[Stephanie]

Alrighty before anyone says anything (including myself) let me say this. . . I did NOT breed this girl. I adopted her from my local petco i never should have gone in but i had a coupon for chew toys and she was NOT one of the store rats to be bought. Someone had surrendered her for reasons unknown to me at the time. Well after having her home for a good two weeks I have noticed her belly swelling at first I dsmissed it for a good healthy diet but I could only think that for so long. She has begun nesting and is very irratable towards the other girls. Her belly has swollen nicely and i am waiting patiently to see when she will pop. Now I have moved her from the girls cage into a smaller more private cage and also put her in a quiet room in the house. I have given her lots of paper towels and some shredded fleece bits. I put a box in there though who knows if she will use it LoL. Unfortunately I do not have an aquarium to put her in but i do have a very small martins like cage with no shelves (i took them out) so that will have to do for now. I have put her on a high protien diet of Harlnd teklad 2018 nd lots of fruits and veggies as well as whatever i eat for dinner. I have already contacted the vet and he is going to be on call for me. If i have forgotten to do anything for her PLEASE tell me i have never bred before and am a little anxious about this. I am also in constant contact with a local breeder and she has been a HUGE help in all of this. Thanks for understanding that I need input and lots of it LoL

Stephanie

ps sorry no pictures of her belly she is not in the mood to be held these days very anxious whenever she is out and about i figure it is best to let her be.

 

[Forensic]

All right, I won't demand pics of preggie-tummy.

But the baby-pics, on the other hand... :lol:


Sounds like you're doing fine, but I've never had a litter either!

 

[Stephanie]

I am still trying to get pics of the preggie belly and of course baby pics will be posted as soon a she has them I don't know when it will be and i don't know how many she will have she is a small girl so i am hoping it will be a small litter. She doesn't seem to want the box in her cage so i am debating on taking it out but i will leave it in for now and see how she does with it over night. She has been grooming herself non stop since I moved her into the cage.

 

[Stephanie]

ok so i got some fuzzy pictures they aren't the best but it may give you an idea she was half this size when i got her and remember camera phone LoL

 

[DonnaK]

You know, our eldest rat filled out like that and she has always built nests and you can see her nipples, but she has never been pregnant. Just a thought, but are you sure she's pregnant?

I wish you lots of luck, if she is!

 

[Stephanie]

well i would say if she filled out like this over time it would be one thing but this has been only in the last week or so and that nest was built only in a matter of hours she is still shredding and working on it maybe she isn't but who knows at this point LoL


[edit] due to my crappy camera phone i decided to look on the web for a picture similar to what she looks like and i came up with this it is a perfect comparison to what she and her nest looks like
similar to sugar bear

 

[DonnaK]

I just realised, I was so busy looking at her belly before, I didn't notice she has almost the exact same markings as our Ratatouille! Does she have a spot at the base of her tail, too?

Our girl doesn't shred her nest, she just tucks paper towels into a nice cup shape for her to lie in. Sounds like you're in for some little ones :lol:

 

[Stephanie]

YES she does have a little spot on her butt!! she is such a pretty girl and sooo friendly. When i first looked at her in petco she jumped onto me and started licking me. After watching her most of the night last night it seems that all she does is work on her nest, rest, nest, rest, eat, nest, rest. Her belly seems to be growing by the day and everything in sight is being shredded and put away. I am so glad that we adopted her. I can only imagine what would have happened had she gone to a non rat experienced owner. Luckily I have been doing alot of reading up on breeding as it sparks my interest. Not that I am going to do it for a long long time and when I decide to I will be mentoring with one of the best breeders in my area. She is a vet tech and has a degree in genetics. but enough about that it is still a very Long ways away.

She also nipped at me last night when I tried to move the box. Apparently she wants it in there LoL she didn't bite hard just a warning to get out of her nest. She has shredded paper towels and shredded paer as well i think there is one of my shirts in there too LoL she is really getting ready and she is swelling nicely. I will keep everyone posted on what goes on and I will be taking pictures of her belly again for comparisson.

 

[Stephanie]

Ok so i just took this video of her and as a reminder it is on my camera phone so the quality isn't great. Her nest is getting huge though she keeps rippinng parts out and redoing them. here is the address of the video i did. hope everyone enjoys. oh and i talked to the petco i got her from apparently they got her in one to two days before i got her so she is about 15 - 16 days along. Sugar Bear

 

[Stephanie]

anybody got any input??

 

[Forensic]

She could be further along, who knows how she was kept prior to petco. It does sound like she's getting close to the end of the road.

 

[Stephanie]

well her belly looks lumpy today but it isn't real firm she doesn't want out of the cage at all these days so i guess it is just a waiting game i am not even sure if she is pregnant LoL i will be making an appointment on monday for her to be seen by the vet now that he is back from vacation.

 

[Matt]

I am a Experienced Breeder and just to let you know, You do not have to seperate her from the other females. The others will even help out.
You dont even have to seperate her from the males.
(but you said it wasnt you.)

also, from what I see it Should be soon but those werent the best qaulity pics.

Also, if you want I can go outside and find a Preggo female and take a picture for you.
How far along do you wanna see?
Newly preggo, or about to pop any second?

 

[Forensic]

Matt... Keeping females together is often fine but can sometimes turn out badly, especially with first time moms. And if you don't removed the male, the mother will immediately get pregnant after giving birth, which is obviously NOT what Stephanie has in mind.

And you keep your rats OUTSIDE?

 

[Stephanie]

well if my calculations are correct she is about 18 days along give or take a day she has never been around any of my males and she was not getting along with the other females which is why i seperated her the other girls were trying to take everything out of the nest she ws building. if you could get a pic of all the stages of pregnancy it would really really hlep that would be sooo awesome thanks Matt

 

[Matt]

And you keep your rats OUTSIDE?

Yes, in the garage. it is air conditioned for them though. so its the same temp as inside the house.

Also, heres a Few pics, She is going to give birth in the next few hours.
(I am usually good at guessing time of birth.)(i predicted a rat would give birth tonight and she is in the middle of doing it right now.)

Soon to pop momma: (Tan Female)

Here's a Nursing mom in a different cage:

She's nursing from newborns to pre weened's:

Remember how I said She was giving birth right now?
Well she Finished and here they are:

(You can tell its fresh by the blood right above them.)

Heres a Pile of Babies: (not the newborns i just showed you.)

There eyes Are just opening today:

Hope the pics helped!

If you ever need more Just let me know.
That goes for anyone on this board.

 

[Stephanie]

yes that is about what she looks like now give or take a bit is your girls belly firm?? like hard or is it still a little sqwuishy?? sugars is squishy and i think that may be because she is going to have a small litter but i don't know thanks so much for the pics that just about settles any doubt i had that she wasn't preggers.

 

[Matt]

yes that is about what she looks like now give or take a bit is your girls belly firm?? like hard or is it still a little sqwuishy?? sugars is squishy and i think that may be because she is going to have a small litter but i don't know thanks so much for the pics that just about settles any doubt i had that she wasn't preggers.

She will not let me touch her. (without biting me that is)
I will take pictures for you but i am not going to take a bite for you...lol.
That female will cause nerve damage. (Seriously, she bites HARD!)

Also, first litters are always smaller then 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, etc.

 

[Stephanie]

cool beans LoL and no don't risk nerve damage please!! i am pretty sure she is pregnant and i will be seeing babies soon i just hope she does ok with it all

 

[KimmiesGuineas]

Oh goodness Matt, you sure breed a lot! Why do you breed? For food or pets?