A bit of quick advice please?

[Argent]

Someone on another forum has aquired two female ratties from a breeder, turns out one is a boy - they're both five weeks old at the mo but she fears the damage has already been done. What's the earliest a vet can do an e spay? Bearing in mind she lives in Dubai :/

 

I thought rats wern't sexual mature until 6 weeks, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Argent]

Littermates are separated at 5 weeks to prevent any accidents - but the breeder hasn't even separated them yet :/ So they're in that 5-6 week time period.

 

[ryelle]

i think the littermates are seperated at 5 weeks more so the mother doesn't get pregnant from the sons. If she has seperated them now then she can just keep an eye on the female

if she is in dubai and doesn't know a vet that will do a spay, nevermind an e-spay, then i wouldn't risk it. especially at such a young age. im not in to surgery on very young animals unless it is completely necessary

 

[Rachael]

They should be okay I think. If the dad or older male was with them the baby girls might be pregnant but I think it *should* be okay.

Was this on FR?

 

[jorats]

If both are only 5 weeks old, I wouldn't worry about it at all. Even 6 to 7 weeks, if both are babies chances are they did not do the deed. A very young female will get pregnant if she is with an older male. Older males are very hormonal and will do anything. Or an older female will become pregnant by a very young male if she goes into heat and teaches and urges the young male.

I think that breeder has some learning to do before breeding. Sexing rats is not hard.

 

[Argent]

Yeah I know >.< It's not FR, it's on PF. She's got them separated now, but as I say, the breeder hasn't separated the remaining ones so who knows whether or not any are preggers.

 

[xxchelle]

I definitely wouldn't worry about them being pregnant if it was just the babies and mom, and they're only 5-6 weeks.

Also, I don't know about her vet, but my vet wouldn't spay that young anyways.

What a wretched "breeder", from the sounds of it.

 

[Argent]

Yeah I know...she's a first time rat owner, so she probably didn't know any better.

 

[Rachael]

Is their name Ashleigh? I'm hoping not...

 

[Argent]

Err I only know her as DesertRat, so I don't know :/