Pregnant Behavior?

[Azalea]

*sigh* New rat owner needs help again... >_>
I believe Chazz and Jaden are both girls now. Nothing boyish is appearing for the past few days. They're old enough to have that stuff appear but nothing is appearing. Gwah. o_o
Anyways, I've noticed that both Chazz and Jaden are getting bigger bellies, especially Chazz. Chazz has been sleeping alone in the 2nd floor of the cage every now and then while Jaden gets to sleep in the nest box. Chazz has also been the main dominant rat when it comes to the play fights. These play fights have been happening more and more lately. So much that Jaden is starting to become more shy around Chazz and me. Chazz has also been climbing around the cage more and rearranging nest material. She likes to do a lot of stretching too. I'm not 100% sure if she or Jaden is pregnant but never know since they both came from the pet store. Is there any indicators if a rat is pregnant? How does a pregnant rat behave usually? Is there any signs I should watch out for? I just want to make sure just in case something does happen. o_o

 

[jorats]

How long have you had them?
From what you describe, it could very well be pregnant rat behaviour.
But then again, I've had rats behave that way and no babies.

 

[Azalea]

I've had them for almost a week. Will be a week this Thursday.
I hope there's no babies because it would be extremely hard to find homes for them out here. There's no rat shelters in the state. The local animal shelter in town will probably not take them. I volunteered there before and they have no clue how to take care of small animals. x_x

 

[minnow]

Can you weigh them? A postal or kitchen scale would be ideal, if you can find or borrow one. Pregnant ratties gain a *lot* of weight, especially in the last week or so.

May I ask where you are, approximately?

 

[Azalea]

That's going to be a challenge. They're not tame yet and I can't pick them up yet. They'll freak out.
I live in Charleston, South Carolina.

 

[Azalea]

Sorry about the double post...

I managed to weigh Chazz and Jaden. It was pretty hard because they're still not tame and freaked out when I placed them in the box. Here's the weight...

Jaden - 4.4 oz

Chazz - 4.5 oz

Is this normal weight or something else?

Also, no one answered my previous question about a pregnant rat's behavior. >_>

Thank you.

 

[jorats]

Unless the rat is close to deliver, then there's not much a change in behavior.
Nesting, nipping, staying quiet, those can mean pregnancy but usually only when the rat is close to delivering.

As for their weights, you'll need to weigh them every day to see if there's a big increase. That's one way of knowing if they are pregnant but again, the big weight gain is right before giving birth.

 

[Azalea]

Thank you for the tips.

I'm 99% sure now both Chazz and Jaden are females. The behavior didn't change much at all. I've had them for a week today. Didn't notice any "in heat" behavior. Females come in heat every 4-5 days, right? If I don't notice any of that behavior does that mean that they could be pregnant? Sorry if that's a silly question. Also, I noticed that their private opening is getting larger. Is that a sign of something? Both of their bellies are about the same, maybe getting a little larger. Both of the girls had baths yesterday and I noticed a couple of visible nipples on Chazz near the hind legs. I can't see them that well when the fur is dry.

Sorry if I might be overreacting or asking silly questions. Just a little nervous about this...

 

[Cityratt]

Ive never had a pregnant female in the house, so i cant really answer any of your questions other than the "in heat" behaviour....

I rarely notice when my girls go into heat - i dont know if im just not paying close enough attention or maybe the other girls just dont give a hoot...

 

[Pauley]

Sorry if I might be overreacting or asking silly questions. Just a little nervous about this...

No need to worry about that, you may be on the verge of a serious crisis.

OK, boys have a wide tail base with "attachments" which are completely behind the torso. Girls have a tail coming straight out of the rear of their torso.

Pregnant girls will nest and stash food- yeah OK, normal rattie behaviour, The gestation period is 3-4 weeks with around 22 days the norm. they will slowly get bellies at first, but it will be really noticable in the last 3 days.

Monitor their weight, and in the meantime get them accustomed to your holding and petting them. It's a strange situation for them and you need to help make them comfortable in their new surroundings. If you get bitten, realise it's part of the game sometimes, when they are in a stressful situation.

Adopting a pregnant rat has happened to me twice, and to a few people here, more times than that. If your girls are pregnant it will actually turn out a lot better than you think it will at this moment. This message board has a few hundred people who can help and there is a lot of good advice available here.

Also I'd like to add it's nice to have another southerner here!

 

[Pauley]

found this:

If the pregnant female has been living with another female, or a neutered male, it is all right to leave them together during the birth and the raising of the babies, as long as the cage is large enough to allow the mother privacy. However, it is not a good idea to leave two pregnant females together because although they will not intentionally hurt each other's babies, they may steal them from each other. If this turns into a tug-of-war, the infant's tender skin can be severely damaged by the females' sharp teeth. Never put a new rat in with a pregnant or nursing female, because she will viciously attack it. The exception to this is babies about the same size as her own. A nursing mother will almost always adopt other babies, even babies of other species, allowing easy fostering.

Sometimes a pregnant or nursing rat has a change in personality due to hormone changes. She may become more aggressive, or less interested in playing. In rat society, a mother rat is usually dominant over all other rats, even if she is usually submissive. However, when her job of child rearing is over, the mother will usually regain her former status and personality. It is also common for a nursing mom to have soft stools.

Here's the link:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=18&cat=1804&articleid=889
posted with all due credit and respect to peteducation.com

So anyway, to sum it all up, don't let the getting bitten part discourage you. We adopted Mommy the very day she gave birth, helped her nest and isolated her with her babies, got her a good diet, and still got bitten many times (once to the bone). You'll heal, and the mother will realise how great you are once the hormones subside, plus the bonus of some wonderful babies, who will have an extra special bond with you

 

[Azalea]

Thank you. Great information.

Hmm...is there any info on missed heats (missing one might mean pregnant?) or on the privates opening up indicating pregancy?

Like I said I hope there's no babies. My father would want me to give them away as soon as they're old enough. That'll be a nightmare.

 

[SQ]

With some rats it is very easy to tell when they are in heat.
Other rats may not show any signs of being in heat when they are in heat.

If you saw signs of your girls being in heat, you would know for sure that they are not pregnant. Not seeing signs of them being in heat doesn't tell you anything.

Approx. how old are your girls?

 

[minnow]

The privates "opening up" may actually mean no babies - when a rattie girl isn't in heat, her vagina will remain tightly closed, but when she's in heat (for about 12 hours ish every 3 ish days, often at night) her vagina will open up wide. This is actually the only sign my own girlies show most of the time.

 

[allykatt]

I don't normally notice them going into heat, but every few weeks or so its like they have a major heat! They will try and get teh other rats to chase them, and stick their butt in the air and smell eachothers privates. Sometimes they will hump eachother, or their ears with vibrate if their neck/back is touched. Its actually quite hilarious!

 

[lilspaz68]

Some girls won't be blatant about going into heat, and the ONLY sign will be that open vagina, that may even look bluish. One day I'll catch this in a pic (poor girly! :roll

YOu could quietly check them each night to see if there's any change over a period of 5-6 days. Most girlies are every 4-5 days they go into heat.

IF you see this, you do not have pregnant girls. If you don't see this, tell us and I will post the chart of Bronwen's weight gain so you see what we mean

 

[Ruthie_is_Rattified]

That's going to be a challenge. They're not tame yet and I can't pick them up yet. They'll freak out.
I live in Charleston, South Carolina.

i know tons of people in Charleston who would adopt a rat! Let me know if you need help & I'll reach out to all my animal peeps.....

 

[Ruthie_is_Rattified]

(I don't know how to check for replies on here yet but u can reach out to me on Facebook, my last name is Smiley, it will show I'm from Charleston, I have blond hair. Just send me a msg on messenger & keep me posted on the babyrat situation, I'd be more than glad to help out)

BTW i have 3 baby girl rats & 2 snuck out to the boys' cage a week or so ago - they used to all 3 be in sync but the 2 sneaky hussies, as i call them affectionately, are now on the same behavior schedule as each other; the 3rd one is still itching to get loose day in & day out, while the little hustlers stay busy sleeping & designing intricate tunnels. These 2 are also way more cautious than the 3rd, and I don't remember that being a noticeable trend before..