# Found an orphaned baby rat in the middle of the road...?



## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

Hi everyone, I'm new tothis forum, and the need for advice has led me here. Yesterday morning my husband and I ran across (almost literally...) a small rodent in the middle of the road. At first glance it appeared to be injured, but alive and moving around with only slight trouble. I carefully brought it inside and got it comfortable in a large shoe box. I'm an uncertified vet tech, so I kinda new what to look for as far as injury, and there seemed to be none, and as of today, he is quite active and healthy looking. There are no real trustworthy exotic vets where I live, so I've turned to the internet and the owner of an exotic pet store. He seemed dehydrated when I first brought him in, and at first we thought it was a mouse. But according to the exotic store, it's a rat pup, approx. 2-3.5 weeks. He's got a full coat and his eyes are open. He's been drinking raw orgnic goat milk from a dropper, took him a little to get used to it, but he's a real pig now. He cries when he's in his box, he wants to be held, but we are trying not to spoil him too bad by running each time he cries. Today, someone suggested that he didn't look like a rat, but a mouse instead, so I suppose my real question is, if I posted a picture, would anyone be able to distinguish between an infant rat and an infant mouse? We have done research of local rodents (we live in south Florida) and the only thing that he really looks like is a Hispid Cotton Rat. It's a wild species, but the pup thus far is very calm and loves to be held, for the comfort and warmth I assume. Will this little guy make a good pet like domesticated rats? The exotics guy seemed to think so, but he didn't hav much knowledge of wild rats. I will post a pic shortly, I want to get a good, clear photo of him. Thanks!


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## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm sorry for the poor resolution, the only camera I have is my phone. I can give a more detailed description, if it helps. He's awfully small, BUT I've gone through every photo of the local species (And not so local) of mice and he just doesn't look like them. His ears are smallish and end in a rounded point.. He has long fingers, 4 plus a dew claw on the front, where the inner 2 are longer... 5 on the hind paws where the inner 3 are longer. His tail is nearly the length of his head and body, somewhat scaley though covered with a thin layer of fuzz and his head is about the same size as his body right now. He seems to be 2-3 weeks old, from what I'm told. He has very large, black eyes and a semi thick muzzle where it's more blunt than pointed, though the nose sticks out a bit farther than the 'lips'. He's quite cute and VERY loving. He seems healthy, he was slightly dehydrated when we first got him (I'd pull up on the dorsal skin slightly and it would stay ruffled for several seconds before going back down... It doesn't do that now that he's had a few good meals.) He started eating some solid food today, most of which was some kind of large pellet that we'd been given from the exotic store... I asked if they were lab blocks and he said "basically"... I hope the picture isn't too fuzzy for you!


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## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

Sorry, hehe...


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## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

That pic won't load for me.. My comp tends to do that though. hehe.


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## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

I guess we'll have to give him time to grow and see. hehe. My computer is being tempermental, or I would post the pic of a baby Hispid Cotton Rat for comparisson... hehe. You're not the first to say he's a mouse, so maybe he's not. He spends a lot of his time all stretched out rather than in a ball, so maybe I'll attempt to get a better picture of him and one that's less blurry. Thanks for your opinion!


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## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

This is the one.. It worked this time.. (Figures after I'd already replied again)

This one, I believe, is just slightly older than the little boy I found... Not identical, but there's three species of these guys, and it's very similar (I think so at least ??? )










The guy at the pet store that was confused about the pellets was yea... a bit off.. It was a different person that told me the little guy is a rat. Sorry, should have specified.


Edit: It's not showing up. lol. Oh well.


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## RMHmommy (Nov 24, 2009)

that is definetly a mouse. the guy at the pet store is wrong sorry. haha even a young rat never looks like that. here is a 2-3 week old rat pic: http://www.hiddenhavenrattery.com/- New Folder/QY bbs week3.jpg or even http://spotted.gazette.net/images/100050/photos/2007/01/22/gallery/8067.jpg at 2-3 weeks he shouldnt have his eyes open. He is most likely a grown mouse and probably wont get any bigger. be aware of disease also


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## holidayincambodia (Nov 10, 2009)

Definately a mouse, I would say.

This is a baby mouse:










This is a baby rat:









The comparrison of head-body size in rat and mouse pups is quite different.
I didn't know that for a long time.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I would say mouse as well, since rat pups never ever look like that, even half-wild pups. Adorable!! I hope it works out for both of you.


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## LifeIsJust (Dec 17, 2009)

Judging by all the pics, I'd say mouse as well... Unfortunately, the little guy passed away this morning. He was fine when I checked on him early before going to heat up his milk... Then when I came back to get him for feeding, he was barely breathing. Came back up for a little, then crashed hard. Not sure what happened, but my best guess is, if he was as friendly as he was when we found him, he'd already been sick. That's my experience with wild animals, the same thing happened with an Anhinga I'd rescued a few years back. We did what we could, poor guy. :'(


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## steffiez (Nov 24, 2009)

Aw, i'm sorry. Atleast he died happy and not outside where he'd be cold and hungry.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Aw, yeah, definitely a mouse. This is the second amazing adoption story I've seen end so harshly like that, it's unfortunate :-[ But you did what you could, and that's what matters.


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

I bred mice for a couple of years, and you have yourself an agouti mouse pup  little cutie, too!


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