male rats.....

[iluvratz]

soooo i just got a male rat i nevr had a male b4 only females i was just wondering if theres any special foods u should or shouldnt feed the males or if thier diets the same as the females

[Connor13]

hey i dont think there is much of a difference. im no expert, but i do have to little baby boys!

[Dearpie]

Males can not have citrus, specifically the pith surrounding the fruit.

[artemish]

On the citrus thing -
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/oj.htm

D-Limonene is a chemical found in orange peel (and thus in most orange juices), and also in mangoes. It can cause kidney damage in male rats only.

That's the only thing.

[hairless_love]

Males tend to be lazier than the females, so sometimes you have to pay special attention to not giving them sugary or fatty foods...or you'll have fat rats!

And be sure your male doesn't EVER have any contact with your females unless he is neutered or your girls are spayed. Speaking of which...does your male have a friend? Just like girls...boys need friends!

[Poppyseed]

On the citrus thing -
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/oj.htm

D-Limonene is a chemical found in orange peel (and thus in most orange juices), and also in mangoes. It can cause kidney damage in male rats only.

That's the only thing.

OMG! I think I saw someone feeding her rat who had just been diagnosed with kidney disease a dried mango in the waiting room of the vet a few months ago! I just put that together after reading your post. I wish I knew enough to say something.

[iluvratz]

yuppers he has a friend its a female tho my other girl died so my parents got me another rat but didnt pay attention to the gender but i got 2 attached to him. iknow theyll have babies soon but thats ok ill take good care of them my mice had babies b4 and they were all healthy.

[KoalaLou2]

Just because your mouse had healthy babies, does not mean your rat will.  Many, many problems can occur with pregnancy including the death of both the mother and all the babies.  Also keep in mind that rats can have 20+ babies in a single litter and they will all need to be cared for (this means cages, food, and proper vet care, the cost is usually $200 minimum with no complications in the pregnancy). 
Are you prepared to risk your girl rat's life just because you want to keep them together?  Thats very selfish.
You should get the girl spayed or the boy neutered if you want to keep them together.
Also, rats can reproduce at 5 weeks old so any litter would need to be separated by gender at that age or you will have MANY more babies. 
This forum, as a whole, is very against irresponsible breeding.  The babies will have questionable genetics and genetic diseases and, if you choose to find them homes, will take homes away from the poor ratties already in shelters or stores. 
Are you okay knowing that you are responsible for the death of your girl rat if there are complications (and she really could die)?  Are you willing to pay the vet bills for all the potential babies if they are ALL sick?  These are things you should have thought about before putting the two together.  An emergency spay would be your best option in this case (and much cheaper than having the babies) and would allow you to keep both your ratties together.  It will also reduce the possibility of your girl having tumors later in life.

[Twixter]

It is really quite selfish of you to keep the two together because you think the babies will all be healthy.
You don't know what you're doing and that could cost the mother and the babies their lives. Also, where are you going to keep the male after the birth? Females can become pregnant again very soon after and it's VERY unhealthy for them. You realize you'll have to keep and care for ALL the babies until AT LEAST five weeks? Do you have seperate cages for the males and females?
You'll have to pay for food, BEDDING (because baby rats soil the bedding VERY quickly), and vet bills.

As the above poster said, I suggest a quick spay. You're not knowledgable enough to be responsible for the lives of baby rats.

[iluvratz]

yes i have separate cages and i know just bcuz my mouse had healthy babies doesnt mean my rat will wut i was saying is i do know how to care for the babies since ive dealt with them b4. its just right now were having probs with money and were in the process of moving right now so i dont have the money to spay or nuteur them or i wouldve already done it. and if i separate them they will be lonely so then i would have to go get another male and female rat so that they wont be and my parents arent up for that idea.

[pumpkin_princess]

If you don't have enough money for a simple neuter then you definately don't have enough money for vet bills if health issues rise in mom, dad, and possible 20+ bubs.    You really need to seperate them now or your girl is going to be preggers almost immediately after giving birth. How do you plan on taking care of possibly 22 adult rats???
I think Twixter said it best "You're not knowledgable enough to be responsible for the lives of baby rats."

[hairless_love]

yes i have separate cages and i know just bcuz my mouse had healthy babies doesnt mean my rat will wut i was saying is i do know how to care for the babies since ive dealt with them b4. its just right now were having probs with money and were in the process of moving right now so i dont have the money to spay or nuteur them or i wouldve already done it. and if i separate them they will be lonely so then i would have to go get another male and female rat so that they wont be and my parents arent up for that idea.

Well...obviously you made a very BIG mistake. If you're trying to deal with moving, and already having money problems, you have just made things a lot worse. Also, if you're parents don't want to deal with three rats...how mad are they going to be when you end up with 22 rats?

Where did you get the male from? Is it possible you can return him and get another female instead? If you can...PLEASE separate them RIGHT NOW until you can get another friend for your female. Think about it...these guys aren't just going to make babies once. Their going to keep making babies until you get someone spayed or neutered. You obviously can't keep them in this situation if you're not willing to spay/neuter or put them in separate cages with their own same sex friends.

You might be just a kid, and you may rely on your parents money for your pets...but there are YOUR RATS and they are YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Are you old enough to get a job? Do you have neighbors or family members who would be willing to let you do some yard work or chores to earn some money? You REALLY need to get the money to get your girl an e-spay.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make a responsible choice. There are already so many homeless rats in shelters right now. It is extremely selfish of you to add to the population problem and put your female rat's life in danger.

And I know you're new here, so I just wanted to tell you that no one is trying to be mean or make you feel bad. But you didn't do your research, and now you're in big trouble, and we're just trying to tell you how to get out of trouble. Good luck

[Washu]

and if i separate them they will be lonely so then i would have to go get another male and female rat so that they wont be and my parents arent up for that idea.

But they are ok with having up to 20 babies?

[WEAVER]

I just wanted to add, that I do not understand why you just got a male rat, when you already had a female rat?  Why would'nt you of gotten her a girlie friend instead of putting her at risk?  It makes no sense and was very irresponsible.  I personally feel bad for your rat, for they are the ones who are going to suffer from your poor decision making.

[pumpkin_princess]

 Maybe if your parents understood the situation you could get a male friend for your boy and then keep one of the girl babies for your female? That is if you can't get an e-spay because an e-spay is the best option. 

[iluvratz]

omg....they told me to sell them that is always a possible answer.im not comfortable with doing that but i might have to also i have neighbors who want some. and i luv my animals very much i only hope the best for them that is why i come on here for answers and help ok and once we move we will have enough money for vet bills only for right now we wont. and the boy right now is a baby still himself so i hav some time b4 she will get pregnant and she isnt that old either.

[julztoni97]

They can breed anytime after 5 weeks. 

[hairless_love]

omg....they told me to sell them that is always a possible answer.im not comfortable with doing that but i might have to also i have neighbors who want some. and i luv my animals very much i only hope the best for them that is why i come on here for answers and help ok and once we move we will have enough money for vet bills only for right now we wont. and the boy right now is a baby still himself so i hav some time b4 she will get pregnant and she isnt that old either.

So separate them NOW. DO NOT let them make babies. I understand you are only a kid, but PLEASE make a mature decision and DO NOT breed them. If your really truely want the best for your animals, then you will get that girl spayed. If not...then you don't want what's best for them, and you're just being selfish.

[chiropteragirl]

Please, please, please, seperate them! You really don't want to deal with up to 25+ babies.

Also, think about what could happen to the babies. With no knowledge of the genetics of the parents, the chances of the babies developing huge health problems is large.

Look at these links about megacolon, a very common thing for badly bred babies to get:
http://ratguide.com/health/digestive/megacolon.php
Warning, this page is not for the squemish:
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/megacolon_figure_3a.php

Also, read this thread.
http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/topic,4218.0

If it is too late for the mother, (already pregnant) seperate them anyway, then try to scrape together the money for an emergency spay. This will terminate the pregnancy, and she won't be able to get pregnant again.

Assuming the pregnancy is too far along for a e-spay to be an option, please SEPERATE the two right now. The male can get the female pregnant again 24 hours after birth, and he may also fight with the babies.

Don't put the male babies in with the father. The father may fight and kill the babies. It's sad but it happens.

Assuming any of them survive, adopted them out for a small fee ($10-$15?) and use that money to spay the girl if you can't get the funds any other way.

Please, please, do the responsible

[iluvratz]

alright alright i will separate them asap!

[pumpkin_princess]

  You might not understand why we feel so strongly about this but you made the responsible decision by seperating them. I really hope your girl isn't pregnant. You still need to spay her asap.

[iluvratz]

i know and i told my mom and she said we can proble get her spayed soon! yay

[hairless_love]

i know and i told my mom and she said we can proble get her spayed soon! yay

Then your rats can live together and be happy with no babies!