Why is my female rat attacking the male? Could she be pregnant?

Rats have a gestation period of 21-23 days. Have her examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating pocket pets. He or she may be able to confirm pregnancy or diagnose illness or injury. Check her teeth to rule out overgrowth or malocclusion. Either could cause her to go off her food. The antibiotic (Baytril?) may also cause some GI upset.

The gestation period for a rat is normally 22 days, but can vary from 21 to 23 (and rarely to 26). A postpartum pregnancy will last 28 days. Two weeks into the pregnancy the mother's abdomen will usually start expanding, but not always. As the birth approaches, you may be able to see the pups moving inside her, or feel them if you gently feel her abdomen. Her mammary glands will also start to enlarge two weeks into the pregnancy. The birth process normally takes about an hour or two. In general, the mother rat will deliver a new pup every 5-10 minutes. In rats, the average litter size is 6-13 pups. The first sign is a bloody discharge from the vagina. Next, the contractions will cause her to stretch out while her sides suck in, in a most amazing way. Once the babies start arriving, the mother will sit up and help deliver them with her hands and teeth. Then she will clean off the birth sac and lick the newborn. The mother will usually eat each placenta and the umbilical cord. During this process a healthy baby will wiggle and squeak, which inhibits its mother from eating it too. However, if a baby is weak or dead, this inhibition may not occur. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Chaos is housed with males, pregnancy may be changing her behavior. However, the signs you describe are pretty nonspecific, meaning that they can go along with a large number of conditions. There are a few things you can do to collect some more information - check to make sure that Chaos’s teeth align properly, check for any blood or diarrhea in the cage, and check Chaos for any swellings or masses. In the chase that Chaos has a contagious disease, I recommend keeping her separated from the other rats. There are vets in most towns/cities thatsee pocket pets, so it would be best to have Chaos evaluates as soon as possible.

Gestation in rats is only 21 days (21 days from mating to delivery of pups) so if Violet is pregnant you likely won’t have long to wait. Generally by 2 weeks after mating you will notice that their belly is distended. If so, keeping them singly housed until delivery and until the rat pups are weaned at 3 weeks is recommended. In addition, not disturbing the Mom/not changing the bedding for the first week after delivery is also recommended to prevent stress induced cannibalism of the pups. Veterinary ultrasounds are usually hundreds of dollars but call around at both traditional and exotics practices, some may offer ultrasounds at a minimal fee for a rat. In the meantime, make sure that Violet has plenty of food and water as well as nesting material like cotton nestlets/cardboard huts. Good luck!

It is, unfortunately, very common for male rats to begin fighting as they get closer to sexual maturity. Your rats are getting to be that age, so that may be contributing to the scuffling that you are seeing. There are a few things that you can try - one is to completely separate them from one another. This can be complicated as you will need to have three separate enclosures. Sometimes there is only one aggressor - if you know that one of the rats is the bully (usually the one that has no injuries), you can also try to separate that one and leave the other two together. Unfortunately, sometimes this can then lead to the other two fighting (so it doesn't always work). Another alternative is to get them castrated. I am not sure what the comfort level of the veterinarians in your area is with rats, but this would remove the hormone component of things. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It definitely sounds like Red may be a pregnant female, but he should be seen by a vet if he is not eating/drinking or urinating/defecating normally. Though it is unlikely, this drastic increase in size could be due to a growth within the abdomen or gastrointestinal disease. You can tell if a gerbil is a male or female by looking at the distance between the anus, located just under the tail and the genitals. In males, this distance is longer than in females. If the distance between Red's anus and genitals is shorter than his cagemates, he is most likely a female. The length of a gerbil's pregnancy is about 24 days, and it sounds like Red is nearing the time to give birth. As long as Red is eating, urinating, and defecating normally, you should not need to intervene with the process. Try to interfere with the new family as little as possible, and only spot-clean the cage, as gerbils are easily stressed and may eat their young. The mother and pups should also have free access to food and water. Keep in mind that gerbils can mate immediately after giving birth and become pregnant again, so consider separating Red from the cagemate as soon as possible if (s)he is pregnant.

With these pictures, I would guess she is pregnant. Gestation for a hamster is 15-18 days. On the third photo, it appears as if her mammary glands are developed. Usually hamsters start building a nest site in a corner. I would definitely separate her from the male as they can be aggressive during birthing. It is important to allow the female to have a quiet, minimally disturbed environment, especially during their first litter, to decrease the chance of rejection of babies by the mother.