Orphaned rats

Please share any advice/experience you may have regarding raising orphaned rats. I have five 4 day old rats. They were being sold for food. Despite us offering lots of money for the mom, the people would not let us have the mom. We want to give these little guys a chance at life.

Cptjack526 said:

Please share any advice/experience you may have regarding raising orphaned rats. I have five 4 day old rats. They were being sold for food. Despite us offering lots of money for the mom, the people would not let us have the mom. We want to give these little guys a chance at life.

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Ouch. Foster mom is best bet but they can be hard to find

Check craigslist, or go to a pet shop and see if you can purchase a momma rat and her babies. I don't usually condone buying rats from pet shops, but in emergency situations, it's the best thing you can do for the babies.

Second option, is hand raising them. It's going to be hard, and they may not make it, especially at only 4 days. You'll need to get powdered soy infant formula. That's the best replacement for mother's milk. And droppers are too big for their little mouths, the best way to feed it to them is with a makeup sponge usually used for eyeshadow, or a pointed tipped paintbrush. They'll need to be fed often, and stimulated to go to the bathroom, with a warm, wet q-tip or cotton ball.


The best place to keep them is in a box or aquarium lined with fleece, with a heating pad under half of it, so if the babies get too warm they can move away from it.

Good luck, if you have any questions, please ask!

http://www.ratfanclub.org/orphans.html

http://www.fatratcentral.com/pages/reproduction/orphan.htm

also:

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm

http://www.afrma.org/orphanrm.htm

and as previously mentioned: organic soy infant formula is the closest thing to a mama rat's milk

But there is very little chance any will survive at such a young age, unless you get them a foster mama with her litter asap
Please read links as they discuss things such as stimulating them to eliminate (otherwise they will die)

We have called every pet store around us and no one has a nursing rat. We have also posted in several Facebook groups with no luck. The ones that have offered to help are very far away.
We are staying positive and caring for these babies the best we can. This will be our third night with the babies. So far so good. They all have milk bands, are active, go to the bathroom regularly, and have a healthy appetite.
We are using water bottles filled with rice to keep them warm and re-heat them every 2 hours. We are feeding them every three hours. We are tending to their hygiene before and after feeding them as well as once in between meals. They are on Gerber Soy formula 2 parts water to one part powder. We are using a very fine paintbrush to feed them. We gently massage their little bodies after every meal to gently stimulate circulation and promote growth. They are being kept in a modified cat carrier and they are with us at all times. Is there anything we may have missed to give these babies the best chance of surviving? I would love to hear from someone who has had success raising orphaned rats from a very young age (less than a week).

It sounds like you are doing everything you can. hope they all make it.
Good that they were 4 days old so they had their mama's milk for the 1st 4 days,

Hope you post lots of pics as they grow

SQ said:

It sounds like you are doing everything you can. hope they all make it.
Good that they were 4 days old so they had their mama's milk for the 1st 4 days,

Hope you post lots of pics as they grow

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We got them the day after they were born so only a day and a half of mom's milk. We are hoping and praying that they make it. They are precious.

They made it through another night. They got their first meal of the day and now everyone is nice an cozy sleeping away the hours. I will post pics today.

Good luck with the wee ones! I hope they make it.

Joanne said:

Good luck with the wee ones! I hope they make it.

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Thanks Joanne. I know the odds are against them but we're still hopeful.

We are feeding the babies every three hours round the clock. We are noticing that sometimes the babies still have a milk band from the prior feeding. Is this normal? Should we space the feedings for every four hours instead? They are peeing and pooping regularly. Poops look normal for all babies except one baby who had a bit of runny poop at the last feeding only. Any guidance/advice on this?

Where r u.my female will feed and save them

Sounds like you are doing an amazing job with babies Rooting for your little guys!

You're awesome! I'm so glad these little guys ended up in your care, you're doing wonderfully! I really hope the little guys pull through for you. I'd love to see a picture or 2

I raised an orphaned wild baby. She wasn't as little as your guys, she was 2 weeks when she ended up in my care.

How are babies?

The babies are doing well, sadly we did lose half the litter. However, the remaining three were the strongest so we still have hope. They have a soft fuzz on them now. We have two PEW and one black (?).

Awww I bet they are adorable!Sometimes no matter how hard you try some babies just can't make it without their momma especially as young as those babies were but atleast you have 3 tough cookies that (fingers crossed) are gonna grow up and be amazing pets!

Pics of the little girls Kiara, Nala, Sarafina.



They are 9 days old today. We've been caring for them for 7 very long and exhausting days.

You guys are doing a great job! Pretty soon their little eyes will open and they will start exploring a bit and become less dependent on you..Keep up the great work

They still need a mama if you can find one with a litter
.... to be fed, cared for and taught how to be ratties