Going in to check on my three ratty girls, last thing before bed on Thursday, September 22. They were on their second round of treats, everyone was happy. I turned to leave, when I spotted something out of place at the end of the aquarium. I looked closer, and the pink mass moved, and I screamed a split second before my brain sent "Baby rats" into my mental void. I rather freaked out, having totally no experience with baby rat care, since these were unplanned baby rats, at least from my point of view.
I called Family Friend and woke her up, and she reassured me that the mother rat would do all the work, and said she could take the babies back when I chose to give them up. Of course, we will need to make SURE all my three are girls.
Doing the numbers, they have a 28 day gestation, and I had had them for 22, so probably the exposure took place under previous owner's custody. Studying up on this, one key point is you must separate the sexes by age 5 weeks, since by 6 weeks they are all systems up and running. And you cannot wean them before 4 weeks.
Oh, it took a few days to figure out who was the mother. Yep, it was the gray and white "extra" rat. Hence the title of this post. Head desk.
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