No really.

I'm not sure what way you mean this. I have never intentionally bred rats. I'm sure any mentor worth his/her salt will give their apprentice the experience completely supervised from when the rats are matched, all throughout the female's pregnancy and all through the raising of the litter. You should not be "getting used to it and how it works" because your mentor should have given you enough of a backround for the basics and been walking you through every step, NO ACCIDENTS. I believe the best breeders on this forum have had minimum 2 years of consistant learning and controlled experiences through their mentors. We all start off rocky when we have our first rat and no one to teach us, but the thing is, we get better through knowledge and experience in a fairly short amount of time and when we find sources of information, we soak it up, humble ourselves for our pet's sake and take the advice of those who obviously know what they're talking about.

ok. if you dont have enough money to spay her, how the heck are you gonna take care of babies, and the health expenses of your older female rattie after she gives birth? That is if the complications that she --might-- have aren't fatal?

And if you are 13, what makes you think you can breed? obviously you arent even mature enough to handle what few rats you have. ITS COMMON SENSE TO NOT PUT AN EFFING MALE ANIMAL WITH A FEMALE ANIMAL UNLESS THEY ARE FIXED! And As previously stated. Just because she's a breeder doesnt mean she knows what she's doing. "ooh pretty boy rat, ooh pretty girl rat, make pretty babies!"
Oi.

you dont deserve ANY respect. I'm sorry.

Edit- Actually, I'm not.

I honestly can't think of any ethical, responsible breeder that would hand one of his/her breeding stock over to a 13 year old and just say "Here you go, do what you want with him.  Infact, why don't you put him with that there 2 year old pet store rat and see what happens!"  WTF???

Yeah. Ummm...I'll refrain from saying what I was going to say.

 

1. I know plenty of people that have taken classes and still have NO clue what they are doing, but lets just SAY they are competent here.

Why not spay? NO MONEY

2. Uhm. SO how are you going to take care of her if she does not reabsorb and has complications down the line?

I'm not going to nueter Micah. He is my breeding boy.

3. Don't we have enough people in this world that DON'T know what they are doing when they breed? So I DO assume you have homes for all of the proposed babies, you must have a ton of them it sounds like.

Dru is a good breeder. You haven't even met her and shouldn't be making that kind of judgement.

4. You are correct, we can only judge her by how you have been "trained". I think that says enough right there.

It wasn't an irresponsible decision to put them together either. I did my research and concluded it would be fine.

5. Really? Because there are fact supporting both sides, however it has been stated MANY MANY times it is NEVER OK TO DO THIS. I don't know any compitant rat owner that would EVER risk the life of an elderly female this way. I don't care WHO says they never had problems.

OF COURSE I CARE! DON'T EVEN SAY THAT!

6. And you are showing this how? By sitting back and waiting? By waiting until she may be fully pregnant....nice, really and how many people on here have stated you cannot tell until they are about ready to have them? More than a few dozen. So you would rather risk her life later on down the line.....

And I've made a mistake like this before???

Marshy is from a different line and I never planned to breed her as her mother was a pet store rat and we had no idea what her genetics were. We never saw any reason to put her through surgery and spend the money to spay her.

7. I can see a quite a few good reason to spay. Reduction of ovarian tumor and mammary tumors (and other cancers). Removal of possible risk of infection of the uterus. Longevity? Oh wait one more----100% decrease in risk of unwanted pregnancy.

I would ask Dru, but she's out of town and we aren't able to get ahold of her.
8. But an Emergency vet or vet can be called.....I assume of course. Because they are license to practice medicine and do occasionally know whats going on with your animals, unlike someone who has not gone to vet school for 7 years (I assume here that Dru is not a vet, at least I HOPE not).

No. Marshy a pet store rat. Micah is not. Keela is not. Micah and Keela was the intended litter and Micah and Marshy is the accidental possible litter.

9. I don't even know where to start on that one. How many generations have you gone back on your lines I wonder?

I don't think they're toys. How stupid do you think I am?
10. I'll partially answer this. The definition of a toy

"An object for children to play with.
Something of little importance; a trifle.
An amusement; a pastime: thought of the business as a toy."

You do not have the money for a e-spay. Yet what happens if there was a complication in the "intended pregnancy", what happens if the breeding female gets an pyometra and she needs to be spayed? What happens if one falls ill? What happens to the pups if she dies? What happens if a pup gets STUCK??

You are "toying" with this rats life. And your other females life as well. As well as the question you presented? I think that has been answered.

This is Cuterat's Mother, the person you have slammed.  You're right my daughter is a 13 year old that doesn't stand a chance with this group of piranhas.  It is clear that some of you have respect for people and ratties, the rest of you, well I shouldn't use those words.  My friend Dru is one of the best people I know.  She and I both took the high road last time, by not responding.    13 year olds sure are naive, I think she actually thought you people would be kind.  I'm really not sure where she got the idea there's not enough money, I guess that is a 13 year olds view of an adults decision process of when to put it out and when not to.  I had a vet charge me $125 for a surgery, then tell me that it wouldn't change anything.  I guess he thought I just wanted to pay money to feel like I had done something for my rattie.   I get the feeling you people would agree with him.  I'm glad to hear that ratties have successfully had babies 3 and 4 years old, because now I have every reason to believe she will be just fine, if she has conceived.  Don't worry I wouldn't ask any of you to take our mutt babies.  I am sure there are loving homes waiting for them.  I hope none of you women have any unplanned pregnancies.  You people need to get off your high and mighty pedestals and get a life.  I thought you might be interested in a definition for people like you guys.

fanatical:
Possessed with or motivated by excessive, irrational zeal

Don't bother to respond for our sake.  We won't be following up.

Moderator, please lock this thread.

*laughs*
Im sorry. yes they are brutal but in the beginning they were truthfully trying to be helpful until she proved that she didnt care what anyone really thought, and wasnt going to do anything about it.

yeah i'll quit now. people are ignorant.

Drache:

Cuterat's mom:

Since Drache's statement is the only one I can find mentioning females over three giving birth, I can only assume that you, Cuterat, based the above statement on that.  I don't think Drache said anything about the SUCCESS of the birthing process with these mothers.  S/he didn't elaborate on them at all.   You've been given so many reasons NOT to believe that she will do just fine, yet you take THIS statement as proof that she will be okay??

I am just really hoping that this rat is not pregnant at all.  I hope you've been weighing her regularly and have a good idea of whether she is or is not.

Also, this:

There is no comparison between what happened to your rat and any of the women on this board accidentally getting pregnant.  All of the women on this board have a choice of whether or not to put themselves at risk for pregnancy, and a choice about what to do when they become pregnant.  Your rat does not have the ability to make either of these choices -- you are making the choice for her and you seem to be doing a pretty careless job of it.  Again, I just really hope she isn't pregnant and if she is, and you don't get her spayed, I hope you will at least seak the advice and help of an emergency vet when she does give birth.