[Magicdragon]

Hi all, I am the owner of 12 wonderful rats. 9 female and 3 male and yes I keep them separated. Only one of my males is full grown. While 4 of my females are. I was wondering if the males are usually bigger then the females because my Beebs is a lot larger then the females and has been so for over a year now. He loves to eat, and is probably overweight but does not let that slow him down.

Thanks

 

[madeittothemoon]

Do you have any pictures of him? Or if not, do you know how much he weighs? Males tend to be much larger than females- I believe that about a pound is appropriate (if not, someone correct me!)

 

[Forensic]

Yes, males are usually much bigger than the males. Do you have any photos or a weight of the rat in question?

Females usually weigh between 225-400 gm full grown, males 250-550 gm, according to ratguide.com. Of course, some rats are built with a significantly large enough frame to carry more weight. But if the rat has visible rolls of fat, especially when stretched out, it's time to consider a diet.

 

[Magicdragon]

No pictures. Sorry. Although just the simple fact that he's supposed to be bigger then the females is enough to answer my question. He has no visible rolls. Just a very large frame and a lot of meat on him that slides on the ground. About the only time I've ever seen him look like a rat should was when he was outside in the cold. I let him see some snow and he basically compressed himself into a ball and walked around. But inside a warm house, he appears very over weight and is able to stretch out a lot further then the other rats. He's the only rat that is unable to pull himself up with his arms such as a pull up. With that one factor aside, he's still a little nibble and can rat pretty fast, He can climb just about anything without any hassle, His hind legs are extreamly powerful, enough to slice my skin open once while bathing him, Similar to what a cat might do with it's hind legs.

 

[Forensic]

If he cannot walk without dragging his stomach, I'd say he's probably too big. Even my biggest boy (637 g) doesn't touch the ground when he walks.