Sundae looks like she's pregnant, but she can't be!

[veggiegirl]

Sundae is getting rounder every day. She has such a big belly now that she looks like she's pregnant, but she can't be. She was at a pet store in a cage with another girl rattie, and after I got her she acted like she was in heat. It is possible that a boy rat got into her cage at the store, but I highly doubt it. I wonder if she is just getting fat? Its freaking me out and I keep having dreams about baby rats. If she did have babies, we would keep them all because I would never take the chance of having them become snake food. But I don't really want 20 ratties right now so some "Sundae isn't pregnant" vibes would be great. Send some for Peaches too because she was in a cage with boys! She was really young when I got her so I think she's fine.

[Millimi]

Sending vibes your way! What if it's a tumor? I don't want to be a party pooper, but aren't rats prone to them?

[Mariah]

i hope she doesnt have a tumor!
cant rats get worms? is it possible that she has some kind of worm in there making her big like that?
hope shes okay! good luck, if shes sick tell her to hurry up and get better

[Southpaw]

How long have you had her, now? Rats are pregnant for about 3 weeks (I think a few days longer than 21 days), and usually don't show until a few days before having the babies. Just in case she is preggers, you may want to give her extra bread, pasta, and fruits/veggies. Any chance you could take pics of her belly? If not for anything more, it would still be nice to see some pics.

But let's just hope this sudden blowup is not because of babies!

[Padfoot]

Sending some "Sunday's not pregnant" vibes your way!

Hmmm... if she was in heat lately, I doubt she's pregnant.. as mammals don't come into heat when pregnant...

[RSbunny]

ending sundae's not pregnant vibes....she could just be a pig and got fat!

[Jade]

Quote: Originally Posted by Padfoot Hmmm... if she was in heat lately, I doubt she's pregnant.. as mammals don't come into heat when pregnant...

This is actually debatable - there have been many, many chinchillas who've gotten pregnant a month into another pregnancy due to their dual uterine horns.

I hope she's not pregnant, for your sake and hers!

[DragonTamer]

it's still possible. you don't know what rats sold before her as feeders or as pets.. rats can come and go fairly fast in pet stores. and unless is was petsmart where they don't sell feeder rats and only offer ONE gender (even then sometimes they'll get a rat of opposite gender in by mistake) then I highly doubt the place was good enough to seperate genders... or the place the girl came from before she even ARRIVED at the pet store (mass breeders don't seperate obviously).

they can get pregnant as young as 5-6 weeks.... in one case a rat got pregnant at 3 1/2 weeks old, by her father!!!!

if she is pregnant, offer more PROTEIN in her diet!!! cat food, chicken bones, bits of meat, etc.

good luck.. rats can have as many as 20 babies in a litter. I know someone from my rat board who's two girl rats got pregnant from her friend rat-sitting while she was away on vacation (I believe it was vacation?). she wound up with two litters of 17 babies each!!!! 34 babies on top of the rats she had, LOL! good luck. they truly are worse than rabbits. just not as bad as mice *coughs*

[Padfoot]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jade This is actually debatable - there have been many, many chinchillas who've gotten pregnant a month into another pregnancy due to their dual uterine horns. I hope she's not pregnant, for your sake and hers!

That happens to rabbits too, but they are induced ovulators (???) and have 2 horns and 2 cervixes, so 2 simultaneous pregnancies can occur. Are chins too (induced)? I don't really know much about them.

[Mariah]

if she does have babies send a couple to me

[veggiegirl]

Thanks guys. Well the pet store that I got her from was really good about keeping the sexes separate. Sundae wasn't a feeder, and I got her at a different store than Peaches and Squeak. They did have fancy boys at this store but only a few, and they each had their own cage. The only way she could have gotten pregnant is if she climbed into the male's cage, or he into hers. Its possible because they often left the cage doors open half-way, but I doubt it.

Peaches was the one I was worried about when I got her because she was in a tank with boys. But she was so young (though old enough to get pregnant) and I took a chance. I did ask them "Could she be pregnant?" And they were like, "I don't know this is the first time we've kept fancy rats." At the time, I didn't know how easily rats got pregnant. Anyway, hopefully neither of them are. Sundae is the one thats getting fat. I doubt its a tumor at such a young age and she is pretty round all over. Hopefully she's just blowing up because she gets fed well now!

LilSouthPaw, I'll take some pics for you and post them. Mike couldn't believe how fat her belly is getting either. Hmmm, I'm not sure how long I've had her for. I got her in Dec. though.

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Sending not preggo vibes your way!!

[Rosies_Mom]

Coonsider the possibility that she is finally getting some good food. She might just be getting a little belly on her from some newly acquired good living.

[veggiegirl]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rosies_Mom Coonsider the possibility that she is finally getting some good food. She might just be getting a little belly on her from some newly acquired good living.

Thats what I'm hoping. She is kind of squishy so hopefully its just fat. I think the thing that freaked me out is she seems to be getting bigger every day. But she is eating a lot of good stuff, so hopefully thats why!

[Rosies_Mom]

My girls were lean and lank for a long time, then all of a sudden, middle age spread set in. Both Rosie & Boo have got this little belly going on. I "KNOW" they are not PG because Ben has been fixed long enough ago that his little soldiers are long gone.