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...