# help. i need advice and opinions



## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

hi! can anyone advise me. i have 11 lovely lady rats living in one enormouse cage. nothing against the boys i just want to keep the one cage, problem is ,there is a beautiful male dumbo rat living in the local pet shop, he's been there about 3 weeks and is approx 3 months old and iv'e fell in love with him. nobody seems to want him and if he is sold i fear he will live his life out alone. i go in the shop about 4 times a week to cuddle him, his is sweet and tame and i really want him. now i need advice! i am considering buying him and having him castrated so he can live with my girls. i would introduce him after his op as i would any newcomer, slowly over a period of time, i have spare cages for such things. does anyone have any idea how long he would remain fertile after his op. does any one have an opinion on this matter. is it viable and is it moral. please help


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## MrsNik (Dec 5, 2007)

I personaly wouldnt put him through the op if its not needed. It does have its risks and unless he is violent or ill it may just not be worth it. One of my males died a couple of weeks ago and we considered getting his brother "fixed" so he could live in with our girls but I decided it just wasnt worth the risk. He is much older though. About 2 years old.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

id think about his quality of life....it wouldnt be much fun stuck in a petshop with no company etc, whearas with you, he could have a shot at a normal life and a home full of love. id think the benefits outweigh the drawbacs. ive had 2 rats neutered, both went fine and both are now much happier rats, and previously they werelone rescue rats i took in, now they all live in a group of 19.get your vet to check him over, and of hes given the all clear, id go for it!
generaly petshop rats have poorer health that their breeder counterparts, but hes only young, so thats with him 
introductions with neutered rats go much easier than with entire rats, whether it be male or female, and males should be kept away from females for 2 weeks after the operation to make sure theres no live sperm left to impregnate one of your girlies!
id trust your gut on this one.


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

hi! thank you all for your advice. i bought him because i couldn't resist him and the vet gave him a clean bill of health. he was 'seen to' on tuesday and is absolutely fine. in two weeks time i will introduce him to his hareem of girls and he will have alovely spoiled life. he has a beautiful nature and it would have been sacrilage for him to live his life alone, i am spoiling him rotten, i have called him 'JASON'


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## xxjackyxx (Dec 16, 2007)

i am sure jason will enjoy his hareem of girls.


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## Glittery Moon (Apr 12, 2008)

I'm glad you solved your problem. Pictures are a must!


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

i,m still trying to suss out how to post pictures, but as soon as i do i'll bombard the forum. it's 2 weeks now since* Jason *had his 'bits' dismantled and he's fine. he's still on his own but i plan to introduce him to all his lady friends on friday. i hope this will have been long enough to avoid any unwanted pregnancies. iv'e had litters before and i couldn't bear to part with any and iv'e ended keeping the lot. iv'e 13 rats now , 3 big dogs and *Frank* the hamster and i think iv'e got my work cut out.


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

i'll be taking some pictures asap. i know how to post now and i'll bombard you all with my beautiful ratties.


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

this is Jason and Kylie playing in the garden (Jason is the dumbo) best thing i ever did was bring him home, he is a gentle sweetie and loves living with all his girls


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## tj1980 (Apr 4, 2008)

awwwww wot a beautiful picture they look so happy lovely colours 2


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## lisa2210 (Jul 15, 2008)

Well, Jason must think he has died and gone to heaven!! Your ratties are lovely, and you absolutely did the right thing. Enjoy them!!


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

Jason is a great big, very lucky, very happy boy. he has a lovely nature and i wouldn't swap him for the world!


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2008)

I know not the first thing about rats, but yes I would buy him, and I would ask my vet with relation to the castration, if there anything else that could be done to stop him being rampant, i.e injection.

sorry if I sound a bit dense - but I have no knowledge whatsoever!
love
sue


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## StolenkissGerbils (Aug 8, 2008)

I'm glad it's all gone well for you. They look really nice  They're huskies right?


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

yes! Jason is a very happy rat!!!!!!


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2008)

he is gorgeous. he looks as though he is smiling


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

wouldn't you if you were a male rat living with 12 girls!!!!!!!!!!


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2008)

ahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!! what a lucky rat


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## u-look-like-a-hamster (Aug 17, 2008)

HAAAA

ur rats a pimp.........

lol

the 'ratboy' mansion


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy (Aug 9, 2008)

having a rat castrated is perfectly fine. Obvioiusly, anasthetic carries a risk to small animals, even humans. But a friend of mine has successfully castrated a male mouse before  it's more to do with the recovery than the actual op.


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## uptheferrets (Aug 19, 2008)

I'll admit to knowing nothing about rats, and i do think Jason looks a stunner

Have you asked the Vet how long to wait after the op before putting him near your girls?

With my ferrets, all males castrated, occasionally vasectomised I was told to wait 6 weeks, so I do.
I did have one that wasn't vasectomised properly and i had serious doubts wether he had been done at all, so putting him to the in season girls, to bring them out of season, produced 4 litters So now I am extra extra careful!


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

OOOPS! Jason was put with the girks after 3 weeks


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy (Aug 9, 2008)

it is 6-8 weeks. 8 weeks in chinchillas and im pretty sure its 6 weeks in rats.


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## hilary bradshaw (Mar 9, 2008)

the vet told me three weeks and thats when he joined his hareem and 3 months on we have had no pregnancies


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## uptheferrets (Aug 19, 2008)

I think you have been lucky I finished up with 27 unplanned for kits!!!!!!
All have happy and lifetime homes thankfully,

Really surprised at a vet only saying 3 weeks


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## ChrisTheGerbilGuy (Aug 9, 2008)

hilary bradshaw said:


> the vet told me three weeks and thats when he joined his hareem and 3 months on we have had no pregnancies


im also shocked your vet has said 3 weeks  it takes 6-8 weeks for he semen to lose it's potency.


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## spoiled_rat (Mar 24, 2008)

actually....its a little less than 2 weeks, as rats have much faster cell turnover and general bodily functions than other animals such as ferrets, chinchillas, dogs, cats etc.

*Pholpramool and Sornpaisarn (1997)* castrated 21 male rats. The authors found that for two days after castration, fertility in these castrated rats was normal. After the second day fertility started to drop quickly, and by the eighth day after castration all the rats in this study were sterile.

Specifically, Pholpramool and Sornpaisarn (1997) castrated 21 male rats and divided them into groups of 2-5 rats. Males from each group were then individually housed overnight with 2 females in heat on the day of castration or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 8 days afterwards. Mating was judged by the presence of sperm in the vagina on the following morning. Males which didn't mate were given another opportunity the following night and were placed in the subsequent group.

Under normal circumstances, sperm leave the testes and enter a long tube called the epididymis. They travel down this tube, mature, and gain their fertilizing ability. Sperm are stored at the end of the epididymis, where they remain fertile for 42 days in the rat, then die (White 1932).

After neutering, sperm move rapidly through the epididymis (Sujarit and Pholpramool 1995). The epididymis atrophies, becomes hostile to sperm, and slowly destroys them (Arya and Vanha-Perttula 1985). Within 3-4 days after castration the sperm in the epididymis lose their mobility, lose the ability to fertilize, and die (Dyson and Orgebin-Crist 1973).

A rat rescue organization, Rattenvermittlung, which is part of the Swiss rat club named Club der Rattenfreunde Schweiz, neuters all healthy male rescue rats before finding homes for them. The neutered males are placed in cages with females 10 days after surgery. Over 100 males have been neutered and placed with females in this way. No pregnancies have occurred (C. Schenk, pers. comm. 1998).


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## uptheferrets (Aug 19, 2008)

spoiled_rat said:


> actually....its a little less than 2 weeks, as rats have much faster cell turnover and general bodily functions than other animals such as ferrets, chinchillas, dogs, cats etc.
> 
> *Pholpramool and Sornpaisarn (1997)* castrated 21 male rats. The authors found that for two days after castration, fertility in these castrated rats was normal. After the second day fertility started to drop quickly, and by the eighth day after castration all the rats in this study were sterile.
> 
> ...


That was a very interesting read, thanks
I was just concerned as I had unwanted kits after a'failed' vasectomy, but still have doubts that it was ever done in the first place(long story) as the vet 'left' the practice

And each time i have the ferts castrated I'm usually told 6 weeks.


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