RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:17 am

I got three girl rats from Celynny about 11 days ago. Lulu, Hushy, and Happy Blue Girl. Happy had come from a pet store to Celynny about two weeks before she gave all her girls to me- and as everyone knows- a petstore rat comes with many Ifs, Ands, or Buts. Her If could have been illness..or preganancy- anything. But Ive tackled petstore rats my entire life, have raised many litters of babies and have delt with many illnesses, so I took them, and am happy I did so. That being said, lol.

Ive been fatterning them up, not on purpose..I just am an over treater. My rats are always squishy. Happy has been gaining weight steadily, but I took some time to really look at her today and she does have a very large, round, solid belly. But it doesnt look like shes swollowed an egg- her very large round belly is actually pretty relative to the rest of her body. Only one nipple was visable due to ruffled fur, they were not prominatly showing. If she came to Celynny roughly two weeks before I got her, and Ive had her 11 days- and she was impregnanted anytime very close to when she was took home (since really if it had happened anywheres from a week or so earlier, she would have had them by now) it should be around now, right? And her belly should have appeared much quicker, shouldent it have? I realise the only way Im going to know for sure is to wait probably one week longer (that will give it roughly a month since she was brought home from the pet store) and see what happens. But Im just an over thinker and am dieing to know. Her belly is firm, but fat and round, not just in the lower belly, but the entire below her is fat. Her arms and legs are fat too. Im trying to convey that shes not a small rat that woke up this morning with giant egg in her belly.

when I stand her up, of course her belly shows, but if I stand my older rat blueberry up, they have identicle matching bellies. Happy just grew hers in about 11 days. She was healthy, and meaty when she came, and her belly has probably grown about half an inch in 11 days. Does this sound like pregnancy? Shes still very very active.

If shes a standard blue female- will she have possibly any blue babies? I dont know the genetics. Do only males carry blue? Without knowing the father, is there no idea at all to even guess what she might have?

I would like to know if she is or isnt..even though I dont think I can find out for sure unless it happens or doesnt

But I would like some time to be prepared. I can GET prepared in an hours notice and a quick trip to the pet store, but Im still anxious and curious. I wish I knew exactly when she came from the petstore to count out exactly how many days (guessing that she would have had to be impreggnated the day or before she was bought) I have until I find out. Hmm.

Shes so very active, running, climbing out..if that belly was pregnancy belly, wouldent she be slowing down and being lethargic?

Anyway..let me know if you have any advice. Its been a while since Ive had a momma rat, and the last ones Ive had all were small rats that woke up with huge bellies, so it was very easy to tell. Happy has me stumped.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Last edited by Reeney315 on Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:42 pm; edited 4 times in total

Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:24 am

Rats normally start looking like they swallowed an orange anywhere from 2 1/2-3 weeks. If it has allready been over 3 weeks, than I wouldn't worry. She is just probably getting chubby!

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Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:27 am

I keep asking her "Happy, are you pregnant?! TELL ME! I KNOW YOU KNOW!" and shes like. Mom. Stop. And then runs off to pee on my couch.

Thats about it. lol

I hope shes not pregnant, just because Its hard to have babies and not have the room to keep any. You cant have babies and not get attached to them, and then cry when you send them off to homes. And what if I cant find homes? These things are def. things to worry about. Mmm. Maybe I just worry too much.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:31 am

Any belly shots of her? If she's getting a huge belly, she's probably only days away. The usually start getting all fat about a week or so before the birth.

Plenty of girl rats stay as active as ever throughout the pregnancy and raising of the litter, so no, she wouldn't necessarily become more lethargic. Some do, some don't.

As for the color of the babies, blue is a recessive gene...meaning, in order for the babies to be blue, both parents must be blue or carry it. So, without knowing the color of the dad you really won't be able to predict the babies.

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--Brittany

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:45 am

Okay, here are belly shots.

Isnt she cute? Check her tail position to see how Im holding her in the pics with her head not in them. Depending on how shes holding her belly, sometimes it looks huge, and sometimes it doesnt.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:09 am

Uh oh basketti-hos >_>
I hope you're not angry. I SWORE I seen leapfrogging and ear flutters. o.o;;;
If she is pregnant, I have my fingers crossed for like..one baby..

She looks pregnant to me. =/

As I told you on AIM she was in a tank with a Cinnamon (gender unknown), a few black hoods, a beige hooded odd eye, and some REWs (possibly PEWs). This is what Robert remembers.

Tue Jan 31, 2006 10:48 am

In some of those pics she looks pregnant, but in others she just looks squishy. I'd prepare for a possible litter now, by making her a nice comfy maternity cage, just in case.

All of my girls are active right throughout pregnancy, and most don't stop while raising a litter! They'kk be running around with babies in tow, the poor things!

Good luck, whatever may happen!

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*~*~*~*~*~Hayley & her vermin friends~*~*~*~*~*

Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:57 pm

Good idea...Ive gone ahead and put a nursery together. Nice tissue paper bedding for her to make a nest in when shes ready. When I went to bed last night, I told my boyfriend to watch her and listen to her like a hawk and if she seemed to act funny like she might be getting contractions at any time, to move her quickly to her baby aquarium. When I went to bed, Lulu was picking on her and she was screaming very unlike herself very often, so maybe by the end of the niight he'd had enough because Happy was in the aquarium, but no sign of babies. She was just sleeping. Ill have to ask him later today, but shes all set if she does explode with babies.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:43 pm

Keep updating! Has she popped yet??

Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:46 pm

Awwww hehe! Mr. Green

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Arvay and the Squirmin' Vermin

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'

--Erma Bombeck

Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:47 pm

Well, shes been in and out of her nursery tank..we generally put her in there when we arent home to watch them. It makes her furious, she hates being taken out of the cage with her friends, but we have to have her seperated for when she has her babies...its been a few days, and Im not sure if shes gotten any bigger or not, but her nipples are popping out, so shes def. pregnant. When I hold her, she feels like shes so full of them, so Im very careful in how I move her around to support her large belly and not squish it. I will post the moment she pops! Mr. Green

I love that pic. Isnt that the most disgruntled frown youve ever seen from a rat? hehee

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Last edited by Reeney315 on Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:56 pm; edited 2 times in total

Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:48 pm

Not only post the moment she pops, but we want pictures too!

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Loving Mum to my rattie boys, Zipper and Ty
Bestest Bud to Milly, the greatest horse ever

Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:09 pm

I will take plenty of pictures. Out of all the rats I have, Happy really was the best one ot have this happen to, I feel confident that she will allow us to be near and a part of her babies lives, even in the first few days.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Thu Feb 02, 2006 1:26 am

Aww what a pretty rat

Good luck with her! I wanna see baby picz!

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~*Allie*~
Puppy: Pepper (my big suck) Kitty: Kitterz
Birdie:Mehico aka.Cheeky
Ratties: RIP Penny...i miss you pretty girl <333
Peaches n' Cream..2 bRATS
Jibroney!! --new rescue rat

Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:17 am

I see eepers in your future!! I think its going to be a small litter of big babies or a big litter of really small babies...my guess 4 Shaz

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Thu Feb 02, 2006 5:52 pm

Four would be so perfect- I could handle four!

Ceylnnys joking guess: One big fat huge girl baby.

Then I could keep her! Lmao. I would name her Bertha.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:54 pm

Today is day four and no sign of babies..shes sleeping a lot, but then again shes in an aqaurium without much else to do. When I hold her, she just feels so uncentered and she seems so bulky with that belly, I just can beleive that she would have just gotten this fat this fast. Shes got to be pregs. But ive been sorta guessing "well, if she goes another 5 days, shes not pregnant." So..Im not sure what to think. She doesnt seem to have gotten larger..so maybe she just got fat and I didnt notice? I dont want to guess around, Ill keep her along another 3-4 days and decide then what to do. I have no way to know when she was impregnated, but her days of gestestion either way are running out. Ill just wait a fewe more days, maybe she'll have them tonight.

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:18 pm

I swear I seen her acting like she was in heat though...So hopefully she's just really fat! =/
Thats weird, unless she got pregnant the DAY robert got her for me, then yeah another 4 or 5 days would do the trick.

Fri Feb 03, 2006 2:25 am

Well, we will be having babies tonight Im sure!

Happy started to get mean to Blueberry, so her friend has gone back to her normal cage. Shortly after getting rid of the company, Happy began Nest Building. I get her the end of a peice of TP and let her pull in as much as she wanted, and she took quite a bit and has wound it up in her corner. All of the bedding has been moved to a giant pile, and the baby volcano is taking shape.

Not only that, but If I thought she was large yesterday, then I didnt know what large was. Shes humungous. We expect babies in the next 24 hours. I will post when they arive!

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Fri Feb 03, 2006 3:20 am

PICS!

Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:05 am

I got excited with Hero about a week before she popped (as I was worried she was pregnant at such a young age..) as Warrior was licking her bits and really after her and Hero wasn't stopping him.. wiggling etc..i stopped him anyway.. as at that point i wasn't sure if she was pregnant or not.. Crossed Fingers

Anyhow, she popped a week later. I wasn't sure for a while, as I thought she might have just got bulky.. but she was more cage protective etc.. and then gave birth.. The arrival of 9 squeaky pink things Yogie Dance

kinda gave it away!! But she's such a good mum, and so cute.. She just sleeps flat out when she's tired and lets them suckle! Sorry... these are the first baby rats I've seen and they're so cute!! Mr. Green

Also, I was kinda worried as I've only had her for 2 weeks and haven't bonded as much as I would have liked before this kind of thing happened.. But she's been great, I take her out and she's more interested in going for a run than making sure I don't kill her babies!!
Good Luck tho!! It's such a great experience (especially for a baby novice like me!!) and it's scary how fast they grow!!

Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:52 am

Its sad how fast they grow..dontcha wish they would stay beebees forever? I guess its the same with animals and people like, the younger the cuter. Ive got a towel over her 'quarium for privacy, shes asleep in her nest so Ill leave her alone for now. I forsee babies to be here very soon. Mr. Green

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Megan and the Hyper Hoppers. Blueberry and Butterfly, Naked Evee, and Chii.

Fri Feb 03, 2006 5:11 am

REMEBER a watched momma rat never gives birth with you stareing at her!! Wait for a peeping sound you will know it when you hear it. Its like a little high pitched meep meeeeeep noise...then peek..lol Shaz

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Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:24 am

	MerlinsMagic wrote:
	REMEBER a watched momma rat never gives birth with you stareing at her!! Wait for a peeping sound you will know it when you hear it. Its like a little high pitched meep meeeeeep noise...then peek..lol Shaz

I like your style! Wait until she's popping out kids and can't protest, and then stare at her pushing pinkies out of her. All without protest..muah ha ha. You're a crafty one wink

Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:16 pm

Haha!! I missed all of that.. she waited til I drove 2 1/2 hours away for a weekend and then squeezed them out.. Probably for the best as I don't think I could have resisted putting my fingers in and feeling them.. Nosy owner that I am.. She had a chance to settle, and seems to be doing great!! They're all squeaking now, and she's chattering away to them.. I wish I could understand!! Mr. Green

She's been cheeky tho and covered her nest right over!! Awwww I can't wait til they move around and see and grow hair and.... Yes. I'm excited!! It's soooooo cool!! Mr. Green

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~Bee~
Scamps
Warrior
Hero
Maggie n Flo
The Bunch of Tiny Pinkies

RIP Poncho.. The best second hand rat there ever was Mr. Green