New to owning rats unexpectedly

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Gtorres

Gtorres

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2019
Messages
6
Location
Delray Beach, Florida
Hello Everyone,

Thank you for allowing me in the group. Honestly speaking I was not planning on being an owner of little rats, but nonetheless it happened. Short story to not break any of the rules, I keep reptiles as pets and feed frozen. Last weekend my local supplier was out and decided to send me 2 live pups. As you might expect, I could not go through with the feeding hence we are now owners of two small pups. I have been feeding them formula for the last week or so and I would like some help on how to approach the next few weeks.
Some further background:
Both are female
1 is about 20 grams the other is 30 grams
I have been feeding them with kitten formula, but after much reading I see that baby formula is a better option.
We are feeding these little guys every 3-4 hours and I am weighing them every other day.
I have placed an order for a nice size cage and supplies
I have been reading on different websites of how long to feed them formula and when to begin feeding them some kind of solid food.

If I could get some pointers from anyone here, I would highly appreciate it.
 

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Awww, they are very sweet

There is some good information about caring for orphans, babies, baby development, etc in our Reference Thread. That might be a good place to start. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

Babies are gradually weaned by their mothers over several weeks, and are completely weaned between 4 and 5 weeks old. Some mothers will continue to nurse babies until they are almost 5 weeks old, this has health and social benefits.
While continuing to feed formula by a new, clean tiny paintbrush,
you can also start offering formula thickened with a bit of baby cereal in it, in a small shallow dish.
Babies gradually start trying the food their mama eats so you could start puting a few good quality rat blocks, rat blocks soaked in cool water to make mush (in a shallow dish), and vegs into their cage (please see diet and nutrition, forbidden foods etc in the Reference Thread). Because rats can not vomit, they will nibble new foods, and if it does not make them ill the next time they may try a little bit more. Normally babies learn what is safe to eat from their mama.

This link from the Reference Thread gives more detailed information about baby development from birth to 4 weeks of age http://ratguide.com/breeding/baby_development/

I hope this helps and that you feel free to ask lots of questions
 
SQ said:
Awww, they are very sweet

There is some good information about caring for orphans, babies, baby development, etc in our Reference Thread. That might be a good place to start. https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/

Babies are gradually weaned by their mothers over several weeks, and are completely weaned between 4 and 5 weeks old. Some mothers will continue to nurse babies until they are almost 5 weeks old, this has health and social benefits.
While continuing to feed formula by a new, clean tiny paintbrush,
you can also start offering formula thickened with a bit of baby cereal in it, in a small shallow dish.
Babies gradually start trying the food their mama eats so you could start puting a few good quality rat blocks, rat blocks soaked in cool water to make mush (in a shallow dish), and vegs into their cage (please see diet and nutrition, forbidden foods etc in the Reference Thread). Because rats can not vomit, they will nibble new foods, and if it does not make them ill the next time they may try a little bit more. Normally babies learn what is safe to eat from their mama.

This link from the Reference Thread gives more detailed information about baby development from birth to 4 weeks of age http://ratguide.com/breeding/baby_development/

I hope this helps and that you feel free to ask lots of questions
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot SQ, I really appreciate your suggestions. They are pretty darn cute and we hope to give them the life they deserve. It’s actually funny, the smallest one (Louise) has actually already been trying some pellets I picked up for them, while her sister (Thelma) is just not having it. I am trying to sponge up as much info as possible and their new cage and supplies should be here within the week.
 
Your babies look to be about 10-14 days old. They are so precious! It's so fun to watch them grow and learn. Enjoy this time. It goes super quick. Welcome to the forum! Also, check out www.joinrats.com for good info on tons of stuff, and www.ratguide.com for some good medical info. I look forward to seeing your babies grow up! Please post lots of updates and pics! :)
 
Dena said:
Your babies look to be about 10-14 days old. They are so precious! It's so fun to watch them grow and learn. Enjoy this time. It goes super quick. Welcome to the forum! Also, check out www.joinrats.com for good info on tons of stuff, and www.ratguide.com for some good medical info. I look forward to seeing your babies grow up! Please post lots of updates and pics! :)
Click to expand...

Hello Dena,

I sure will, it is just awesome watching how they begin learning new things. Just this morning they finally learned how to use a water bottle, just out of the blue they caught on lol.
My only issue now is that having them puts me in a predicament with the fact that I also own snakes. Not sure how I'm going to handle feeding even frozen, it has totally changed my view on these little guys. I always respected them, but it is totally different now that I have them as pets.
 
Please make sure the babies also have a water dish that can not be upset.
Also please check out the forum rules as this is a rat rescue forum and thus our rules are different from many other sites or groups https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/please-read.29217/
Given what you posted above regarding your predicament you might find the rescue threads in the Reference Thread and/or this thread to be of interest https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/frozen-alive-and-survived.37013/#post-503861
 
SQ said:
Please make sure the babies also have a water dish that can not be upset.
Also please check out the forum rules as this is a rat rescue forum and thus our rules are different from many other sites or groups https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/please-read.29217/
Given what you posted above regarding your predicament you might find the rescue threads in the Reference Thread and/or this thread to be of interest https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/frozen-alive-and-survived.37013/#post-503861
Click to expand...
Yes I have a dish as well, and I apologize for the misunderstanding. It is not a predicament of if I am keeping these little guys, but a predicament of how I now look at feeding my other species of animals. I have also read the rules as well.
 
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Sounds like you'll make a fine rat owner. And yes, these charismatic little ones do have a way of changing attitudes and emotions towards pet rats, and indeed rats more generally.
You've received much good advice here, so I'll just echo the words of Dena: do enjoy these "baby days", as they do fly by. Then come the "teen months"....and that's a whole other learning experience. ;)
 
Lise Patterson said:
Sounds like you'll make a fine rat owner. And yes, these charismatic little ones do have a way of changing attitudes and emotions towards pet rats, and indeed rats more generally.
You've received much good advice here, so I'll just echo the words of Dena: do enjoy these "baby days", as they do fly by. Then come the "teen months"....and that's a whole other learning experience. ;)
Click to expand...

I love the teen months! That's when they run all over you and play nonstop for hours! I had 7 youngsters clamber up my sweatshirt sleeve one time, and STAY there! Lol, they had a blast inside my sweatshirt, unlike me. I rarely ever get to experience that though so it was all in good fun. Most of my guys are old, sick, or behavioral problems. But they're all litter trained, so that's a plus, lol
 
Well update, I’m heading to the vet today. The little one has something going on with her breathing. She is still active and eating so I’m hoping she will be ok.
 
Ok so I had to search all over the place for a vet to see us today, finally I found one about 45 minutes from our house. She does have an upper respiratory infection, but he says we caught it early. He went ahead and prescribed antibiotics (Baytril and Azithromycin) to go ahead and treat both of them and sent me on my merry way.
 
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Welcome to the forum and what an adorable pair you have! Lucky little girls with a fantastic human companion. You obviously care for them and I'm very glad you're helping her. URI's are not fun.
 

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