How Old Is My Baby Rat? And Am I Taking The Proper Care For It?
Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by in Q&A
she was a pinky when i got her, she was supposed to be food… i fealt bad so i am caring for her, she is being fed every 3 hours during the day and once in the middle of the night. i am feeding her kmr kitten milk replacement and im diluting the powder more then recomended for kittens so that the milk is easier to swallow for the baby. she is in a closable plastic container with a couple fleece blankets in it (there are holes poked on the top for ventilation). the container is ontop of a heating pad set on meadium heat, only half the container is on the heating pad so she can crawl away from the heat if she is uncomfortable though she generally stays on the half with heat. she has very small teeath that i can see in her mouth and her eyes are still closed you can still see her pink skin but she is growing a coat and her pattern is noticable she is about 1 1/2 inches long including her tail. i know this is alot to read but any help would be very much appriciated. btw i am stimulating her to go to the bathroom but gentlly massaging her anus and genitals with a warm damp q tip after every feeding. (i got her yesterday she is still lively and eating well, she poops several times a day and pees often) does she have much of a chance?
Prodigy5
Nov 25th, 2009
I would suggest that you get infant soy formula, as it is much more like rat milk(nutrition wise). The protein in kitten milk is much too high for rats. Be sure that you are weighing her and feeding her accordingly. She needs a certain amount of food based on her weight.
It is very hard to successfully raise an infant rat under 3 weeks old. Chances are, she is not going to make it. Her best chance is a surrogate mom that will nurse her.
Remember that once she is a week old you need to add in night feedings every 3 hours. Between 1 week old a 2 weeks old, you have to feed at night. It is not until 3 weeks that you can take out the night feeding all together. I would suggest looking at a growth chart to pin point her age, otherwise you are not going to know when to increase the night feeding from once, to every three hours.
It is very time consuming and tiring to raise an infant rat. The care has to be just right for them to survive, and even seasoned professionals have a hard time raising pinkies.
I suggest you check out the following websites that will give you details on how you need to care for the baby to increase the chances of survival.http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htmhttp://www.ratfanclub.org/orphans.html
Make sure you keep a close eye on her weight and check for dehydration, etc. I personally would look for a surrogate, b/c odds are, she is not going to make it without a mother.
I have to ask, I remember another of your questions with a pinky mouse you took from a pet store. What happened to him? If that baby died and you still decided to seal another animal to the same fate, than that is a shame. Please learn from your mistakes that infants need their moms to survive, and by taking them(even if they are going to be food), you are dooming them to a certain death anyway, one which is even slower and more painful.
Roger G
Nov 25th, 2009
You can find more info on feed, care and healthcare issues for rats at the site below. Also has good links where you can get additional rat info if you need it.
Raven330
Nov 25th, 2009
You’ve got yourself a very young rat…I’d say its a couple weeks maybe. I found a baby rat last October so I called my vets office and they told me to feed it Esbilac, which is a puppy milk. I was once told that cat food is not good for mice or rats that they can develope a type of reaction (sorry can’t remember what she called it). Nonetheless the puppy milk worked for mine and she now a big rat named Tudy! Make sure the milk is a wee bit warm but keep the milk refridgerated! I would use an oral syringe and run it under warm water for a minute…but not too hot! Keep in mind you can freeze some of the milk to keep it fresh. That’s great that your stimulating it and that it is going to the bathroom…good sign! Babies need lots of sleep and food. Every three hours is good but being it’s so young it couldn’t hurt to feed it twice in the night, unless you get up very early and of course first thing. Sounds to me like the inclosure is set up pretty well…once it grows fur you can take away the heat and it can keep itself warm at that point.
Keep it up and good luck!!