How late can Galastop be used to safely terminate a rat pregnancy?

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Vegas. The only was that laboratory facilities prevent the spread of mycoplasma to offspring, is via ceasarian section and hand rearing babies in a clean room, not practical. So low stress, good nutrition, but babies will be exposed. Be careful using the antibiotics as some will cross the placenta into fetuses or through mammary glands. Good luck.

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!

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.

You are right that the typical gestation of guinea pigs is 63-65 days. If she is showing no indication of entering labor, there could be a problem. The Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians (AEMV.org) probably has a "Find the Vet" section. Otherwise, not sure where the closed veterinary school is to you. A small animal veterinarian with an ultrasound might be able to determine if there are any fetal heartbeats. Many small animal veterinarians could have oxytocin, which could be given to stimulate uterine contractions.

Clean around the nest and cage until the pups are about 2 weeks old. Try not to disturb the nest before then. After 2 weeks, you can scoop the nest and pups up in one scoop, clean the cage and replace the nest.

Hello. I am not sure why you waited so long to consider aborting your mare, but I would council against doing so at this late date. Administering a drug to abort a mare is a common practice very early in pregnancies, but now you would need to do multiple injections, manually dilate the cervix or use another medication to do so, watch as the mare delivers a live fetus that may need to be euthanized, & deal with the very real possibility of retained fetal membranes which can lead to metritis & founder. Talk to your veterinarian about all the risks involved & see how you want to proceed with this. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.