# baby rat smaller than the others..



## ratmam (Dec 11, 2014)

the last 2 weeks i am so excited...The story is..One friend of mine rescued a feeder female rat.Some days after she took her home, she gave birth to 4 babies,one of them was deliver dead .The other three are two girls and one boy.I was so happy when i found it out because i want to adopt this little guy to place him with my two other boys.The problem is: The male was born smaller than the two girls.He is the first who opened his eyes,but his fur took it longer to grow comparatively to the other babies.Is this means he will be less healthy ?I am very worried about it  And is he always gonna be undergrown?Of course this is the last that is bothering me,the real question is,is he going to be as healthy as every other baby ?Has enyone experienced something like this before?Thank you in advance(and sorry for my english too)


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Being Mom was probably really too young for giving birth, the small litter, death and a runt showing that is the case. Obviously in a perfect world he would of been from a older Mom that was healthy and from a known good genetic line of rats. 

But this is not the case, so we make due. With that said, runts can grow to normal size, or they may stay a bit smaller than average. He could have health problems, but he could live to be a very old rat in great condition.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it and just try and get him on a really healthy diet and take good care of him, especially while he's still in the high growth rate time. While nursing, making sure Mom is getting all she needs as well.

I can't say that I've had rats that came from the same situation, however most of mine from the past were feeders and I have no idea who their Mom was or what they were like as littles. I have had many ferrets that were less than healthy kits and turned out just fine and to live out normal life spans.


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## ratmam (Dec 11, 2014)

thank you so much for your reply  The mother is not very young,i am pretty sure she is an adult.I think she had such a tiny and damaged birth because she has probably make a tone of other births in the shop  i hope he will live a normal and healthy life,i will try hard for it !!Everyone else who knows something about it or has experieced something like this before please answer.This is a picture of the babies


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

He is definitely a runt. Most runts start to catch up in size when they move on to solid food and don't rely on mum as much at about 3 weeks. i would make sure to leave him with mum for add long add possible so he can get that extra care, don't be tempted to take him before 5 weeks.  As to wether he has increased health risks, it depends why he's a runt. If he was just unlucky as a baby in the womb then it shouldn't affect him long term but if there is a health defect causing is l it then he may well fade away over the next few weeks, you Useually have a good idea around 5 to 6 weeks as unwell runts just won't thrive whereas the others race along growing nicely. Some runts do have longer term health problems as well but honestly is hard to tell. 

If you really want to do the best for this little man you should look into getting him a similar aged play mate or two. baby's do a lot better with a playmate or two and adult rats just don't have the energy and silliness another baby has


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## ratmam (Dec 11, 2014)

i will leave him with his mother until he reach 5 weeks thank you  Αlso i was thinking about giving him baby formula (milk powder) to make him become a Giant .Ιs this a good idea?And if yes,for how long should i give it to him?  My other two boys are less than 6 months and they are very silliness xexe !Is it so important to have one more baby??


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

i would. a 6 month old male is at the point in life when they become more concerned about there position in the pack and tend to start selling down. Your little lad has another 5 or more months before this occurs to him. a playmate who isn't concerned with pack politics will be really valuable to him. Not everyone thinks this way but add a breeder I'd never home a baby somewhere without similar aged companions (within about 3 weeks of age) even if i only had one of one sec in the litter. In fact i would probably have 1 or 2 friends waiting for that rat at 5 weeks old then let them bond for a few weeks before going to there new homes at 7 weeks but i do have the space and resources to do that


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## ratmam (Dec 11, 2014)

i will think about it seriously.But i can'tsay for surecause i dont live alone so its not only my decision One other broblem about a secont baby is that in the country i am,there are not any breeders,and a very little number of people that own rats,so finding a litter is very difficult..and i dont really want to support feeders shops for selling live food


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I had 2 ill babies that ended up falling behind in size when they were very little. Once your boy is about 1.5 weeks or 2 weeks old, you might want to try giving him a high calorie supplement like Nutrical paste ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=587 ). My two babies have a chronic illness that they were born with, but when they were starting to fall behind and become smaller than their siblings, I gave them the Nutrical 2-3 times a day (about a pea sized amount) and they were able to catch up and keep growing.

If you give him baby formula, don't give him the milk powder one. Give him the soy. Milk is very hard to digest in most animals, and soy baby formula is a good choice for baby rats. Higher protein and Iron is good to give at a young age too and may help him especially. Cooked beef liver or cooked oysters is a good choice. 

Some rats are just small. All the rats from my litter are small too. My girls are around 200-275g, and my boys are 525-575g. My boyfriend has two boys who are not at all over weight, and they weigh around 700-750g! So they are a lot larger.


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## ratmam (Dec 11, 2014)

οhh thank you Finnebon and sorry for answer too late  the baby is about 1 month old now,i will get him in one or two weeks.For the moment i get him,i will give him cooked liver,i did it with my two boys too I will try to find a soy based high calorie supplement too, but i dont know if i will find the particular one you said.Is it better to find one that is suposed to be given in dogs and cats,or one that is for human babies?Of course i will take it to the vet immediately, to be informed,and to find out if the baby is ill or just very smaller than his sister..


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