Just thought of something else. Rats can and will breed through cage wire. Pretty much anything that they'll be able to see each other through, they'll be able to breed through. if they can't breed through it, they'll chew through it to breed. If you have them housed together currently, your female with probably end up pregnant. They can reproduce at 5-6 weeks old and can be impregnated again just hours after giving birth to a litter. Keeping them in the same cage is a recipe for disaster, and hundreds of baby rats.
If she is to be put on antibiotics (which she absolutely should be ASAP as rats can go from sneezing to pneumonia to death in just a matter of days) you do NOT want her pregnant. She should not be pregnant or nursing while on antibiotics.
Goosemoose.com has an amazing rat forum called RatsRule. Every rat owner should check it out, it's got every bit of info you could ever want to know.
I have a vet appointment for them both tomorrow at 11 and the vet is going to check her eye and give her something for her cold and also check the male over to make sure he is alright
they are being housed together for now I will make another set up for him as soon as possible
They are cute....Do they make little clothes for them...She may need a coat....I hope she is not expecting and sick that would be very hard on her and a worry for you. Good luck with your appointment tomorrow.
I had a friend that had a huge rat while he was in college...He did not have to worry about unwanted people in his room.
They are cute....Do they make little clothes for them...She may need a coat....I hope she is not expecting and sick that would be very hard on her and a worry for you. Good luck with your appointment tomorrow.
I had a friend that had a huge rat while he was in college...He did not have to worry about unwanted people in his room.
ok back from vet I took them both and had them both looked over
Victoria has an Upper resp. infection and her eye is most likely a birth defect or it got ruptured along the way - either way she is blind in that eye
she has also stopped using her left back leg for some reason or another - vet took a look and there are no broken bones no bite marks nothing - Victoria will walk on it alittle but does not like to put any weight on it
so she was given a shot for any inflamation to see if that will help - she is also taking Doxycycline 20mg and Baytril twice a day until all meds are gone
so far Fredrick is fine he is not showing any signs of being sick but vet said to keep an eye on him just in case
we got home and poor Victoria is so tired she feel asleep in her little nest with a piece of kibble in her front paws - I guess she wanted a little snack and just fell asleep holding it LOL
so hopefully in a few days she starts feeling better and her leg starts feeling better
the whole visit including meds cost $ 67.96 so not to bad.
these guys are the only and the first hairless rats to be seen by this vet LOL
Victoria was great she let them look her open and even take her temp and give her the shot and they opened up her lids to check her eye and she never once tried biting or wiggling free and even let the vet cuddle her alittle when it was all done
I'm glad you brought them because most people don't think rats are worth it
Hopefully she feels better soon.
I just wanted so say, and please don't take this the wrong way because I absolutely mean no offense. This is merely a suggestion from somebody who has kept rats for a long time. If you want to breed rats, why not acquire a nice pair from a reputable breeder? There are several on the forum that I mentioned. Pet store rats are just like pet store dogs, in that they come from mills and most often have many genetic health issues. A reputable rat breeder, just like a reputable dog breeder, strives to breed healthier and more temperamentally sound animals.
It's tough to lose these guys. They have short life spans as it is. I've recently lost two of four sisters that I adopted from an accidental litter of somebody's pet store rats to pituitary tumors. My absolute favorite girl came from a pet store and had to be euthanized shortly after being diagnosed with lymphoma. I currently have three rats with mammary tumors. My youngest rat, who is directly from a pet store, suddenly lost his vision at a year and a half. I've lost rats to congestive heart failure and chronic respiratory illnesses despite aggressive treatment.
The bottom line is, they're already so prone to health issues, but when breeding mill rats you're pretty much guaranteed the health issues. I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your adorable new pets...but please at least give it some thought.
Rachel is giving you good advice. I would seperate her from the male on the off chance that she isn't bred already.
I have naked rats and like their personalities. When I breed I use a haired female and a hairless male. The hairless females do have problems with producing milk. The litter ends up part hairless and part with hair.
The overall health of the offspring seems to improve with each generation by mixing the two. I suspect that the hairless I started off with were a result of inbreeding due to their rarety at the time.
My first few generations died from tumors as they got old. I haven't seen tumors for several generations now.
Good luck with your gal. I would enjoy her as a pet, if she isn't already pregnant, and use your male to produce more.
They do need to be kept warm. I did use to take a childs sock and make sweaters for them. But, they didn't stay on long.