Update on baby ratties

[Jay_Bunny]

Last Tuesday I brought home 3 rats, one 6 week old female, one 2 week old female and one 2 week old male. (The two week olds were sold to me as weaned three week olds)

When we brought them in everyone got weighed and Monk, the little male weighed in at 25g. Nibble weighed in at 27g and I'll need to find Kasper's original weight.

Todays Weights:

Monk: 30g
Nibble: 32g
Kasper: 135g

Kasper's starting weight was 108g. So Monk and Nibble have each gained 5g since last Tuesday and Kasper has gained 27g since last Tuesday. Anything I can do to get Monk and Nibble to put on a little more weight. There is no hogging of the food or anything and I've been giving Monk and Nibble puppy milk replacer a few times a day.

[littleindiangirl]

Are you sure there is no food hogging? Babie rats are eating all the time, and when they are not eating, they are sleeping and wishing they were eating... lol. Just keep it up, leave a lot of food with them, maybe 2 different bowls, and keep offering milk and water. Best of luck!

[Jay_Bunny]

They have water 24/7. I am constantly in the animal room so I'm always checking everyone's water bottles. Food is also available 24/7. I mostly give them Becky's mix with a handful of Mazuri rodent block. I also give them veggies to chew on but I have not given them fruit yet. Nibble always wants to eat my finger, so thats where she got her name. Whenever I see the babies, they are either eating or sleeping. I am starting to suspect food hogging though because I just weighed Kasper and she is 10g more than she was yesterday. I think I'm going to start supervising them for a bit after giving them food to make sure the babies are getting some.

An Update on the Mite Situation:

I got a bottle of Frontline Spray. When the vets asked which pet it was for, I told them it was for rats. They advised against since they are so small. I used a Q-tip to dab some on them.

I do have a question about Kasper though. She is supposed to be around 7 weeks old. All she does is sleep in a corner. I'm trying to get her used to being handled but she gets scared and nervous so I keep these handling sessions short. Is there anything I can do to get her butt up and moving around. A rat that sleeps all the time doesn't seem normal to me.

[littleindiangirl]

Well, they are mostly nocturnal, so they do sleep a lot during the day. I have 8 girls in a large cage, and really the only time they move during the day is when I go to play with them and check food water etc or do laundry. During most of the day they sleep. When we go to bed, they wake up and start running on the wheel and doing what rats do.

Now to the food situation, these babie rats will most likely stay smaller for a while because they were weaned too young. Your girl there seems to be growing just fine for her age, she will slow down tremendously in a week or 2.

I think you should watch them when they dont know they are being watched after you put in a few bowls of food, to see if she is stealing what the babies have. Rats always want what another rat has and will pester the heck out of the rat that has the food, toy etc.

[Jay_Bunny]

I will keep an eye on their weights and try and see if Kasper is stealing food. I use a oatmeal canister lid as their food dish right now. Its nice and big and holds a lot of food in it.

How long should I continue with the milk replacer? And how often should I be giving it to them. They get it right now twice a day because I'm not sure how often they should be getting it. I give them as much as they want to drink and that turns out to be about .5-1.5 ml. I also give Kasper a little bit since I don't want her to feel left out. Whenever they see the syringe, all three come running. Its quite comical.

[littleindiangirl]

http://www.afrma.org/rminfo8.htm

Weaning
Once the babies open their eyes, you can start adding dry baby cereal to their formula (make sure it will pass through the tip of the nurser) as well as cutting down on the nightly feedings. You can start to wean them off the bottle and onto a dish when they are about 3 weeks old. Dip your finger in the gruel mixture and let them lick it off your fingers. Decrease the amount of bottle feedings and give their meal in a small dish three to four times a day. You can start to add different things like oatmeal, bread, lab block powder, and baby food to their mixture. Also by this time, they will start to nibble on bits of apple, carrot, fruits, seeds, etc. Make sure fresh water is also available at all times as they will start to drink from a bottle. Give fresh meals each time, taking out any uneaten foods. You will also need to clean them up after they eat as they are very messy eaters. They can lose their coats and go bald temporarily if they are left dirty.

I personally would only be mixing the milk with their food to make a mush a couple times a day. In the morning and when I get home, and maybe once more at night before I go to bed. If they still want to drink the milk, I dont see a huge problem for now since they are so small, but they shouldnt depend on it for a full tummy once they hit 50 grams...

[Jay_Bunny]

They readily eat the mix I give them (puffed rice, bran flakes, dried lentils, ect) and drink from the water bottle. They are also nibbling veggies when I give it to them but not really eating them.

Thanks for all the help.