bottle feed KMR?

[bellazrat]

I am a new rat mom (less than a month) so I am kind of clueless about rats on a first hand basis. I have read loads of info but none really answered my questions.

I will be receiving a baby feeder Tuesday approximately around 3 and 1/2 weeks to 4 weeks old and I was wondering if she still needs a bit of formula from a bottle. I know the mother naturally weans her young around this time but I don’t know if this process will be completed when I pick her up. They are selling the little beauties for snake snacks and would only let me put one on hold for another week. Will this help with bonding if I do continue bottle feeding KMR? Will my older rat (not tamed completely yet) take the baby in as her own?

 

[rat.charmer]

The feeder babies that I rescued were 15-17 days old and were starting to eat solid so I think at 3.5-4 weeks you won't have a problem with the food. My babies were actually refusing to drink the KMR.

With regards to an older rat taking in a baby as her own - I've just noticed that older rats tend to be cranky towards younger rats. The biggest problems with all my intro's have always been between the eldest and youngest rats. Not sure if it's an energy/hyperness or a size issue or what.

 

[user 78]

At 3.5-4 weeks they don't need you to "nurse" them in any way. They can be completely weaned from their mother by this time. The time frame for separating the sexes is between 4-4.5 weeks, so the males would have no choice in being fully weaned by that time, even if the mother was going slow about it.

You can offer some softer foods, like cooked carrots, peas, etc.. Soy milk in baby cereal is always a big hit, but should be fed as a treat since it can really pack on the pounds.

As for your older rat accepting the younger one, it depends on both rats. It's not suggested to introduce very young rats to older rats, especially on their own. I think the consensus is to try intro's around 6-8 weeks old with older rats. An adult rat can really injure a younger pup, and do it within a matter of moments. You need to take intros very slowly and not just put them together. There are several posts on intros and where to start here on the boards. Babies are extremely high energy, and most adults don't appreciate that. If you were able to get another of the litter, it would be better overall for everyone. Two babies can play with each other so the adult has some alone time, and will also keep each other company after your older rat passes so that you don't have to go through this all over again.

 

[bellazrat]

I believe the other rat is young-ish too. She is only about 5 to 6 inches long in the body and still very hyper. Any estimates to her age?
It was very hard to talk my mom into one rat and nearly a miracle that I got her to say yes to a second so I really highly doubt that she will allow me to get 2 babies together. I plan on a 21 day quarantine in Bella’s old 10 gallon for the baby. Is this to long for the baby, and will she loose her interaction skills with other rats?
Sorry for all the questions but no one around here I know has owned a rat as a pet and I want to do what’s best for my little furry friends!

 

[user 78]

Are you able to post a picture of your other rat? You called her "older" which made us think that she was already an adult. If she's still young, then there's not as great a concern. If your current rat is still young, then she shouldn't have as many issues with a baby. You would still want to wait until the baby is about 6 weeks old.

I really don't suggest keeping the baby in a 10gal for any length of time. It's entirely too small, even at this young of an age. If you're unable to house her in anything more suitable, I would suggest going ahead and starting the introductions between the new and current rat. Unless you're quarantining the new rat in a completely separate airspace, the QT isn't effective. As for her "losing" her ability to interact with other rats, she won't. You still have to make careful introductions to the current rat, so that they can get used to each other. Just as you don't always like people the moment you meet them, so can rats.

 

[bellazrat]

I was planning on keeping the new baby in a separate air space but both rats came from the same pet shop with only a month in between, so is there a point? I can make a makeshift baby cage while the baby is in QT that will be about 30 gallons but wire for air flow. I know my currant rat is at least a month old because that’s how long I have had her. I’m guessing she is about 3 months old but I really have no clue. Thank you for your help!

 

[user 78]

At 3mo, she's still more Baby than Adult, so an intro should go fairly smoothly. Regardless of it only being a month, I'd do the quarantine if you're able. There's no way for you to know for sure what the new baby has or hasn't come in contact with. If you can provide a completely different house for 2-3 weeks, that's great!