How does this work?!

[Coleslaw007]

I have twice now experienced a phenomenon with my nursing female rats. I will have 3 females in a tub, all have their own litters that are fully furred and are just about to or just starting to open their eyes and I will check on them and find a few brand new pinkies.

The first time, a few weeks ago, I wrote it off as a fluke, maybe a female got put with a male by accident? I didn't think so but couldn't find another explanation. I had 3 females, I'm positive they each had their own litter and all the babies were all around the same age, close to 2 weeks, and then I found 5 new pinkies.

Yesterday it happened AGAIN and I am POSITIVE no one has seen a male since being impregnated and that each had their own litter (rather than just fostering someone else's.) Once again, all the babies were about 2 weeks. Checked up and there's 3 new pinkies. No one else but my bf and I do anything with them and none of our other rats even have brand new babies that could have gotten moved. It makes no dang sense.

Can female rats retain sperm and reimpregnate themselves after a litter?

This is boggling my mind.


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[angllady2]

Unless you pull the females just after being bred, the male will rebreed them immediately after dropping babies. Unless you are pulling them just after being bred, and leaving them separate for the 14 days or so of pregnancy, I'd say that is what is happening.

If you are pulling them just after breeding, then I have no clue what's going on.

Gale

[Coleslaw007]

Unless you pull the females just after being bred, the male will rebreed them immediately after dropping babies. Unless you are pulling them just after being bred, and leaving them separate for the 14 days or so of pregnancy, I'd say that is what is happening.

If you are pulling them just after breeding, then I have no clue what's going on.

Gale

The second one. There were no males in the tub at all for maybe a week before they dropped babies. Especially after the first time I was very sure they had no male contact after they got big. I know they can go into heat within hours of birth.
Immaculate conception? I'm really very confused in actuality.

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[Coleslaw007]

Hmmm I read something about embryonic diapause in rats, where the eggs can be fertilized but not actually implant and then implant later. Its not crazily common but does happen apparently. Maybe that's what's been going on?

I also read that rats can retain sperm, supposedly for a long time and that female rats can occasionally have 2 uteri.
I'm not 100% which female had either of the second sets but 2 of the same females were parenting together both times so it could very well have been the same female both times.
Both times the second set of babies was born 2 weeks after the first.

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