# 'Male' rat is pregnant!!!



## Jewly (Oct 17, 2008)

No, it's not a freak of nature. 

I purchased 2 'male' rats, Tom & Jerry just over 2 weeks ago and being my first rats I had no idea what boy and girl rats looked like 'down there' and I just took the word of the pet shop. I then went back a week later and purchased 2 females, Lucy & Bella. 

Well, I was cleaning out Tom & Jerry's cage today and I noticed that Jerry was a lot fatter than Tom, so I got online and did some research and found some pics on how to sex rats and they are definately both female. So I then had 4 females and no males so I rang the pet shop and they were willing to take the 2nd lot back, and I then got 2 males and these ones are definately male!! I have no idea how the pet shop stuffed up cause it's pretty obvious (when you know) which ones are males and which ones are females especially when they're 3 months old!!

Anyway, seeing as I've had them 15 days already, the big day can't be too far away so I've done some research and have prepared for the imminent birth and I can't wait until it happens (and no, I won't be feeding the pinkies to my snakes..lol). Oh and I've swapped around their names so it's Bella who is pregnant.


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## Vixen (Oct 17, 2008)

Ah, well good luck with the babies anyway. :lol: Will you be finding pet homes for them or?

I just can't understand how pet shops cannot tell the difference in sex, especially at +weaner age they sell them at. It really is quite easy, even pinkys can be sexed.


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## Jewly (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks 

I'll be selling the babies back to the pet shop as pets not food.

There's a great site that I found that gives pics of males and females at various ages and yes, it's very easy to tell them apart but the woman at the pet shop admitted to me today that she never checked because they were being sold as males.


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## Lewy (Oct 17, 2008)

I just can't understand how pet shops cannot tell the difference in sex, especially at +weaner age they sell them at. It really is quite easy, even pinkys can be sexed.[/quote]

That's because they dont care, Pet stores will say anything to sell something to u


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## Vixen (Oct 17, 2008)

True, but I do know some who are just plain stupid too :lol:

Jewly, if you can id recommend just putting up ads and getting the word around and sell them yourself. If you go through a petshop theres a good chance they will be sold as snake food anyway. I have witnessed many a time employees selling rats for food, when the tank clearly said pets only.


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## Jewly (Oct 17, 2008)

Lewy said:


> That's because they dont care, Pet stores will say anything to sell something to u


 
That's probably true for a lot of places but I usually find this pet shop to be pretty good. I think the woman was just being a bit slack that day and she was very sorry for the mistake. I think she was only fairly new at the time too, and I guess she will make sure she checks from now on.


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## Jewly (Oct 17, 2008)

VixenBabe said:


> Jewly, if you can id recommend just putting up ads and getting the word around and sell them yourself. If you go through a petshop theres a good chance they will be sold as snake food anyway. I have witnessed many a time employees selling rats for food, when the tank clearly said pets only.


 
How do I guarantee though, that the people I'm selling to aren't buying them for food?


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## dtulip10 (Oct 17, 2008)

stupid pet shop males have huge NUTS it pretty obvious


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## KaaTom (Oct 17, 2008)

Jewly said:


> How do I guarantee though, that the people I'm selling to aren't buying them for food?


 
Honestly you cant.... buyers can be just as bad as sellers, they will tell you want you want to hear, I guess you just have to go with your gut feeling.


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## Tsubakai (Oct 18, 2008)

Treat them for fleas/mites - toxic to reptiles and most people who want live feeders can't be bothered with the wait for it to wear off.


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## blackthorn (Oct 18, 2008)

I went into my local pet shop once and looked in at their mice and rats, and there was a mouse acting a bit funny so I watched it for a little bit and realised it was running around the cage mating with all the females. Someone had put a male in the female cage, heh.

I went and told one of the staff and got them to take it out.

..and this is how people end up with unplanned pregnant pets.


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## Jewly (Oct 18, 2008)

Tsubakai said:


> Treat them for fleas/mites - toxic to reptiles and most people who want live feeders can't be bothered with the wait for it to wear off.


 

Hey, now that's a great tip. I was planing on treating them for fleas/mites anyway, so /when I advertise I'll put that in the ad. I did notice that the pet shop had a sign up saying that they treat all their animals for fleas/mites so I guess this is why they do that.

Thanks 




blackthorn said:


> I went into my local pet shop once and looked in at their mice and rats, and there was a mouse acting a bit funny so I watched it for a little bit and realised it was running around the cage mating with all the females. Someone had put a male in the female cage, heh.
> 
> I went and told one of the staff and got them to take it out.
> 
> ..and this is how people end up with unplanned pregnant pets.


 

That's happened twice to a friend of mine. She bought 2 female rats for her older daughters and one of them was pregnant and gave birth to 8 kittens a couple of weeks later. Then she went and bought 2 female mice for her younger daughters and again one was pregnant. She's kept all the babies too so she's got a stack of rodents now. 

I can understand them making a mistake with mice cause they are much harder to sex but with rats it's so easy.


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## mrmikk (Oct 18, 2008)

Lewy said:


> I just can't understand how pet shops cannot tell the difference in sex, especially at +weaner age they sell them at. It really is quite easy, even pinkys can be sexed.
> 
> That's because they dont care, Pet stores will say anything to sell something to u


 
Couldn't agree more


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## Hooglabah (Oct 18, 2008)

well hows this for wierd i have a male and female rat together atleast 4 months old definantly male and female and they wont breed they get along just fine but i have yet to see any action and the female aint getting no fatter.

as a side not you dont really have to check very hard with male rats its really really obvious its like (O)(O) right there they aint exactly hidden


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## Noongato (Oct 18, 2008)

I had a small accident with rat pregnancies in pet ones. A male went rampid and got all 6 of my girls, so before i knew it i had about 70 baby rats.
Then one fateful day when i was at work, the dogs got inside and killed them all, except for the adult rats that i housed in a massive ferret-cage.
As i spent hours picking up pinkies that were scattered accross the house putting them in a bucket, then something squeeked from the bottom of the pile!! I dug through them all and found a single newborn pinkie, cold and mostly dead... 
I warmed it in my and and searched for its mum, who had somehow squeezed herself into the adult rat cage....I put the bub with mum and she eventually took it back
I still have that rat, the cold dead pinkie. I named her Massacre, for the dog massacre.
Massi is also a bit mentally deformed, probably from freezing as a newborn....

Cool eh. 

Ill stop hijacking now....


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## Jewly (Oct 20, 2008)

I just went and checked on Bella and she was up inside this small hide I have in their cage, and I was about to walk off when I noticed a little baby in beside her. She then came out and I could see another 5 in there. She hadn't made any sort of nest and they were just lying on bare plastic, so I laid down some tissue and put the babies on that and put a larger hide over the top of them. 

Bella was very restless and walking all over the place and I could see another baby half out of her and she then went back inside the hide and gave birth to it. So far she's had 7 but I haven't been back to check on her again cause I want to leave her alone for a while. She's a bit rough with the babies and steps on them but she's cleaned them up nicely. 

I'm so excited....I haven't bred an animal for ages, not since I had guinea pigs over 30 yrs ago. I'm going to really enjoy watching the babies grow and seeing what colours I will get.


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## bronsoneggbeater (Oct 22, 2008)

Lewy said:


> I


That's because they dont care, Pet stores will say anything to sell something to u[/quote]


thats not true although some are like that i know of quite a few that arent... they try their hardest to help and offer good advice... as long as the person you deal with is open and honest and has some credability they are usually good


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## Kimbully (Oct 23, 2008)

For her first little it might take her a bit longer to settle down with them. 
How has she gone? How many?

Kim


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## Jewly (Oct 24, 2008)

She's a great little mum and is taking care of them really well. She ended up having 11 babies which I thought was good for a first litter. They are 4 days old now and I'm amazed at how quickly they grow and change. Here are some pics.


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## sophietopaz (Oct 27, 2008)

ha ha when my son got his first pet rat at aged 7 the pet shop assured us that it was a male. 'Pinky" was really aggressive and we had to pick him up with a towel around our hands to prevent being bitten...anyway, a week (?) after we got him, my boy went to put him back in his cage and i heard this god-awful scream..."MUM! PINKIES GUTS HAVE FALLEN OUT!" Yep, Pinky was indeed a she and had recently provided us with pile of little pinkies. That's why she bit us everytime we put our hands in the cage, she was only protecting her babies. now i know what a boy rat looks like, and there's definately no mistaking the two!

They're gorgeous, jewly.


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