[Grotesque]

I think my new rat is about 6 weeks old... though I have no idea honestly. Her cage has been right next to the adult female's cage for a couple weeks now and I think I am ready to try to introduce on neutral ground.

I first let her meet Oreo, who has shown a strong curiosity in the baby. The baby IMMEDIATELY started humping Oreo when they were put in the bathroom together. I freaked out and separated them. Now I have no idea if my girl is a boy. She doesn't have nipples yet... not even a little bit. I don't think she has balls either. She won't sit still for a picture. I have tried to compare to pictures but I keep second guessing myself.

The pet store I bought her from is a female only store. I don't know what to do. I am FREAKING OUT! Is humping normal? Is Oreo pregnant now?

 

[nanashi7]

It's. Dominance thing. If there aren't balls, it's probably a girl. Just look for a vagina under the urethral openjng.

 

[About Pet Rats]

If your new rat is around 6 weeks old, it's likely you would've seen testicles by now since they usually drop down at around 4 weeks of age. Debbie Ducommon has a good way of determining sex on her Rat Fan Club website: http://ratfanclub.org/report1.html

Have you taken your new rat in to see a vet yet? I strongly recommend having new rats checked out by a vet within 10 days of bringing them home. A good rat veterinarian can often spot things you may not have seen and you can take care of any potential problems before they get out of hand. Your vet can also confirm whether or not your new baby is a boy or girl.

It does sound scary that Oreo could've gotten pregnant so I'm hoping your new baby really is a girl, too!

 

[Grotesque]

There is a little fleshy knob like the rest of my girls have and then a long slit to the anus. It really looks like all the other girls but when I saw the mounting, I panicked so bad.

Oreo puffed up and pinned the baby down rather than acting like she wanted to mate so I guess that is another sign that Gizzard is a girl. I am so nervous about these intros. Gizzard seems super dominant and Mocha is a violently dominant rat.

That link was awesome, by the way. I pressed down gently and didn't see any sign of a penis, though the slit did open a bit. I'm thinking for sure this a girl.

 

[About Pet Rats]

I'm so glad you are now thinking Gizzard is a girl. It takes time for them to establish their hierarchy and the behaviors you describe really sound like part of the normal process. It is scary and nerve-wracking even if it's normal! I hope that Gizzard "surrendered" when Oreo puffed up and pinned her down. Usually if a rat is pinned and they stay there for several seconds it means they will accept that the rat pinning them down is dominant.

Glad the link helped!

Sending positive wishes for progress with your rats' introductions!

 

[ponderosa]

Neither of my girls have visible nipples at all. In fact, one of them was sold to me as a "male" and was mistakenly housed with boys--I was VERY lucky she didn't get pregnant! The only thing that first tipped me off to her being a girl was that the balls never dropped. I had a vet check my girl just to be sure, because I was getting confused looking at the rat sexing diagrams online.

 

[Hey-Fay]

A slit from the urethra to the anus is only in females, you have a little girl.