A
Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:
Omg they look to be 10 days to two weeks. They are WAY too young to be without mom! If you don't get some nourishment in them asap, they will die. Organic soy infant formula, use a tiny syringe to drop in the side of their mouths. At least every two hours. They also need heat. A heating pad on low in the corner of their cage where they can move if it gets too hot. Best bet is to get them back with mom for at least 2 more weeks. Mom's will wean at 3-3.5 weeks at the EARLIEST. Why would someone send babies that young home with someone?!? They don't even eat solid food until around 3 weeks!
SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
These babies still need to be with their mamas. Thank goodness their eyes are open …. you can assume they are about 14 days old.
Hopefully you can provide them with the care they need and hopefully they will live.
They actually need to go back to their mama.
If you can buy their mama and their siblings ,,,,, because if returned to the store they may end up as snake food
They would be considered orphans as they should have stayed with their mama until 5 weeks old (baby boys) or at least 6 weeks old (baby girls). Being separated from their mama so young will impact their long term health
I hope that they are both the same sex.
You will need to purchase organic soy infant formula, and a small tiny new paint brush. You will dip the paint brush in the formula, and they will suck it off the paint brush. They will need to be fed the formula every 4 to 5 hours (4 times a day) according to the chart. (Do not use a syringe as it is too easy for the formula to go into their lungs)
Edit: you can also start to put in a shallow dish of food for them containing organic soy infant formula thickened with a bit of baby cereal a couple of times a day, and in another week start exposing them to small amounts of food feeding soft vegs such as baby food, frozen/thawed peas, cooked sweet potato, cooked squash, and as they age a small piece of broccoli ……. you can also give frozen/thawed organic corn (GMO corn is designed to kill rats and other small animals)
You will need to feed them oxbow or Harlan 2014 blocks as they age - give them a small amounts of heard ones to nibble on and grind up some of the blocks and soak them in cool water to make mush - offer small amounts of this as they get a bit older.
- they will only try a tiny bit of new foods at first but as they get older, they will eat more
You will also need to use a damp warm cotton ball to gently massage their abdomen and bottom to stimulate them to pee and poop …… their mama would normally stimulate them by cleaning them
Please see the links on orphan care found in this reference thread as there are many things you need to know if you are going to try to raise these baby orphans https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/
Please ask lots of questions
You can also join the baby group on the facebook group Rats and Mice are Awesome
Edit:
Hopefully you can provide them with the care they need and hopefully they will live.
They actually need to go back to their mama.
If you can buy their mama and their siblings ,,,,, because if returned to the store they may end up as snake food
They would be considered orphans as they should have stayed with their mama until 5 weeks old (baby boys) or at least 6 weeks old (baby girls). Being separated from their mama so young will impact their long term health
I hope that they are both the same sex.
You will need to purchase organic soy infant formula, and a small tiny new paint brush. You will dip the paint brush in the formula, and they will suck it off the paint brush. They will need to be fed the formula every 4 to 5 hours (4 times a day) according to the chart. (Do not use a syringe as it is too easy for the formula to go into their lungs)
Edit: you can also start to put in a shallow dish of food for them containing organic soy infant formula thickened with a bit of baby cereal a couple of times a day, and in another week start exposing them to small amounts of food feeding soft vegs such as baby food, frozen/thawed peas, cooked sweet potato, cooked squash, and as they age a small piece of broccoli ……. you can also give frozen/thawed organic corn (GMO corn is designed to kill rats and other small animals)
You will need to feed them oxbow or Harlan 2014 blocks as they age - give them a small amounts of heard ones to nibble on and grind up some of the blocks and soak them in cool water to make mush - offer small amounts of this as they get a bit older.
- they will only try a tiny bit of new foods at first but as they get older, they will eat more
You will also need to use a damp warm cotton ball to gently massage their abdomen and bottom to stimulate them to pee and poop …… their mama would normally stimulate them by cleaning them
Please see the links on orphan care found in this reference thread as there are many things you need to know if you are going to try to raise these baby orphans https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/reference-thread-read-only.35894/
Please ask lots of questions
You can also join the baby group on the facebook group Rats and Mice are Awesome
Edit:
Please give them a water dishe that can not be upset
Rats require at least 2 sources of water in a cage, one of which needs to be a water dish, and babies tongues are not strong enough to move the ball bearing in water bottles, even if they look like they are drinking
Rats require at least 2 sources of water in a cage, one of which needs to be a water dish, and babies tongues are not strong enough to move the ball bearing in water bottles, even if they look like they are drinking
Last edited:
lilspaz68
Well-Known Member
i would say between 12 - 15 days. Very young. They still need formula but you can start slowly on soft solids like baby cereal (mix the formula, either soy human milk powder formula or puppy milk replacer, KMR, Esbilac with the baby cereal), soft thawed frozen veggies like peas and corn, baby food and leave hard block food in there as well for them to gnaw on and strengthen their jaws/teeth. Watch for any signs of sneezing or lethargy and make sure the bar spacing on the cage is very narrow.
