the babies are fully weaned (around 4 weeks old) and sex the babies. seperate the females from males at 4 weeks old and put them in big bin cages until they go to their new homes. Hope ive helped, good luck :)
My rat gave birth, how do i clean the cage?
Rat mothers are usually calmer than mice or hamsters & won't normally harm their pups if you handle them. If you have a carrier or emergency cage, you can gently place Mama Rat & the babies there (with something yummy to distract mom) while you clean the cage. Don't clean it 100% yet though, so it still smells familiar to your rats when you put them back (leave a bit of bedding & as much of the nest as you can). If you don't have a carrier or spare cage, just do part of the cage right now, another part later etc. so you won't need to remove the little family (this is what we did @ first with our own surprise litter). Don't use chemical cleaners. You can use hot water, or a vinegar and water mixture (rinse and dry afterward), or get an enzyme based cleaner from the pet shop. Clean Cage & Healthy Habitat are 2 brands. Give mama rat some boiled egg every couple of days for extra protein while she feeds her pups. When they're eyes open (about 2 weeks of age) they'll begin nibbling on solid food & would also enjoy the egg. Mom will continue feeding them til they're about 4 weeks old & separate any males before they're 5 weeks old. Try to find home for the little guys among your animal loving friends if possible. Adopt them out in same sex pairs or trios because rats are very social animals. Keep 1 or more girls as companions for their mom too. If there aren't enough homes among your friends, post them on Petfinder or contact a small animal rescue. The person @ the pet store is misinformed, btw. It only takes a second for a rat to become pregnant & there are cases where rats have mated through cage bars. Good luck with the little family. Rat pups are beyond adorable!
Can two female teddy-bear hamsters that have lived together for the last month, stay together if one has pups?
These are young Syrians. The pet store that told you they could be housed together is an irresponsible, disreputable store. Any responsible store would have given you better information. Of course, what do they care? They have your money, and you are stuck having to deal with the problem. First, Syrians are ALWAYS solitary. The older they get, the worse they will fight, until only one is left. All three will have to be housed in individual cages. The second female is probably pregnant, but maybe you will get lucky and she won't be. The first female is possibly pregnant again if the male was still in with her after she had babies. If he remains with her, the babies will end up being killed. Same if you put the other female in the cage with her and her pups. The female with pups should be kept alone with her babies in a warm, safe, quiet location. You definitely need 3 cages for now. When the babies reach 3 weeks, they will be weaned. At 4 weeks they have to be separated. After 5 weeks, the fighting will become more severe, and they will start getting pregnant. You might be able to get away with males in one cage and females in one up to 6 weeks, but after that, fighting will be too intense. Be careful giving the babies away-reptile owners will see it as a free source of food for their pets. You can contact rescue groups in your area to ask for assistance in placing the babies. You can also talk to area pet stores to see if any will take the babies in trade for goods in the store or if they will accept them as a donation. Good luck!
Can a baby rat at the age of 1 1/2 months be pregnant?
i just got a new pet rat from the mall yesterday and tonight she seem to have built a nest already could she be havening babies this young?if not why else would she be building a nest?
Housing female & male rats together?
Hi i really agree people on here are way to rude! I had a problem very similar to your problem. I got 2 rats for Christmas (2 girls). Then my brother went and bought a male and a female. Well they bread only once and sadly a terrible accident. All the babies and mommy died, really one litter won't hurt! I recommend that you get the male neutered, or as someone already said get a new cage and keep 1 girl, and 1 boy baby to keep with the same sex parents. I really don't think you should do the keeping thing though. It is a lot of work. I did this and ended up just getting rid of my females. I now have only 4 males, and I am sorry about your other answers! People are completely rude and don't realize how upset some people get! Hope this helps=D
My rat isnt getting pregnant?!?
I apologize for the ignorance of those who judge what they don't understand, and criticize the animals we love. How old is your female? She shouldn't be bred before she is four months old. It takes two seconds for rats to mate- and they have a 21 - 23 day gestation. You can house your male with your female durring the pregnancy, but remove him the week before she is due to deliver- because though he won't eat the babies-(it's rare in rats who are the biological father) He can re-impregnate the mother immediately after she delivers. Do you have an extra cage to house the male babies at five weeks of age, to prevent them from impregnating their mother or their female siblings? Are you prepared to lose your female and all her babies if something should go drastically wrong- and it does happen occasionally. Are you prepared to keep all or some of the babies should people decide they no longer wish to adopt them? (possibly 20?) Are you financially able to pay for a c-section if your female has a difficult birth? Is your male more than six months old, so you can gauge his true temperament? Some males can be over hormonal and become biters, and males younger than six months should never be bred to rule this out-as it is genetic. I'm not starting on you either, just ensuring that you are aware and prepared before breeding your rats. Give it time- she may eventually become pregnant, if not consult a breeder, who can select a quality female for you to breed, and a quality male- who will produce genetically healthier, and longer living pets. As well the breeder you purchase your rats from can offer you guidance, and assistance, to help ensure the health of mom, and all the babies! Good luck to you and your rats! Teej. http://tjratties.netfirms.com
Why did my dog separate one of her puppies in her litter and keep it company by itself?
Dogs have been given acute senses that we simple humans could never attain.They can sense when something is wrong with a pup and so they take it upon themselves to push this pup out of the pack because they sense that this pup isn’t going to make it in life.They could be right but I’d take these pups to a veterinarian quickly and get his medical opinion about them before they are suffering from malnutrition .If he says that they have a shot at life then you’ll have to bottle feed them for quite a while .If they respond well and grow the mother may change her mind and accept them back into the pack of puppies .If not then they are yours till they are old enough to eat on their own.But don’t stand there do it right away A vet can give you much more guidance then anyone her can .They have seen it all too many times already and they have the connections to get you on the right path I wish and the pups Good Luck