Lena might be pregnant... =[

[thegirlnextdoor89]

Argh. So I have 56 pets, and as much as I'd love to have double that, I really don't want anymore right now. Not to mention the fact that my mom will not let me get anymore. Well, 46 of the 56 are (pet) rats. I've had 3 litters, and my youngest are 7 months old now. I thought I was done with the baby stage, and as cute as they are, they're really alot of work. Every night I get my rats out for playtime. They get out in groups according to who they live with, and never, ever,do the boys get to play with the girls. Tonight I thought I brought all 5 of the girls in a group to their playpen. An hour and a half later, I went to put them back in their cage and one by one I found Nadia, Chaila, Lyla, and Darrah...but no Lena. Finally I looked in the room they are in, and standing right in the OPEN doorway of her cage, was Lena. I don't know if she got out, or not. It would have been very easy for her to walk out, climb inside the neighboring boys' cage, and go back to her cage. Female rats can get pregnant in 3 seconds. Rat litters can range from just a couple of babies, to 21. I've had litters of 12, 17, and 8. If she got herself pregnant, I will be in sooo much trouble with my mom. I told her what happened, and she just gave me a nasty look like "oh my gosh how could you let this happen", but I think if Lena is actually pregnant, I'll get alot more than nasty looks. I didn't do it on purpose, but my mom won't see it that way. She'll just see it as more pets, and my life will be hell. She already gives me so much grief about my pets, I really don't need this with Lena now...
I can't (and won't) get rid of Lena. She'd have no where to go. Her coloring isn't that special, and the babies' coloring would be the same. Plus, I can't just ditch her for something that wasn't her fault.
I'm just really freaking out right now. I'm shaking. I'll be able to tell if she's pregnant within about 2 weeks (rats give birth between 19 and 23 days after getting pregnant). Please send non-pregnancy vibes for Lena, or if she is pregnant, at least hope for a REALLY small litter...

[SnowKitten]

Sorry that happened. Why don't you get your bucks neutered? That way, if a doe gets in the cage, they won't get pregnant...

[thegirlnextdoor89]

Originally Posted by careyjonz95

Sorry that happened. Why don't you get your bucks neutered? That way, if a doe gets in the cage, they won't get pregnant...

I would love to do that, or get the girls spayed, but it would cost WAY too much. It's about $150 for a neuter/spay, without complications, and I have 19 girls and the rest are boys.

[SnowKitten]

Oh wow.
Maybe having a fundraiser, or saving up?
I usually have a Pets Fund bank account where I keep at least $1500,
just in case I decide things like this need to be done.
Try setting aside any extra money for a while,
because nuetering is the only way to prevent this from happening again.

ANYWAYS--
:
Could you try selling the babies
(assuming she is pregnant and you can't keep them)
to a petstore or giving them to a shelter
and specify that they are for pets not feeders?
(I've found they usually respect your request)

Sorry, I'm ranting it happens sometimes...

I hope that Lena is fine, and I'm sure (If she is preg.) that you will deliver just fine, as you have been through this before.

[Rudnet]

I hope she's not pregnant. But if she is you can try giving the baby rats away to friends and family. I mean one rat is not so much to look after, is it?

[Power Cosmic]

Ayye, I'm thinking that would be the best bet if it does come to her getting pregnant.
Most petshops would probably be over to moon to get the babies for (or cheap if you want to try and make some money from it).

*sends anti-pregnancy vibes anyways*
I hope things turn out alright.

[thegirlnextdoor89]

I would not give the babies to a petstore. That just won't happen. There are 4 petstores in my area. Jungleland, Petco, and Petland all sell rats as feeders. I've seen the conditions they keep them in, too. Dirty litter, small tanks, barely any food or water. I would die before I subjected my pets to such cruelty. Petsmart is better about the conditions, but I still don't trust them. Just because it's a nicer pet store, doesn't mean the owners will be any good. I have rehomed babies in the past on my own, and I would try again. But like I said, the babies would all be the same color, and it's a common color...

[dancer]

Is there any sort of group/club/society for people with rats, where people might be looking for new, young pets but would know how to handle them properly?

[thegirlnextdoor89]

There's one online that I've used before. But alot of the people are obnoxious and would find some way to make this my fault. I've posted three times before about adoptions, and I've never really gotten any positive results. I actually got banned once, because they were blaming me for an accidental pregnancy (Diva and 2 of her daughters chewed through their cage overnight and Diva got pregnant), and I was trying to defend myself so I got banned for "being difficult".
I don't know if I would post about Lena, because I have no doubt they would go into attack mode.
It would be almost okay, because I could make room for them, but then as they get older, they get health problems.
I've been weighing Lena twice a day, and so far it's still completely up in the air as to whether or not she's pregnant. Hopefully I'll know soon...