I am such a softie....

I went and bought a live baby rat fuzzie because one of my new baby girls has refused f/t for the 4th time. I was not happy about it, and anyone that knows me will probably be shocked that I'd even attempt a live feeding. I don't feed live for this very reason...

I now have a new pet baby rat lol

I was told if she didn't eat it, to just freeze it. I DO NOT have the heart to do that! I'm sorry it's just not in me. I successfully keep 6 out of 7 of my snakes on f/t rats that I do not have to kill myself, and I just couldn't do it. I went to the reptile store to bring it back, and somehow between walking in and whining that I couldn't kill it, I decided I wanted to keep it lol. They laughed at me of course, but told me I can feed it kitten formula and that's about all I know.

As of right now I have it in a small critter keeper on carefresh bedding, a soft "toy" inside for him to snuggle with since he has no fur yet, and I've attempted a bottle feeding. I think I need a smaller bottle though. Any other help would be nice, I want to keep this guy alive long enough to have him as a pet. I've named him Lucky...because he's a Lucky little ****. :D

http://i52.tinypic.com/2ljj21v.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/felxms.jpg

Aweee... keep him warM :)

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

Your boa will surely take care of bidness! Good luck though :)

Regards,

B

What a softie!

Well, I guess I can't really say anything. In my last order of feeders I had a left over crawler I decided to hold on to and eventually move to my breeding program (She's obviously black (a recessive trait) and I plan on pairing her up with my BEW (a co-dom trait)).

She was about the same size as your crawler when I got her a couple weeks ago, now she's moving around pretty good on her own:
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...s24/photo7.jpg

I was lucky and this girl was able to start nibbling on a piece of lab block almost immediately. If you haven't already I suggest placing some kind of food with him to see if he'll try to eat it.

Good luck with your new little guy!

If you get another extra rat in future I recommend considering adding them in with your new rat as I've heard rats do much better with a companion (since they are such social creatures, always grooming, playing and sleeping next to each other).

Keep him warm, either stuff a box full of CareFresh or soft hay or place human heating pad on low beneath his cage. He needs to be in the dark since pups are sensitive to light. KMR brand works well, offer bene-bac or pure yogurt to help digestion. You can buy liquid B-12 and place 1 drop once a day in his KMR to give him a boost if need be. Overall he needs warmth and fed around the clock. Try to introduce to him to baby foods lacking rat toxic items plus solids as soon as possible. If he begins to sneeze or cough you may have a hard time getting him to survive. I use VetRx and childrens cold medicines with my weanlings and adults. I do not know how the VetRX will work on a pup but the childrens cold medicine can be given with his KMR. 1 - 2 drops only.

Hope it works out~

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Originally Posted by Adam Chandler

What a softie!

Well, I guess I can't really say anything. In my last order of feeders I had a left over crawler I decided to hold on to and eventually move to my breeding program (She's obviously black (a recessive trait) and I plan on pairing her up with my BEW (a co-dom trait)).

She was about the same size as your crawler when I got her a couple weeks ago, now she's moving around pretty good on her own:
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...s24/photo7.jpg

I was lucky and this girl was able to start nibbling on a piece of lab block almost immediately. If you haven't already I suggest placing some kind of food with him to see if he'll try to eat it.

Good luck with your new little guy!

If you get another extra rat in future I recommend considering adding them in with your new rat as I've heard rats do much better with a companion (since they are such social creatures, always grooming, playing and sleeping next to each other).

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How CUTE!! :aww:

What do I feed it?? I have bottle fed it kitten formula...and what is lab block? I don't know where to find these things can you help me? lol I want this little guy to live :oops:

thats a nice story.
Sounded like you were describing me. :P
Im the exact same ay when it comes to feeders. My boyfriend has to help me purge the feeder stock when feeding time comes.
Luckliy now I have 10/12 snakes eating f/t very well now. So soon I wont have to breed for feeders anymore.
I hope the bottle feeding goes well, ive never had to do that so i hope it works out! Good luck lucky!

It is very young and the odds are against it.

It has to suckle so you need a really small bottle/nipple. Petco may have it. If not, go to a pharmacy and ask for an infant dropper. You will have to feed it slowly but keep going till it spits up more than it eats. Keep it warm. It needs to eat every 3 hours, even at night.

Now the fun part - You have to stimulate urination with a warm soft cloth. Oh, and don't forget the other opening.

Have fun.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

How CUTE!! :aww:

What do I feed it?? I have bottle fed it kitten formula...and what is lab block? I don't know where to find these things can you help me? lol I want this little guy to live :oops:

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Lab block is a large pellet type food labs utilize to feed to large groups of rodents. It's everything a rat needs, and is only what most lab rats will eat their entire lives.
The particular kind I'm using right now is Harlan 2018, which comes in a 34lb bag I usually find being sold at reptile expos, but may not be practical for your one tiny rat. Although it certainly would last you AWHILE:P

I'm not too sure what pet rats get fed, but I did find some guides on the subject:
What pet rats eat
Caring for Rat & Mouse Orphans - Seems like a good one for your situation. The AFRMA has TONS of information about pet rats on their website.

When I first got my boa the breeder told me to feed her a live fuzzy. She didn't eat it. I didn't know what to do with it or how to feed it. My hubby wouldn't kill it so I had to be the bad guy. It hurt me to do it. The two picky guys I have now won't eat frozen :(. They ate frozen to begin with little boogers. I hope your little rat does well.