# Baby rat advice



## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

I currently have 3 baby rats that were being sold as feeders. I got them 6 days ago and the seller wasn't sure exactly how old they were but based on several rat development sites they looked to be about 2 weeks old or very close to it, which would make them close to 3 weeks now. I have been syringe feeding them every few hours, but I've read they would be starting to try their mother's solid food and learning to drink from a water bottle soon. I hung a water bottle very low in their cage and have been periodically showing it to them and encouraging them to nudge the ball, but I need advice on how and when to try introducing some solids to their diet. In preparation, I've picked up baby oatmeal cereal, a couple different flavors of baby food, and I also have oxbow young rat food that I feed my 3 to 4 min the old. Any advice on when and how to start introducing solids is greatly appreciated since they don't have a mom to learn from.

Also, when would it be safe to move them to a bar cage? They are currently in a small plastic aquarium because I wanted to make sure they stayed warm and had nothing to hurt themselves on. I have a good sized 3 level cage with 1/2 in bar spacing and a deep plastic base, but they're still pretty clumsy. Should I start adding climbing stuff and toys to their current cage or try to acquire a smaller bar cage for them?


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I am a breeder, so lots of baby experience 

I'd say you are correct with about 2 weeks, as it looks like their eyes just opened. 

Babies usually begin to try & nibble on solid food at 2 weeks, by 3 weeks they are eating solid food while still nursing and at 4 weeks they are weaned.

You do not need to syringe feed them or give them oatmeal cereal. I'd just put rat food in their cage. They will begin to try it out on their own and then begin eating on their own.

But you can also take some of the oxbow and smash it up, i'd leave it in fairly good chunks still. Mix it with some babyfood. They will lick all the babyfood up and then begin to nibble on the oxbow as well. But leave a bowl of just normal oxbow in their cage too.

I'd put them in the cage as well. You can hang hammocks to prevent falls but by that age they should be quite mobile. 

Are they male or female? Are your rats male or female? If you have female rats, and one that is very well natured, I would introduce her to the babies slowly- on neutral ground. if she takes to them nicely. I'd put her alone with them. She can teach them alot of rat stuff!


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## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

Thank you so much for your advice. 2 of them Heather is already open when I got them 6 days ago and the other one opened her eyes the second day I had them. I've been syringe feeding them since they are not with their mother, should I start giving them the formula in a shallow dish? All of the babies are female and so is my older rat. She is extremely shy, but she lived with other rats at the pet store and seems very interested in the babies when she sees them through her cage bars. I will probably hold off on introductions for another week or 2 because when I picked her up she was meant to be a feeder so I don't know if she had been housed with males at any point. The nibbled some baby food off of my fingers today so I will start adding some in a dish and some of the oxbow too.


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