What's the Difference? Determining Gender in Rats
This page shows you the differences between male and female body parts in rats, from two days old to 6 months old. Having the ability to be able to distinguish the difference is an important skill to have. The purpose of this page is not to promote the breeding of rats, but rather the prevention of unwanted/unexpected pregnancies. Kittens were handled very carefully duiring the photo shoot.
Females
 | This female is two days old. The picture gives you an idea of how small ratlets are when they are newly born. If you look closely, you will see the urethra and anus near the tail. There is a short distance between the two in comparison to the male. |
 | This female is 12-14 days old. She has opened her eyes and developed nipples. The peach arrows are pointing to the nipples. The white arrow is pointing out the short distance between the vulva and anus in a female ratlet. |
 | This girl is 4 weeks old. You don't see the nipples so much because there is more hair covering them. While males lack nipples, females lack a scrotum. |
 | This female is 5 months old. You can see her nipples if you look closely, however again the distance from vulva to anus is short and there is no large scrotum. |
 | Here is a side view of a 6 month old rat. You can see that there is a clean taper right before the tail and no scrotum. Sometimes it helps to place a rat on some object that will get them at eye level to be able to check for their gender. |
Males
 | This is a male kitten that is about 2 days old. Males can be distinguished from females at an early age by comparing the distance between the penis and anus. The distance is smaller in females. |
 | As the male develops you will start to see a developing scrotum and the area will also be more pronounced, as you can see in this 12-14 day old ratlet. There are also no nipples. |
 | This ratlet is approximately four weeks old. You can see a more developed scrotum on this male. |
f | This is a 6 month old rex male. You can see a mature males penis and scrotum. There is no mistaking that he is a male! |
 | This is how a male will look from the side. sometimes, just watching a rat from a position that will make them at eye level wil enable you to see their gender. |
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