Question by : What are the very first signs of rat pregnancy?
I just got my rat from a pet store and I’m scared she might be pregnant. What are the veary first signs of pregnancy?
Best answer:
Answer by Catkin
A rat is pregnant for about 3 weeks & often you won’t notice anything until the 3rd week. Occasionally there are no obvious signs until you wake up & hear the pups squeaking. However, sometimes you’ll notice that your rat’s nipples seem more prominent or there is less fur around them. During the final week of pregnancy, mama rat will often become bigger around the middle. She *may* sleep more often, or become especially interested in nest building.
If you suspect you rat may be pregnant, give her some extra nesting material if she doesn’t already have plenty. We give our rats paper towels for nesting. As always, make sure she’s got lots of good food & water available but offer her a bit of boiled egg for extra protein. If she doesn’t have an igloo or nest box, give her 1. A tissue box is fine.
Try to keep mama rat from getting stressed. This isn’t a good time to introduce her to your friends or have a lot of activity near the cage. You can interact with her though, of course. If she has a female companion, you can leave them together as long as they get along well & there’s plenty of room in the cage. After the pups are born, you can gently handle them as soon as you’re comfortable doing so, unlike hamster or mouse babies.
Good luck with your rat, whether or not she’s “expecting.”
What do you think? Answer below!
Tags: First, Pregnancy, Signs, Very