[LiLmissJ_01]

Yesterday I introduced my younger girls to the older girls because I believed they were big enough for the "Big Girls" cage. Well it turned out that Chanel was just small enough to squeeze through the bars and guess where I found her. She was in Gus and Jack's cage and she looked like she had been tramatized plus when I turned her over she looked like she had been violated. Luckly good breed lines, but unfortunately Ive never have done this before....I need advice. I already have Chanel back in a cage she cant escape from and Im gonna go tomorrow and pick up some kitten food to mix into her usual food blend as suggested in another post but other than that, Im clueless. Im excited as well, but it was never in my plans to have any of my girls ever give birth. I'd rather adopt than breed, but now its done and I want to do everything I can to make sure that everything goes right. BTW vet is lined up...no worries there.

Thanks, Jenn

 

[KimmiesGuineas]

I know that the average gestation period is about 21 days, the babies are born pinkies with no fur or open eyes, and lots of pics are mandatory once they've been born!

But I have no experience about baby rats, or rats for that matter! So all else I could say is good luck!

 

[lilspaz68]

Have you even thought of an e-spay? This would benefit her right now as well as the rest of her life.

 

[Forensic]

What are the colors/types of the males and female involved?

 

[KimmiesGuineas]

But wouldn't spaying her terminate the babies? If she is healthy and strong enough to carry the babies, why do that?

 

[LiLmissJ_01]

I know she is Het for dumbo ears and has aguouti creamy/strawberry blonde hair and ruby eyes and this is her first litter.... my boys are as follows Gus I dont know direct background but he is dumbo eared and when my friend used him for breeding in her line he made some beautiful babies and that is where Jack came from....son of Gus.....Jack is a Blue with highlights of brown agouti fur and dumbo ear and this would be his first mating as well. I think I'll have some beautiful babies and great temperments to match. Gus and Jack are lickers and Chanel is a snuggler. I will not terminate...I have a petstore that would love to have babies from this stock because my girls and boys came from my friend's stock and I also have people that would adopt. I just need advice on the proper way to take care of a pregnant mother and then after birth the mother and the babies. I want to do this right.

 

[Kimmiekins]

It's healthier for a young female to get an e-spay (which does terminate the pregnancy, yes) then allow her to go to term. Young mothers are often very bad mothers, as they are literately babies having babies. How old is Chanel? If she's not at least 3 months, preferably over 4/5 months, you could be in for a world of trouble/hurt/expense. Maybe you'll get lucky, only time would tell.

I hope if you do allow her to go to term and have that babies that you do NOT sell to a pet store. It'd be much better to adopt them out yourself, screen the homes, and know what kind of homes they are going to. Nearly all pet stores wouldn't bother and may sell them as feeder rats. Selling to a pet store isn't doing what's best.

However, it really WOULD be in the best interest of your rat to get her spayed. She could die during labor, her babies could be born with all sorts of problems, she could not know how to take care of them (which means you would get to feed each baby EVERY 2 hours for WEEKS), etc. If you're going to go through with it, be ready to pay for a c-section or other emergency care for mom and/or the babies, watch for babies stuck in the canal, be ready for mom to reject the babies (either all or some), be ready to have them die (even breeders have this happen) and/or mom could cull them herself... There is a lot you'll need to know may happen.

Also, be ready with roomy enough cages for mom and the babies (she could have as many as 18-20, it's not unheard of, though average is 8-12. You'll need to separate the boys from the girls at 5 weeks, to prevent this from happening again.

There's tons on the internet about rat pregnancy, birth and newborns. Here's a few I followed when our rescue mom came in with a litter, and then had another:

http://www.worldofrats.com/ROUSBreedingFAQMain.html
http://ratguide.com/breeding/
http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/ratbreeding.htm

 

[Rodere]

A petstore is most likely a very bad idea. If you aren't willing to terminate, then you should be prepared to find them homes. Petstores do not screen their buyers. You never know where or who the babies could be going to. And there are some pretty messed up people out there...

It would be in their best interests if you screened adopters and found them homes yourself.

 

[KimmiesGuineas]

I agree. If you think that she's healthy and strong enough and you want to do it, then please find the adopters yourself as petstores want money, not good homes.

 

[LiLmissJ_01]

I am gonna find adopters first, but please dont pass judgement on a petstore u know nothing about. My friend and I have been doing business with them for a long time. If I go in there with however many I have left after my own adopting out, I can go in there and set my babies up in the "for pets only" cages. Jeanette the owner does the rest by making sure every person that buys the "pets only" rats have everything they need for a good set up. She keeps all her feeders seperate in the back. My plan is to adopt as many out as possible. My friend is alreay calling claims on a few of them because she knows how sweet and cute they are gonna be from this breeding. She loves all the rats shes gotten when she has borrowed Gus for her own breeding purposes. Please don't worry about these babies...How much you guys wanna bet I end up keeping the majority.

 

[renay]

A petstore is most likely a very bad idea. If you aren't willing to terminate, then you should be prepared to find them homes. Petstores do not screen their buyers. You never know where or who the babies could be going to. And there are some pretty messed up people out there...

It would be in their best interests if you screened adopters and found them homes yourself.

I can back that story up,.... my friends boyfriend bought a rat from a pet store and all was well for the first couple of weeks... then after a while she noticed that the rat was acting weird like doing back flips and having mini seisures and stuff.... get ready to be mad.... turns out her boyfriend was feeding the rat speed. Needless to say i've severed all ties with them before telling them both how disgusting they are, him for doing that and her for staying with someone capable of that.

 

[Night]

My friend is alreay calling claims on a few of them because she knows how sweet and cute they are gonna be from this breeding. She loves all the rats shes gotten when she has borrowed Gus for her own breeding purposes.

Ugh, please don't breed pet store rats.

 

[KimmiesGuineas]

Oh goodness, that is so sad renay. What is the point of doing something like that? It's not funny, it's not cool, it's mean. That makes me so sad :'(

 

[renay]

Oh goodness, that is so sad renay. What is the point of doing something like that? It's not funny, it's not cool, it's mean. That makes me so sad :'(

you know it, and i know it.
people are sick, which is why i don't agree with breeding, too many people breed rats just because they can and there are already way too many for people to care for as it is,... i mean how many rats are looking for homes right now because they were cheap pet store buys and the kid locked it in a cage for a while and got bored? Too many.

 

[Kimmiekins]

You said you wanted to do what was right, since this was an accident, but I'm confused... You and your friend have "done business" with this pet store for a long time? So you've had litters before? You already said your friend has "borrowed" your rat (from a pet store) for breeding.

I don't think any of us are judging anyone by saying a pet store will not go through the same processes as (I hope) you would adopting them out yourself. They are in the business to make money, period. They don't check references, or have anyone fill out an application, I bet.

You'll do what you want, but I don't understand why you think you'd be doing right by selling any of the "leftovers" to the pet store, or why there's any breeding going on with your pet store rat in the first place.

 

[LiLmissJ_01]

my friend breeds....i dont....mine was an accident

 

[Rodere]

But you still cater to a business who sells live animals for profit, and some even for food. Whether the rats you give them or sell to them are pets or not, the profit they make still goes to the continuation of a business that should either be stopped or closely monitored.

 

[tattered_teddy_bear]

woahhhh people, I work at a pet store, not ALL pet stores are out to sell rats as food, I work at a pet store because i love animals, trust me, look at my pay check, i LOVE animals. AND Isn't the pet store better then a lot of things that would come to the babes? How about we help by giving advice and helping look for home?

sorry, i don't like when people are attacked when they ask for help, no matter what faults you find, there's a nice way of putting it.

 

[renay]

woahhhh people, I work at a pet store, not ALL pet stores are out to sell rats as food, I work at a pet store because i love animals, trust me, look at my pay check, i LOVE animals. AND Isn't the pet store better then a lot of things that would come to the babes? How about we help by giving advice and helping look for home?

sorry, i don't like when people are attacked when they ask for help, no matter what faults you find, there's a nice way of putting it.

hmm.. i disagree, I think people need to be well informed of the faults that they're making when it comes to pets.. whether its through what you're calling "attacking" or not. Its uneducated people that commit cruelty against animals. And other uneducated people who permit them to do it.

This is a case of what seems like pure ignorance. Its not fair for the rats, so why should we be fair to the owner? And whether or not ignorance is considered cruel is up to everyone to decide but in my opinion it is and for good reason.

Ive said it a million times... breeding just for the **** of it is irresponsible and disgusting. Breeding petstore rats falls directly under my disgusting category.

I understand that accidents do happen, and in this case it is a legit accident.... but it doesn't seem like the right decisions are being made to counter act it...

 

[LiLmissJ_01]

Look, Im looking for homes first....what dont you people understand....I didnt mean for this to happen and I am taking all the steps to make sure that the mother gets through this fine. If I could keep every single one that I cant adopt out I would, but I can't. So, I am doing the next best thing buy taking them to a place I trust. I dont like the fact that you are pointing the finger at me like I am a horrible pet owner. I take all of my animals to the vet. Feed them all the best quality food I can get a hold of and most of all I give them all the love in the world I have. I am not ignorant, I just made a mistake. Im sorry you dont like the decisions Im making, but it is my decision. I came on here seeking advice on what would be the best food to supplent for the mother, the best bedding for her and such, not to be belittled. So unless you have advice in those areas I would appreciate it if you didnt respond to this post.

Thank you,
Jenn