# Need some help with a very, very small baby rat.



## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

Meet Wee Willy. Not sure if this cutie is a boy or a girl, but I am thinking girl. 

Sorry, this is going to be a little long but I want to make sure I cover everything about him and what I am doing for him so that I can get some good advice. 

I got Wee Willy from a pet store that I had not been into for 15 years or so and was completely shocked at the condition of the animals. This baby was in a 10 gallon tank along with 20 brothers, sisters and cousins, they were all the same age within a day of each other. Wee Willy is about three months old and is so very tiny. He is fully developed as a three month old should be except for his size. He only weighs 22 grams but his brothers and sisters are of average size. The pet store owners were going to let him die and I could not see that happening. 

He is eating, he has his teeth, and is drinking very well. I check his water daily to see if the water level has gone down and to make sure it is not leaking. I tried rat cubes for him but they are too hard for him to eat so I gave him some bird seeds that I give to my birds. It is not bad food that is filled with junk. I removed that stuff. I also give him some rat treats, popped corn, yogurt drops (he gets only one of these a day), some sort of rat treat that is full of small pellets, seeds and grains. I also give him human food. I did a lot of research and found that watered down peanut butter can be given along with organic baby foods, cucumber, yogurt, and crunchy human food like crakers and such. He will not eat anything that is soft or moist, he only likes crunchy things except for his yogurt drops which I break apart for him. I give him a small bowl of human food along with his foods daily and monitor what he eats. He actually eats more of the food out of his rat diet than he does out of the human diet bowl. Today he got an apple jack, 1/4 of a ritz cracker, 1/4 of a chicken in a bisket cracker, an organic bunny graham cracker and his yogurt drop. He doesn't eat all fo this but will eat most of it in addition to his ratty food. 

He is pooping and peeing and both are normal and do not have any strange smell or consistancy. 

I weigh him daily and he doesn't lose or gain a gram. He has been 22 grams since I got him on the 4th of February. 

I need some advice on what to do for this cute little guy. He is normal in every way except for his size. 

Again, sorry for the long post but figured that this is the best place to get help. 

Thank you in advance, Kim and Wee Willy


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Does he feel really skinny or is he just tiny?
Cause he might be a dwarf rat which would make his size normal

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## tigerstripesk8 (Jan 24, 2014)

Do you know how old it is? Rats can usually be sexed by 2 weeks, and since this rat is weaned.... trust me, you'd notice the testicles. Meaning you probably have a lovely little lady.

Here's a guide on checking, it's a bit hard to tell from a sideview picture sometimes so I can't be 100% sure. http://angelratdesigns.com/sexingrats.html


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## melcab (Jan 29, 2014)

Maybe if you got some lab blocks and added water to make it mushy? Also what about veggies, fruit and occasional meat? They need that too, but I'll let more experienced people comment more thoroughly. I just have insomnia lol.


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## Ergala (Jan 23, 2014)

She almost looks curly coated and like a dwarf, very very petite and cute. Her eyes seem bright and she looks alert. You can try hard boiled eggs for some extra protein and fat.


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## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

When I got her, she was really bony feeling but that is because she was in with litter mates and some cousins and she was being trampled. When I put her into her own cage that first day she chowed down like there was not tomorrow and now she has a nice fully tummy and seems to be less bony but is not growing in size. I thought she was a girl, but wanted to make sure, thank you for the link, she is a girl. ;D

I tried hard boiled egg and she just ignored it and I even tried some Royal Canin babycat food and that too was ignored. Hot dog sticks in the baby food section got the same snub. 

I still cannot get over how small she is. I had never heard of a dwarf rat until I joined this forum and read about them. Could a dwarf come from a regular sized litter? 

Thank you for the help. Kim and Wee Willy


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## Urithrand (Feb 12, 2008)

It might be that she wasn't able to get enough protein and calories during her formative weeks and if so then her stunted growth is irreversible at this point, but I wouldn't worry too much about that as long as she is healthy. From what you've described you have a perfectly happy, healthy if somewhat tiny little girl


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## melcab (Jan 29, 2014)

Yes a dwarf can come from a regular sized litter if the parents are carriers of the dwarf gene. They are cute and from what I've read very lively, so beware ;-)


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## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

She does seem to be much more lively than my Rufus was. She is so very cute! Just love her to pieces already.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

For gaining weight, I always reccommend Nutrical paste. They seem to love the taste and it's very nutrient dense so it will help put weight on her quickly. Baby food is also a good choice. You can also add melted butter to warm baby cereal with soy milk. You can try avocado, but make sure there are no bits of skin or seed as those are toxic, flesh only. Egg, oysters (canned), tuna or sardines, and chicken have a lot of protein (oysters have iron which growing ratties need.) and will help her also put on weight. Good luck with her!


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## luvmy4rats (Nov 29, 2013)

Oxbow baby rat food has a softer consistency than regular lab blocks, you could try offering those. And maybe offer a little bit of olive oil (not too much 'cause it might cause loose stools).


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

Second on the nutrical paste ...  also oatmeal is a good choice ... 

Are you fond of liver? It's really really good for rats ! 


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

What an adorable picture!


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## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

I have some Nutrical that I will try to give her. She doesn't seem to like soft foods, but I can try. Here is a recent picture of the little gal. I have her in a hamster cage for now since the rat cage is way too big for her.


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## Urithrand (Feb 12, 2008)

What's this "too big" you speak of? 

Unless the bar spacing is too wide, obviously...


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## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

The bar spacing is a little bit bigger than the hamster cage bar spacing and I am afraid she will wiggle her way out.


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## MimiSkye (Feb 3, 2014)

I have a dwarf, she is about 2/3 the size of her standard sized cagemate. They aren't too much smaller than standard sized rats. Have you brought him/her to a vet?


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## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

I haven't had the chance to bring her to a vet yet. I have been snowed in since last Wednesday. She will go as soon as I can get out. 

I did notice that she has a very hard lump underneath her lower jaw. Not sure what it is, but does not seem to cause her pain when I touch it. It does not seem to get in the way of her eating. Hoping it is nothing but a fatty mass, but it feels pretty hard.


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## aimleigh (Feb 7, 2014)

aw she is so cute! so small and fluffy.


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## tigerstripesk8 (Jan 24, 2014)

It's possible her teeth got too long and caused a root inflammation or something, it would explain why she doesn't like harder foods, too. It's uncommon to see that in rats since they don't HAVE to gnaw, but I've seen it happen in rabbits. it can be a geneticissue with rats, too, so definitely worth bringing her to the vet. Even if it is just a fatty lump, better to bring her in for a checkup anyway rather than regret catching something early, hey?

Best of luck, she's a real cutie. I hope she keeps the rex-esque fur if she grows in a new coat later.


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## kasparkat (Feb 9, 2014)

She only likes hard foods. She snubs her nose at moist stuff. I checked her teeth and they are not too long and on the outside of her lips. 

She is a super cutie and very rowdy. I did notice yesterday that her left eye was closed so I wiped it with a warm wet tissue and she opened it and this morning it was her right eye. Might change her bedding, not sure if that is causing the sticky eyes.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

She's very cute, but tiny, and her head to body ratio is that of a much, much younger rat. Do what you can for her... syringe feed her Ensure or Nutrical if you have to, but she may have just overall failure to thrive. Definitely get a vet's opinion ASAP.


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## evander (Jun 30, 2013)

I hope she is just tiny or a dwarf and that there is nothing wrong with her health!! She is adorable!!!


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## graphite (Apr 6, 2011)

maybe it's just me, but she looks a little... off. Maybe some sort of birth defect? I don't know anything about them in rats, but it's a thought.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

Any news on her? How's she doing? 


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