continuation of previous e-mails

Question
QUESTION: thanks for letting me know about the birds it was always my main concern i figured i could avoid cats and dogs but always wondered about the birds or squirrels
other rat aficionados have been encouraging me to put my rat on a leash/harness and walk them
i think next time i'll get a male rat it sounds like they have dispositions similar to male cats, loving and cuddly that's what i crave
thank you for all your help and correspondence
other than the lack of tumors is there any particular health complications that may arise in male rats that you are aware of?

ANSWER:
Males can still get tumors. They are often benign mammary in nature but the good news is they dont return after removal... and of course, the incidence of these tumors are far more less than that of female rats.  Males also have a tendency to develop hind leg paralysis with age, but they still manage to get around and adapt to any changes their body makes. An intact male may develop an abscess of the testicles but again this is not common.  I also suggest never to have more than 3 males at a time and always be sure you give them a nice roomy cage.

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QUESTION: not that i would ever have more than two at a time why shouldn't i have more than 3?
also they said at the pet store that i shouldn't get more than 1 because they would bond with each other rather than me is that true at all?
also i forgot how long gestation is but since blondie was the only female in a cage full of males and seemed fairly old(possibly 3-4weeks) could she be P.G.?
how can i tell if she is or how long before a litter would appear so i can make sure i help her if need be and they don't get hidden in the cage and smothered before i know if  she does by chance??
i think from what i remember of your warning on your critter city site could be a possibility?

ANSWER: Oh my gosh, MORE inaccurate information from a pet store.  I wish these pet store people would either shut up or take a few classes in exotic medicine if they are going to offer advice because so far I have only heard of maybe 2% of pet store employees have even half way accurate information.

No, its NOT true that if you have more than 1 rat they wont bond with you. In fact, solo rats are more neurotic and lonely.  think about that statement. How in the world can a human take the place of another rat?  Just put yourself in the rats paws. Can you sleep with him and cuddle him? Can you run and wrestle with him? Eat side by side with him?  Of course not...imagine not having anyone to hang with but your dog. No humans, just your dog. Thats the same way it is for a solo rat.

Do you know that rats mourn the death of their cagemates to the point that they die of a broken heart?  Not actually a broken heart, but because of the stress from being lonely, the immune system is lowered to the point they become ill and dont have the strength or will to fight it off.

As for the female being pregnant....are you saying she was 3 t o4 weeks old with the males? If so, she probably is not pregnant.  However, if you mean it has been 4 weeks since she was with males, she probably would have had the pups by now.  Babies are born in about 21 days. She wont show she is really pregnant until a week before. Her belly will take on the shape of a pear. She will start to want to make fabulous nests and seem a bit aggressive toward her owner, which passes once she has the babies. Her little nipples will also look bigger.  Do you notice any of these things?

Oh and as for having more than 3 males...some people disagree but thats luck.  Males tend to fight more when they are younger when they feel crowded because of the role of being alpha. If you have too many males wanting to run the show, you have nothing but problems. Three seems to be the magic number.



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QUESTION: 3 follow-up questions

i don't want her to be neurotic but is it too late, isn't there a bunch of rules and complications with introducing a new rat that's not a littermates and if she is pregnant can i keep the females if any instead and just separate the males when weaned?

are you saying then that 2 male rats wouldn't be as good as 3 or just no more than 3?

and

we've only had her since last Sunday the 19th so i guess we'll be in the clear by aug.9th it just seems she's growing awfully fast perhaps pear-ing but   when i reached in to hold her it seemed like i could feel her ribcage yet her belly was so large behind the fragile feeling ribs, and she still won't take treats from my hand?

Answer

If she has babies, yes you can keep her female babies to live with her.  Also, its easier to introduce female rats than it is male rats and the younger they are the easier they accept new mates close to their age.

As for the males, 2 are fine, 3 are fine.....even 4 neutered males are fine, but no more than 3 males if they are intact unless you have very very very calm males that do not have high levels of testosterone as they age.

If your girl was really young when you got her, she is probably having a growth spurt.  I just bought three boys a few weeks ago and they are growing like weeds and have big round bellies too. See their photos etc...on my webpage.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/watchmybabiesgrow.htm