Baby rat care

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Twilight

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2020
Messages
103
Location
Southern USA
When I got my first rats, I must say I hadn't researched much. I got several things wrong, but I fixed them as I researched more. Now I'm ready to get more rats, and since I didn't do everything right with my first baby rats I've researched everything again, I still have some questions though. :)

Right now I have one male rat. (unfortunately, his brother passed away recently) We are currently using Harlan 2014, and for the new rats (they will be about 6 weeks old) I was considering Oxbow young rat food. How do you keep the older rats from eating the young rats' food, and vice versa, though?
I also saw some people think the Oxbow adult rat food is nutritionally complete for young rats, is that true? If it is, I'll be using that for everybody.

Then, I would need to get water bowls for the young rats, is that correct? I read that younger rats have a hard time using those water bottles with balls, which I have.

And then, I also read from one source that it's difficult to introduce young rats to older rats. However, several other sources contradicted that. Is it difficult to introduce young rats to adult rats or not then? My older rat is nearly two years old (he'll be two around Christmas), and the younger rats will be around 6 weeks old.

Is there anything else I need to know? Thanks in advance! :)
 
OK lets start with your diet. Stick with the Harlan 2014, and just add some extra protein sources for your babies. Oxbow young rat is a vile formulation, nothing like Oxbow Regal Rat.
Baby rats learn water bottles very quickly and at a young age. IF your bottle is a 16-32 oz bottle with a stiff ball bearing, you might want to consider an 8 oz bottle til they are a little bigger.
Introducing males can be a bit trickier at times but it really depends on your old man. Is he a gentle soul, or a more manly tyoe? Was he dominant with his brother etc?
Wait for the babies to get a bit bigger before introductions are started, and use this time to get them to know and trust you a bit more.
 
OK lets start with your diet. Stick with the Harlan 2014, and just add some extra protein sources for your babies. Oxbow young rat is a vile formulation, nothing like Oxbow Regal Rat.
Baby rats learn water bottles very quickly and at a young age. IF your bottle is a 16-32 oz bottle with a stiff ball bearing, you might want to consider an 8 oz bottle til they are a little bigger.
Introducing males can be a bit trickier at times but it really depends on your old man. Is he a gentle soul, or a more manly tyoe? Was he dominant with his brother etc?
Wait for the babies to get a bit bigger before introductions are started, and use this time to get them to know and trust you a bit more.

Alright, so for the babies I'll add some mealworms or shrimp to their diet :)

My boy is pretty gentle, and his brother was the dominant one. How long should I wait before introducing the rats? Until the babies are a month old? I'm planning on quarantining them for 3 weeks in a room with different airspace to make sure they're healthy :)
 
Alright, so for the babies I'll add some mealworms or shrimp to their diet :)

My boy is pretty gentle, and his brother was the dominant one. How long should I wait before introducing the rats? Until the babies are a month old? I'm planning on quarantining them for 3 weeks in a room with different airspace to make sure they're healthy :)
My girls go nuts over fish. I live on the West Coast aka Pacific Ocean and I grew up on the Atlantic so my favourite fish is super expensive out here. I sometimes buy a box of haddock or cod ( I adore white meat fish) and they love it. It's like 15 bucks for 7 fillets but it's a treat that's soooo worth it. I always share with them.

If you can get your hands on Greenmax hot cereals, they'll love that too. My girls go NUTS for that cereal. It's super easy to make too and in the winter it's a nice warm dinner for them. Just add hot water from your kettle! I mix in some oil for their coat.
 
My girls go nuts over fish. I live on the West Coast aka Pacific Ocean and I grew up on the Atlantic so my favourite fish is super expensive out here. I sometimes buy a box of haddock or cod ( I adore white meat fish) and they love it. It's like 15 bucks for 7 fillets but it's a treat that's soooo worth it. I always share with them.

If you can get your hands on Greenmax hot cereals, they'll love that too. My girls go NUTS for that cereal. It's super easy to make too and in the winter it's a nice warm dinner for them. Just add hot water from your kettle! I mix in some oil for their coat.

Ooh, I'll pick some cod up next time I go shopping to share with my boy.
I'd get some Greenmax hot cereals too, but over here I can only get it over amazon and I'm not sure if I trust amazon to deliver food in one piece, LOL!
 
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