Rescued Ratties and babies need suggestions on bathing etc

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sprite71

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
Messages
221
Location
Tillsonburg, Ontario Canada
Hello All

I have just rescued a Mom and Dad rattie as well as thier 8, one week old babies. I HAD to change the cage they came in as it was covered in 3 inches ( yes the depth of the bottom of the cage) of very old and urine and feces covered shavings. The mom,dad and babies were in an old coffee can in the cage as a nest of sorts and yet again filled with the same stuff. Now I am concerned for thier health, what should I look for? They look very good considering what they lived in, the babies look to be about a week along and look in good health too. Now I want to bath mom and dad but am afraid that 1, mom may attack dad if he smells different, 2, Mom may choose to not go near her babies,. The babies smell horrible like the parents so what can I do for them?

I was told by the owner they had fed them squirrel feed, so I have given them clean water, and a small bowl of kitten food. the wet kind for now. I do have rat food too. they dont look thin by any means but I am concerned they havent received enough nutrients. I was not prepared for this kind of rescue :) but dont regret it either..

I have posted a pic here of Dad and the babies. Mom looks like Dad. Are they agoutis?. Dad is great and has sat on my shoulder, bruxing was very quick and quiet, Mom .. oh my gravey she tried to play superwoman and run but we caught her quickly. Shes very very timid. I know in time she will come to love the lovins we have here :)

Any help is welcome and appreciated.....

Thanks in advance.






Dad is bigger than he looks :)
 
Dad should be separated from mom and babies 1) mom can get pregnant again within 24hrs of birth I think? and 2) for the babies' safety. So you can wash them no problem, they're probably covered in urine and bacteria...I'd let mom clean the babies. Since they were on disgusting shavings, I'd watch out for their breathing, the ammonia could have caused damage to their respiratory system.

Just feed them regular rat food, for one I imagine the cat food has way too much protein for rats (though maybe mom can have a little bit now and then since she needs the extra protein for babies).

Dad looks like a black berkshire (white paws and belly), babies look like they will be black, agouti (lighter of the dark skinned ones) and that pink one is most likely beige, or maybe albino.

Good luck!
 
I would take dad out and put him in his own cage for now. Offer mom rat blocks, ensure, eggs, lean chicken and anything else she will take. If they don't have anything caked on I would simply put them all in a box for a bit and clean the cage out then put mom and babies back in it. Make sure it doesn't have levels or bar spacing too big. If the cage isn't suitable for babies then you can make a bin cage out of storage containers pretty easily.
 
I had already moved Dad but its been about a week since birth according to the original owner today, so wish her luck she isnt having a back to back pregnancy, They are in my cages and the other will be sanitized if even possible. I have fed mom the kitten food since she has the kittens but the ensure I was not aware of. I will go get some. It was something I was told a long time ago to use on moms, and the only thing I had available. The old cage is actually a nice one but I will have to look at the spacing. If I can clean it and its not good for the babies then I can house the older ratties in it instead. so far so good. Now need to bathe them and hope no one eats me :)

Thanks for the advice truly appreciated.
 
I wouldn't bathe mum hun... it may stress her too much. Especially after the move, and cage clean, and dad leaving, it all must be ALOT on her already stressed out body...
If you think they've got buggies, the only thing you can do for her and the babies is cover them in olive oil, but that'll only kill/smother lice, NOT mites...
The mites you wouldn't be able to treat until she's done nursing, unless i'm missing something....
As for the dad, I don't bathe my rats, I find it causes too much stress, unless it's absolutely necessary. I give EVERYONE (if old enough, and not nursing) a revolution treatment just to be safe. I recently had run out of it, and had to treat ALL 80+ rats here to make sure! So I try not to run out of it, you may want to ask about some to keep on hand?

Like it's been mentioned, make sure she's always got lots of water, food, and high protein treats, like what was mentioned above. Ensure, baby cereal, oatmeal, etc.

Good Luck!
OH! and they're black berks hun! :wink2:
 
for mites you'd see little scabs, lice, you can actually see them, they're little wee red buggies, and the eggs, a knits can be seen on the hair shafts as well, they're white...
:sick2:
Gross huh?

but yeah, give dad a nice spa evening, non smelly soaps, etc. i'd leave mum though hun!
:hugs:
 
Buy yourself some unscented baby wipes, it wont make them smell like roses but it can help get rid of some of the grime! That shouldn't be too stressful for mama either :)
 
You will find the smell will be less and less now that they are in a clean environment.
 
If dad is that bad, he can have a bath although not recommended.
Treat dad with revolution.
Mom is likely pregnant so expect another litter in about 3 or 4 weeks.

I have taken in rats before that smelled so bad I thought I would need to live at my mothers while the rats lived in my apartment. Bathing stressed them out (only time I have ever bathed rats) and it made the smell worse. My vet said that the filth was into their hair shafts and would get better with time. It did.
A proper diet and clean environment will help to improve the smell.

Mom needs good quality lab blocks (suggest solid as well as made into mush with a bit of olive oil added), daily vegs such as peas, a shallow dish of baby cereal mixed with soy infant formula, ensure or water two or 3 times a day. A bit of boiled egg for extra protien is also good. Access to a water bottle of course.
Dad could likely use the same diet given what he has been fed and depending upon the condition he is in.

looking forward to lots of pics.
 
Yowza, you have a handful there. As for dad, let him settle in a bit before giving him a dunk. I bathe all 4 of mine every few months as needed if they start getting really smelly/greasy. They don't like it too much, but they're a lot more energetic afterwards.
 
I only suggested mom get a bath because I didn't think it would be healthy for her to be consuming all the junk on her, but I guess keeping her as stress free as possible is more important so she keeps taking care of the babies.
 

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