![]() ![]() It’s very hit and miss and basically you get good at it with experience as you adjust to each rat’s feeding style.Īvoiding air in the milk is easy enough by making sure there are no bubbles in the syringe or tube. ![]() To control the flow rate, I use a 1 ml syringe and apply little if any pressure to the plunger. Getting air in the feed so they end up with air bloating in their tummies (also frequently fatal).This is incredibly common and one of the leading causes of death in babies. Letting the milk flow too quickly so they aspirate it into their lungs or noses.There are two risks with hand-feeding baby rats: I feed it when I can put a drop on the inside skin of my elbow without feeling it as hot. The milk obviously mustn’t be fed hot – it would scald the babies’ gullets. Technically it can be kept a while in the fridge, but I prefer to make fresh for each feed as it is such a tiny amount. We make up the milk substitute with boiling water in a sterilised egg cup, according to instructions on the brand. The three things baby rats need are milk, warmth and toileting, so let’s look at these in turn. Cotton buds or cotton wool for toileting.It’s essential not to use anything the babies can get tangled in. I cover the nest with another piece of fleece to keep the heat in. I use a mixture of fleece offcuts and torn up kitchen towel. I use a snugglesafe microwaveable heat pad wrapped in fleece and placed in the bottom of the carrier. It’s essential to keep baby rats warm, but also essential that they can’t get overheated or burned. ![]() Baby rats can’t climb until after their eyes open, but they do wriggle about. We use a wide bore iv line (with needle removed) attached to the end of a 1 ml syringe, both supplied by my vet. Given the urgency with which this would be needed, you might need to beg and borrow from a local wildlife shelter. If you are caring for very young pinkies, you may also need a colostrum supplement. Either way, cows milk, or cows milk-based formulas aren’t suitable. I know some other rat carers swear by soy-based human infant formula. I use Divetelact, which is a standard milk substitute for baby animals sold by my vet and used by the local wildlife shelter. However, as many wildlife rescues won’t take rats, rat owners can end up plugging the gap. Is there a more experienced carer nearby who you can ask for help? Everyone starts somewhere but caring for baby wildlife is generally better left to trained carers. Some people just skip the night feeds, but it puts the babies at risk of dehydration and a much higher chance of death. With rats say a week old, you are looking at around 2 weeks of hand-feeding every 3-4 hours, including night feeds. How to Hand-feed Baby Ratsįirst up, ask yourself honestly if you are the right person to do this. It is worth trying, but there is a fair chance the rescuer will end up hand-feeding. However, finding someone with a lactating doe willing to foster wild rat kittens is difficult. This is doubly or triply the case if the babies are pinkies – i.e. The babies have a better chance of survival with an unrelated mum, even allowing for the risk of her killing them. That’s because hand-raising rats has a low chance of success. In that case, what’s best? A Surrogate Mum is Better Than No Mumĭomestic rat breeders foster their orphaned litters onto other lactating does if possible. Or maybe a well-meaning person has already taken them into captivity and is asking for your help. Sometimes you’ll know mum is dead, or the nest has been disturbed in a way that place’s the babies at immediate risk. As with all wildlife, its best to leave babies alone unless you are certain they are in immediate danger or mum can’t come back. If a nest is disturbed, she’ll still probably come back once the coast is clear to move her babies somewhere safer. Mum might be waiting nearby for you to go away. If you find a nest containing babies the best thing to do is to leave it alone and keep an eye on it from a discreet distance or check back in a few hours. Wild rat mums leave their nests daily to feed and drink. ![]()
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