So everyone moved into their new FN 2-3 weeks ago, and all was well. I've got the boys on the top, and girls on the bottom, and I thought that I had it adequately escaped-proofed. I had plugged up the hole between the levels with a rat-proof screen and put strips of gutter-guard on the doors over the large spaces. But what I didn't realize is that there are large bars in the back, too.
Around the same time I got the cage, I also started weighing everyone periodically. I've noticed a 20-30g weight gain in several of the girls, and I'm very scared that somehow a boy might have gotten in the girl's cage or vice-versa.
So, the moral of the story is cover your FN well. I can't believe I didn't notice that there were larger bars in the back, too. That was a retarded oversight on my part, and hopefully their weight gain is due to the extra treats they've been getting, not pregnancy.
The ones who are gaining weight should all be okay age-wise... except my heart girl, Butts. She's over a year now, and she's got permanently damaged lungs from bad pneumonia & myco issues. She also has problems keeping her weight on... which is why this recent weight gain for her is so strange. Of course, she's never had a litter before, and I know that her pelvic bone would have fused by now. So she'll have to go in for an e-spay, I suppose. Fortunately I have a great vet, and he's pretty experienced w/ doing spays.
Right now I'm going to hope and pray that we don't have a ton of pregnant rats, weigh everyone daily, and switch all the girls over to the 2018 diet (from 2014). Also, I'm going to try to pick up some extra cages at thrift, and make an immediate trip to the hardware store to pick up more stuff to cover the back bars.
Yuck!
(Oh, and I don't need advice on pregnancy, I've watched 4 births, and have interacted with those litters on a daily basis until they were weaned. I'm mostly posting because everyone around here is sick of hearing me talk about rats, and I need an outlet!)
Around the same time I got the cage, I also started weighing everyone periodically. I've noticed a 20-30g weight gain in several of the girls, and I'm very scared that somehow a boy might have gotten in the girl's cage or vice-versa.
So, the moral of the story is cover your FN well. I can't believe I didn't notice that there were larger bars in the back, too. That was a retarded oversight on my part, and hopefully their weight gain is due to the extra treats they've been getting, not pregnancy.
The ones who are gaining weight should all be okay age-wise... except my heart girl, Butts. She's over a year now, and she's got permanently damaged lungs from bad pneumonia & myco issues. She also has problems keeping her weight on... which is why this recent weight gain for her is so strange. Of course, she's never had a litter before, and I know that her pelvic bone would have fused by now. So she'll have to go in for an e-spay, I suppose. Fortunately I have a great vet, and he's pretty experienced w/ doing spays.
Right now I'm going to hope and pray that we don't have a ton of pregnant rats, weigh everyone daily, and switch all the girls over to the 2018 diet (from 2014). Also, I'm going to try to pick up some extra cages at thrift, and make an immediate trip to the hardware store to pick up more stuff to cover the back bars.
Yuck!
(Oh, and I don't need advice on pregnancy, I've watched 4 births, and have interacted with those litters on a daily basis until they were weaned. I'm mostly posting because everyone around here is sick of hearing me talk about rats, and I need an outlet!)