rat prego?

[klonedskillz]

at what day can you really tell if your rats are prego? im on days 16 after introducing the males and females

[snakedork]

I realize that I don't spend enough time with my rats. I couldn't tell you they are prego until they almost drop. I leave a male in all the time. I wish i had an answer for you but usually we can tell about a week before they drop. My rodent breeding is actually the simpliest part of my day. Check waters, food. Clean cages every couple of days.

[Little B-Py]

It took us about a week. If you pick her up under the arms (if you think she is prego make sure not to push on her belly) and squeeze gently on her sides and if feels kinda hard the she is prego, or if she is getting fatter than normal and it is more focused on her hips then she is probably prego.

[punyhuman07]

we do the under the arm thing to i also keep the male in there till she looks like she is going to pop

[Typical_08]

http://www.prrr.org/ratcare/breeding/reproduction.html

Puberty & Breeding
Young Rats average growth is around 5-6 grams per day. Rats reach puberty at between approximately 2 and 3 months of age, when their body weight is between 250-300 grams. They are best mated after the age of around 4.5 and 6 months. Female Ratties have oestrus cycles all year around, each cycle lasting around 4-5 days, during which time they are receptive to the male for approx 14 hours. If several females are housed together it is not uncommon for them to exhibit oestrus cycles simultaneously. Signs of oestrus can be a willingness to be mounted by the male (some females exhibit rapid ear movement when touched near their lower back), the vulva will be open and can be a purple colour. After mating a white waxy plug (the copulation plug) fills the vagina and come sometimes be visible. This plug, which contains secretions from the male accessory sex glands, prevents leakage of seamen from the vagina. The plug usually drops out within 24 hours and if found is a sign that mating has taken place. There are no other early clear signs of pregnancy. Mating between a male and female can take as little as a few seconds, if this has occurred then you will be best advised to prepare for a litter. Females tend not to show pregnancy signs until late in their pregnancies, sometimes only giving you a few days notice before the delivery of her young, her girth will become noticeably large and she will start to look very uncomfortable, her nipples will also start to become more exposed from under her fur in preparation for feeding her young. Females should not be bred from more than 3-4 times in their lifetime, and not past the age of 1 year. Males tend to be able to breed for their entire lifespan, however, some males do become lazy and uninterested in their later years.

Gestation
Gestation can last anywhere from around 21 to 24 days. Pregnancy may be determined, by a professional, by gentle abdominal palpation from around day 15 or the females weight can be recorded daily to keep track of her weight gain. Mammary development becomes more noticeable in the last week of gestation. By the 16th day of gestation it is recommended to remove the male from the females cage as he may cannibalise the young or impregnate the female shortly after the delivery as females have been known to become pregnant as early as 24 hours after delivery.

The female will start nest building 3-4 days prior to delivery day. If the pregnancy is the result of a post-partum mating, and the pregnant female is lactating, the gestation period may be extended by a couple of days. Delayed implantation can occur for up to 7-10 days, giving an apparent gestation period of 28-30 days. As long as the female is well and there is no abdominal vaginal discharge, a longer gestation can be considered to be the result of delayed implantation, rather than an overdue pregnancy.

Now, I had a problem getting mine to breed. But I recently heard that if the temp is too warm that they will not mate. I was told that ideal temp for breeding is between 50 and 60 degrees F. So I moved them out into my garage and kept the temp where I was told, and they started breeding like crazy.

[littleindiangirl]

If it's a thin female, usually a little over a week and I can tell. They quickly gain weight when pregnant. If you are not used to seeing a pregnant girl, weigh them like you would a snake on a mail scale, and you will see a very definite upward climb in weight very quickly.

[klonedskillz]

thanks i have i think 5 girls that are prego i just wieghted them all today and will see if there is a big climb, around the hip area i guess when you lift them by there tail a little bit are starting to look round with there sides bulging out a bit

[klonedskillz]

the 5 that i wieghed yesterday i wieghed again today and all five of them gained around 11 grams so does that mean they are prego that is a perty big wieght gain in 24hours?

[Typical_08]

How heavy are they? Are they full adults?

[klonedskillz]

they were all around 250G when introduced to the males