I just got a hairless rat, about 10 minutes ago, in fact! The breeder said it was "Definitely Female" but while I was in the car it looked like it had testicles to me! He's still very young so I'm really not sure and I don't have much experience with rats, but I'm pretty sure I know a male rat when I see it. He doesn't look like my adult female, but my family says it's just because he's hairless.
If it is male, how much does neutering cost? Because I've got myself into this mess and I'm not just gonna dump him off somewhere, he's so sweet and he's still young and I've somehow grown attached already. xD
She said it was female for sure and checked twice, I don't think the breeder would lie. And I'm sure she'd know better then me! He/she is still very young though, so we'll see.
Alright, will do! Also, how young is too young for neutering? He's very small, he fits in the palm of my hand. I wouldn't want to do anything to put him at serious risk, and I'm not very experienced with rats yet!
Also, here's some pictures of him I took with my phone! He's not quite used to hands yet, but he's darling and very sweet! Of course I've only had him a couple hours so far.
Only girls have nipples. I think you have a girl there. The area between the urethra and anus on girls can be sometime swollen, and there is a dimple down the middle. But those pics of her sitting down, makes me definately think female. If a rat is old enough to be showing testicles, they are usually incredibly obvious.
To be absolutely sure, check for a hole behind her urethra (that little bit poking out) - this would be her vagina and boys definately don't have those lol
So Raoul is a girl! Gosh thank you so much, she has nipples and an opening under the urethra too, She just like you said! I guess I didn't see it, but wow this saves so much time and money! And no more worries. I guess I can't call her Raoul anymore, huh? lol well I feel dumb.
But the swollen urethra, will that be ok? Is that a bad sign?
It's not a swollen urethra, but tissue between the urethra/vagina and anus. I'm not sure, but I think it may be an age thing. I've always noticed it much more with the younger girls than the elder ones.
Just an FYI, I got these pics before to help you and I guess they may help anyone else who stumbled across this thread.
You can see here a bit of what I mean about the 'swelling', this is an almost 2 year old female and she has always been like this
And in this pic you can clearly see the urethra, vagina below and then the anus by the tail
As long as you've checked 'Raoul' carefully and she looks like ^, you've not got a problem
Well this leaves no doubt in my mind! Thank you so much. Raoul and my other rat boo are already getting along famously, though I'll still be keeping them in separate cages for a while!
Glad you figured out the male or female confusion.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Rat Forum
566.5K posts
49.4K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to Rat owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeds, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!