Baby Rats

[orion5814]

Hey all! I'm currently hand feeding some abandoned rats that look to be around 4 days old. As it stands they give a lot of squeaks out, but only eat maybe 1-2 drops of formula. Does anyone have any idea how much milk they should be getting per feed? Thanks a lot!

[cyber ratty]

At that age you should be able to see their stomachs filling up - the milk band is visible through the skin. They look as though they can fit about 0.5 - 1ml in. Are they responding when you toilet them?

It is very difficult to hand raise rat kittens from that age, I wish you luck, but you maybe should prepare yourself for some losses (... not to mention the sleep deprivation!).

[orion5814]

Hey Cyber! Thanks for the reply! They're responding to toileting and it is very hard to hand feed them at this age! Of course I don't want to lose them, but I am well aware that there's a good chance that there will be losses. Time to feed!

[orion5814]

And Night 2 complete! 0 Losses so far, so let's hope to continue the pattern! s

[cyber ratty]

Fab

[orion5814]

So just a little update. All nine are doing well. Active and vocal and eating. We got small little syringes that they do better eating from

[cyber ratty]

That's so good to hear

Any chance of a picture? Are they wild or were they abandoned by a pet doe?