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~

Quote:

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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.

Will he eat lab block when they wean? I was under the impression they can't. Im hoping they can but if they can't, I have rabbit chow as a stand by.

They are cute! I should try and breed all white instead of cute colors...unfortunately for them they just look like snake food!

I just fed him again, this time with a small syringe. He ate for about 5 minutes, then I used a warm cloth to "rub" his...ahem....underside. He peed! lol Thanks for telling me about that, I didn't know you needed to stimulate urination and defecation. I also attached a UTH on a dimmer to the side wall next to his "snuggle" thing. I'm excited to be a mom again, my son is going to be 5 in November so this is like the next best thing ;)

I used syringe with metal tip to slowly drip milk in the rats mouth. I did this to and entire litter of 12 when mom died during nursing.

All 12 are still alive and are best breeders i ever had.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

I used syringe with metal tip to slowly drip milk in the rats mouth. I did this to and entire litter of 12 when mom died during nursing.

All 12 are still alive and are best breeders i ever had.

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That's such inspiring news! I am going to a "wild pet" shop tomorrow to pick up a smaller bottle or syringe to hopefully make feeding easier than it has been today. :D

If i never did that with the 12 i would not have, rexs,double rexs, siamese in my colonies... Only reason i did that.

Good luck! Not being able to kill a refused feeder is how I ended up with a pregnant mommy rat who gave birth a couple days after she was refused! All the instructions are reminding me of caring for my little kitty when I first adopted him. Have fun! Good luck! Hope he makes it!

Good luck with the little one :). Same thing happen to me a few years ago. We bought two rats pups and NONE of or snakes wanted them so instead of euthanizing them I hand raised them. It was A LOT of work but totally worth it. I took them to work so I could care for them 24/7. My boss thought I was nuts. :rofl: And the time went by fast. I missed when they were so little :). I think I have a video of them and if I can find it I'll post it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bokuza

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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Great advice! I used puppy milk replacement fed with a syringe when I raised my two rap pups though. They were about the size of the OP's and did great on it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

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.

---

Also, great advice!

Thank you everyone for the awesome advice, I learned a lot that I would have never known. So far he is eating very well. He cups his little hands around the syringe and eats like crazy. I've folded up a fluffy (winter...and clean lol) sock that he has officially made his "happy place". He just crawls in the hole and cuddles up inside. I woke up 2 times overnight to feed and he's doing really well today. I will update on this thread as the days go by. Thanks again for everyone's help. I really appreciate it.
http://i51.tinypic.com/2qd3684.jpg

What till he is growing up and the first day of school, you will have tears and be so proud

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I just fed him again, this time with a small syringe. He ate for about 5 minutes, then I used a warm cloth to "rub" his...ahem....underside. He peed! lol Thanks for telling me about that, I didn't know you needed to stimulate urination and defecation. I also attached a UTH on a dimmer to the side wall next to his "snuggle" thing. I'm excited to be a mom again, my son is going to be 5 in November so this is like the next best thing ;)

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Thats awesome! Keep up the good work and I think Lucky has a chance! :D

Whens your sons birthday? Im a Novemeber as well, Scorpios unit!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mues155

Thats awesome! Keep up the good work and I think Lucky has a chance! :D

Whens your sons birthday? Im a Novemeber as well, Scorpios unit!

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November 25...he's a sagittarius lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

November 25...he's a sagittarius lol

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oh, lol well poo.
Were zodiac neighbors anyways then. :) Im "remember, remember the 5th of November"

you can also use a q-tip to make him go;)

Lucky opened his eyes yesterday morning for the first time, but this was his last bottle feeding before he opened his little eyes :)
http://i55.tinypic.com/ogkta1.jpg

And here are his little eyes open.
http://i52.tinypic.com/3178l04.jpg

His eyes are wide open today, and he is so alert. Just love him to pieces :love:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Lucky opened his eyes yesterday morning for the first time, but this was his last bottle feeding before he opened his little eyes :)
http://i55.tinypic.com/ogkta1.jpg

And here are his little eyes open.
http://i52.tinypic.com/3178l04.jpg

His eyes are wide open today, and he is so alert. Just love him to pieces :love:

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Awwwwww! What a little sweetie! I loooooooooooove baby ratties!

AWWWWWWW! That is just so cute! I love little ratties with freshly opened eyes!

Just some picture updates. He's changing so quickly :aww:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2qnw2sy.jpg
Here he is eating his big boy food lol
http://i55.tinypic.com/2n714r4.jpg
Here he is after a bath...because he makes such a mess while eating.
http://i51.tinypic.com/2dl14ht.jpg

:love:

HEHE! Glad to hear he is doing well. He sure is cute drinking out of that bottle.

Well it looks like, with your help, he's beating the odds. Congrats.

He looks great, congrats!

Nice job :) You've been a great rat mommy!

Hows he doing? Is he starting his popcorn jumps yet? lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bokuza

Hows he doing? Is he starting his popcorn jumps yet? lol

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LOL popcorn jumps? He likes to climb up the sides of his cage, and has started nibbling on yogurt treats. Still eats like a champ and like to run around up and down my arms lol.

Lucky is doing so well. I'm so happy he is thriving :love:

He's growing up so fast. Now he climbs the side of his cage when he wants to come out or wants attention lol. I've caught him nibbling on his lab block, so I've weaned him off the kitten formula mixed with baby cereal and dropped the manual feedings to twice a day. Anyone know what age I should stop?

He's so fluffy now, and his little ears stick up. He's so funny when he's out, so active and wants to run everywhere. And I've lost sleep over him running laps in his wheel lol.
http://i53.tinypic.com/5clmco.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/qq91e0.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2rehcw1.jpg

3.5 weeks at the earliest but preferably 4+. They open eyes at 2 weeks so I'm sure you can figure out how old he is. I like the cross eyed pic. LOL.

Regards,

B

Great job Momma~! Popcorn refers to the crazy jumping and wrestling movement very happy or excited rats do. :) It's so cute. You'll know it when you see it!

You can put a drop or two of cooking oil on each side of his wheel to stop the squeaking if its an all metal one:gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

You can put a drop or two of cooking oil on each side of his wheel to stop the squeaking if its an all metal one:gj:

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It's plastic lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

It's plastic lol

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The go buy him a real manly METAL one and put oil on it:tongue2::tongue2::tongue2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

It's plastic lol

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Plastic ones are for your frozen rats, not the live one!!!!! :P

And you don't know if its a male or female? Take a pic of it's underside and post it if you want to know

ive done the same things over five times lol :P... rats are super fun to raise though. I dont care what anyone says, rats are such amazing pets. my year old rat i got from the show last year is amazingly tame, like a little dog. She goes places with me and even got out of her cage and snuggled up with my sister in her bed!<33 Good luck!

The cute is too much to handle. Every time I check on this thread I want more rats!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rperry03

Plastic ones are for your frozen rats, not the live one!!!!! :P

And you don't know if its a male or female? Take a pic of it's underside and post it if you want to know

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NOW I know he's a male...he's got little testicles! :D I didn't know at the time of originally posting this thread lol.

Lucky is doing awesome! I have bought a large, 3 story cage for him that I cleaned, put together, and put him him as of last night. He ran laps, up and down the stairs for about 3 hours before he curled up and passed out lol. This rat is so damn lucky...he should have been long pooped out by now, yet he's living the life of a king. Here's and updated picture of him, I'll snap a picture of his cage tomorrow. He has a soft hammock, a wheel, a play tunnel...all kinds of fun crap lol.
http://i53.tinypic.com/23mahk3.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Lucky is doing awesome! I have bought a large, 3 story cage for him that I cleaned, put together, and put him him as of last night. He ran laps, up and down the stairs for about 3 hours before he curled up and passed out lol. This rat is so damn lucky...he should have been long pooped out by now, yet he's living the life of a king. Here's and updated picture of him, I'll snap a picture of his cage tomorrow. He has a soft hammock, a wheel, a play tunnel...all kinds of fun crap lol.
http://i53.tinypic.com/23mahk3.jpg

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He looks really good! Nice and healthy and very cute!!! He sure has grown in the amount of time that you have had him.

Awesome, now he needs a playmate for when your away so he has someone to play with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ballpythonluvr

He looks really good! Nice and healthy and very cute!!! He sure has grown in the amount of time that you have had him.

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I agree, and that picture was taken last week! I knew they grew fast but it's actually blown my mind. I just wish they lived longer than 5 years :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Awesome, now he needs a playmate for when your away so he has someone to play with.

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I agree, I've already talked to my boyfriend about possibly getting a second one...a MALE...so they don't breed. Do you think that'd be a good idea?

Yes adding another male of same size will be fine. Just be sure you QT the new one few weeks to be sure nothing is out of the ordinary like pneumonia which is contagious.

Once he gets his new friend you will see his spirits lift A LOT over night

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I agree, I've already talked to my boyfriend about possibly getting a second one...a MALE...so they don't breed. Do you think that'd be a good idea?

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Though a female could give you free food:D

Now you know why I dont play with the food!!!! It still hurts when I hear one of my baby rats squeak but I know they are serving their purpose.

Here is Lucky's kingdom lol
http://i55.tinypic.com/ivuvr9.jpg