Belle my rat is pregnant!!! : )

way2kewl4u_92 · #1 08-23-2007, 10:59 PM

Hey everyone my pet rat belle is very pregnant. The day i bought her and my 2 males buddy and eddie i put them together to clean cages. Eddie got too freindly and belle ended up pregnant. according to my calculations she has her babies around tuesday the 28th. she had a chance to get pregnant moday the 6th or the 7th or 8th cause they played together. I have been feeding her a micture of my own food. I bought hamster mix then i added brown rice, dog food, pasta noodlies, oats from oatmeal, some cat food, and some sunflower seeds from the bird food supply at farm king. If anything in this food mix isnt good for rats plz let me kno. Well anywas i fed her that and i also am feeding her wet canned cat foods she eats them if i roll them into little chunks. Does she need anything else to be fed healthy. And i am using corn cob bedding and a 20gallon aqaurium atm for her i added strips of newpaper and water bottle and food and dish. She also has a hamster ball on supports lol : ) plz if u have any comments or ideas that will make her babies and her healthier/happier plz leave them on this thread ty your new paw talk freind -Josh DeMott

Vanilla_Rat · #2 08-24-2007, 09:27 AM

Well she will need extra protein and nutrients during pregnancy and nursing,but cat food has ALOT of protein,so I wouldn't give that to her ALL the time,or her skin can get bad.

Other things you can give her is abit of egg or cheese or even some chicken.She will be craving more protein and nutrients,since the babies will literally suck everything out.

mulder · #3 08-24-2007, 12:23 PM

what vanrat said

plus, if this idea helps, rather than thinking of what to find for her, save a few bites from your dinner plate and pass it along to her, that's what i do for my boys and they love it. a few veggies here....some meat there.....i've seen someone hard boil an egg then give it to the rat, they'll peel it and everything!!!

way2kewl4u_92 · #4 08-24-2007, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanilla_Rat


	Well she will need extra protein and nutrients during pregnancy and nursing,but cat food has ALOT of protein,so I wouldn't give that to her ALL the time,or her skin can get bad. Other things you can give her is abit of egg or cheese or even some chicken.She will be craving more protein and nutrients,since the babies will literally suck everything out.

i have been feeding her canned kitten foods like every few days. I think ill try to give her a rat sized chicken and cheese sandwich. lol

way2kewl4u_92 · #5 08-24-2007, 11:50 PM

ty for info guys ill give her some chicken and cheese. Ill try an egg should i boil or fry the egg?

storminstaffs · #6 08-25-2007, 07:12 AM

boil as it's healthier

lilspaz68 · #7 08-25-2007, 08:50 AM

Firstly, please don't let your female rat play with the males. They can get pregnant every 4-5 days including right after they give birth. Your girl will need a same-sex companion so you might want to keep one of the little baby girls as a companion and look for good homes for the others.

As for feeding, lots of veggies, I fed a little Boost or Ensure (strawberry) mixed with baby cereal and a bit of water and olive oil. I fed her a staple mix of quality lab blocks and Suebee's Mix (a homemade mix you can make at home...google "Suebees mix"), extra protein like tuna, chicken, eggs. A breeder friend of mine feeds cat kibble for the protein, but not the wet.

Corn cob litter should be changed to something softer for the babies when they are born. Mom should be taken off of newspaper (no odor control and unless its soy-based ink then its not good for them) and put on something like carefresh or even fleece bedding. When the birth is imminent then I put my ooops mom on quality white paper towel. Never use toilet paper as it sticks to the wet babies after birth

.

Be careful she doesn't become pregnant again since back to back litters are very hard on a rat, most breeders will only breed their females 2-3 times in their lifetime. Plus there are so many homeless rats out there we don't need more.

You also may want to try to find a rat vet just in case there are complications or the mom gets sick.

Vanilla_Rat · #8 08-25-2007, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by way2kewl4u_92


	ty for info guys ill give her some chicken and cheese. Ill try an egg should i boil or fry the egg?

Boil because it is ALOT more healthier and plus the rats have to kind of work to get into the egg,so it is stimulating for them as well.

MzKityLvsBrdsTo · #9 08-25-2007, 05:06 PM

My first rat I ever had, I rescued her from a pet store! They were going to feed her to a crocodile! We brought her home, not knowing that she was pregnant and a week later.... she had 12 babies!!!! Have fun!

lilspaz68 · #10 08-26-2007, 07:44 AM

You mentioned seed mix? Store bought seed mix, things like Reggie Rat, SunSeed or Kaytee are terrible for your rat. Are you able to find a quality lab block somewhere? Petsmart sells Mazuri, there's also Hagen Nutri-block, etc.

This is a good base to the diet which you will need to supplement with veggies, proteins etc for a pregnant/lactating rat.

Do not forget that you need to sex and separate the boys and girls by 5 weeks of age or you are risking more pregnancies. You will need a cage for the boys then.

You should give the mom a house to give birth in, and make her nest in. Often people use cardboard boxes as they are light and if a baby gets stuck underneath it won't kill them with the weight like a heavier hidey house might.

kk