# My little feeder baby.



## Phantom

So I really was not going to post this until two days from now, and I really did not want to name him just yet. Only several hours after I brought him home I came up with a whole bunch of names. He was under a pile of rats and mice, all pinkies, fuzzes, and hoppers, and on top of him sat an albino mom in very bad shape. I really only meant to hold him, but after one of the employees put him in my hands I did not want to put him back down. I knew he was going to be a feeder anyway, and that momma rat could not care for all of the litters underneath her properly so I took him home with me. Momma rat had at least three different rat litters and one or two mice litters she was feeding at the same time. I told my boyfriend that taking him home was probably one of the stupidest things, but cutest things I've ever done. 

Right now he's on kitten formula. I'm feeding him every 2-3 hours. He's currently sleeping in my boyfriend's old, torn apart boxes. I was thinking about putting Molly in with him for a few hours a day simply because she's raised her own litter, and she took care of Pastoolio when I got him at three weeks old. So she's very gentle with baby rats. Pastoolio was rather interested him him too, and he cleaned him earlier today.

I was thinking about naming him Toast, Butter, or BT for either Buttered Toast or Burnt Toast.
The only small problem that I'm currently having is that I am out of luck when it comes to finding a syringe that will fit into his tiny mouth. I was thinking about using a paint brush. I also had another idea of putting a balloon over the syringe part of the syringe I have and poking a small hole in it to give him something smaller to eat out of. My guess is that he's 11 days old.


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## Rumy91989

I'd say 10 or 11 days sounds right. Paint brushes tend to be a good call.
Best of luck with him. It's hard handraising one so young...


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## LightningWolf

10-11, Possibly 12 days.

a paint brush would probably be your best bet, just make sure it's brand new/has never been used for painting.


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## Finnebon

Good luck! What a nice thing you did to give a little feeder an extra chance. It's something I've always wanted to try too. I've read the paint brush thing is a good idea too for small mouths. I'm excited to see updates! Best of luck with him  (The name ideas are really cute too! I love when pets are named after food xD) Goat's milk might be a good thing to try too, or to mix the kitten formula with goat's milk, but I'd research that a bit before you try it.


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## Phantom

So he made it through a full 24 hours now! =D
I thought I'd celebrate by sharing some more pictures. He cracked his eyes open today. Judging by the aging pictures on some websites I'd say he's about 12 days old now. I read online somewhere that a heating pad is a good idea to keep him warm. I have repti-thermuth at home that I bought for my anoles once and never used. Unfortunately, I can only use it on glass surfaces. I don't really have a glass tank at home, but I do have a glass book shelf. I was thinking about putting the pad under the bottom shelf of the glass bookshelf and putting the carrier on top of that shelf. I also had the idea of putting the pad on a plate and elevating the carrier a few inches above the plate. It wouldn't be touching the plastic. Any thoughts to this? Of course the carrier would have a warm and a cool end.


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## Rumy91989

OMIGOSH WHAT A PRETTY BABY!!! He happens to be my absolute favorite coloring!

If he can move around on his own at all I'd say the bookshelf idea sounds like a good one.


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## Phantom

So I did a bit of research, and apparently the heating pad I have, the repti therm mini, can be used on plastic as well. It's the only heating pad out of that brand that can. Just incase I've stuck it under my bookshelf for a bit and plugged it in. I just want to see how warm it gets before I use it.


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## LightningWolf

Aw, he's so adorable.

In case you want to know, it looks like he's a little Amber/Silver Fawn. (Pink eye agouti in terms of genetics - A/- p/p).


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## TexasRatties

Awwww what a sweetie I have done bottle feeding of other animal types and it is a lot of work but rewarding. You can always wrap the heating pad with a towel so its not as warm.


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## Phantom

After almost a good hour of having the heating mat plugged in I found out that it actually just stays nice and warm so I went ahead and stuck it under the bottom of the little carrier. I actually was not warm enough when I had it under my bookshelf with the carrier on top. Just incase I'm going to see if I can borrow my boyfriend's one gallon glass tank this weekend though. I think he might be a little more comfortable in there then in the carrier. I'm going to check up on the heating pad every once in a while to see if it gets any hotter than it should.


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## TexasRatties

You might know this already but make sure the heating pad doesn't cover the whole bottom so he can move off of it when wants too.


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## Phantom

Yup. I know from reptile experience that there should always be a hot, cold, and a warm side. He seems to really love the heating pad. It's probably made him even more active than he was before. 

After about three different prototypes I've finally made a feeding device that actually works. It's a pipet with an soft plastic electrical wire covering inserted into it. (All of it washed multiple times before using.) I first used a kitten bottle, then a syringe, than the pipet, and now this should be small enough and easy enough on his teeth. Hopefully he wouldn't cover himself in half his food now that I've found something small enough to feed him with.


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## evander

He must be around 13-14 days if his eyes are opened, which is great because my little litter started nibbling on peaches and peas at about 17 days - so hopefully you won't need to be his only source of nourishment for very long - and you can get some sleep!!

Love your feeding device!

He is so cute!!!


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## Phantom

So he woke up from a nap just a few minutes ago, and because he was so eager to explore his little carrier I couldn't resist and ave him a piece of a wood stick that broke off of on of Pastoolio and Molly's chew toys. Who said baby rats couldn't chew? 
The video link leads to my photobucket by the way. It just needs to be clicked on.


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## Voltage

Omgosh name him toast!

Toast would love to have a buddy named toast


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## Phantom

So, since he's managed to pull through a full 48 hours and is now 13 days old, I've finally decided that he can now be named. Toast it is because that's the name my boyfriend seems to have grown very attached to. Lol. Voltage, your Toast now has another cousin named Toast 10 times removed. XD

Other than being named he's also graduated into drinking more formula and taking bits and pieces off of solid food. I gave him a few gerber baby treats last night to give him something to do and he's nibbled on all of them. He's also an adventurous little guy. When I fill the pipet with more formula I find him crawling two feet away from me and exploring the carpet. I have no doubt that the more he grows the farther he's going to go out and adventure. Molly and Pastoolio visit him every day during free range time, and Pastoolio gets the leftovers of the formula that Toast doesn't eat. Here's a few more pictures I took of him today.


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## Voltage

YAY TOAST!
All around the country coast to coast
People always say what do you like most
I don't want to brag, I don't want to boast
I always tell'em, I like toast
YEAH TOAST!

Is Toast a standard ear or dumbo?
I need to draw him


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## Voltage

Toast teaching little Toast the ways of pooping
Your Toast will be well versed in pooping.
Toast is a good teacher.


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## Rumy91989

Bahaha Voltage, you are hilarious! I love it! And Phantom, that stinking baby is so cute I can't handle it. I'm so glad everything is going well!


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## Finnebon

Lolol voltage Omg. So great xD that would describe our boys perfectly if it was pee instead. So true to rat nature Haha. The world is their litter box. -.- So glad little Toast is doing well, such a cutie! And cute name  I love seeing your updates!


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## Voltage

Finnebon said:


> Lolol voltage Omg. So great xD that would describe our boys perfectly if it was pee instead. So true to rat nature Haha. The world is their litter box. -.- So glad little Toast is doing well, such a cutie! And cute name  I love seeing your updates!


Omgosh, my boys are like that too. I JUST got out of the shower last night and had put on clean pajamas and I open the cage door to my boy's cage and Lightning shoots up my arm and leaves this long trail of pee then he runs back down my arm and start licking my fingers. I used him as a sponge for revenge.....He didn't care.

I also washed everyone's tails last night. I didn't have a washcloth or wipes so I just ran some water in the sink and wiped down their tails with my fingers. Toast started to poop so I just held her over the trash can til she was done. Had to do that with Peanut Butter before and my boyfriend thought I was wringing her out because he saw me hold her over the trash can and he heard the plop...
What am I even rambling on about?

Also, thank you Rumy.

I'm thinking about doing a rat art thread for either a few bucks a pic or first come first serve.
Since toony rats are so much fun to draw


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## Rumy91989

Voltage said:


> Omgosh, my boys are like that too. I JUST got out of the shower last night and had put on clean pajamas and I open the cage door to my boy's cage and Lightning shoots up my arm and leaves this long trail of pee then he runs back down my arm and start licking my fingers. I used him as a sponge for revenge.....He didn't care.
> 
> I also washed everyone's tails last night. I didn't have a washcloth or wipes so I just ran some water in the sink and wiped down their tails with my fingers. Toast started to poop so I just held her over the trash can til she was done. Had to do that with Peanut Butter before and my boyfriend thought I was wringing her out because he saw me hold her over the trash can and he heard the plop...
> What am I even rambling on about?
> 
> Also, thank you Rumy.
> 
> I'm thinking about doing a rat art thread for either a few bucks a pic or first come first serve.
> Since toony rats are so much fun to draw


Dude, you really should start a thread. Especially if your put your hilarious quotes on them. That would be awesome.


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## Phantom

That picture looks awesome! XD
I'm pretty sure that he's a standard eared rattie since he came straight out of the feeder bin. He does seem to love to poop at the most random times, especially during feeding time. Lol.


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## Voltage

Rumy91989 said:


> Dude, you really should start a thread. Especially if your put your hilarious quotes on them. That would be awesome.


I NEEEEEED to draw Steeve's rat doing the 'I'm about to poop here' pose. I don't know what the rattie looks like though
But I'll start one maybe later tonight.


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## TexasRatties

my rats having a pooping party when they are on my bathroom sink counter all of sudden they poop a ton in like 5 minutes hahahaha.


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## Voltage

TexasRatties said:


> my rats having a pooping party when they are on my bathroom sink counter all of sudden they poop a ton in like 5 minutes hahahaha.


My peanut butter does that, SHE POOPS EVERYWHERE.
I suppose she is the one I should be making fun of. Toast is cuter though.


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## Lesti

Awww Voltage, don't trash your other rattie  cute pics! Congrats on saving the little guy, and the momma from nursing him! And Voltage, awesome and funny drawing  I love your cartoon rats. I've tried to draw rats before and I just can't lol


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## Finnebon

TexasRatties said:


> my rats having a pooping party when they are on my bathroom sink counter all of sudden they poop a ton in like 5 minutes hahahaha.


Omg, this is so true!!! What is it about bathrooms that freak rats out so much that everytime they have to let out all the fear poops at once when they get there? I used to think it was because they associated the room with bath time (fear poops galore), but I brought Bijou in there once who only ever lived in a petstore, and that pretty much ended her little constipation problem. Does anyone else's rats completely unleash the fury of their bowels when brought into the bathroom too? 

You should definitely post a picture little Toast everyday so we can see his progression into a handsome boy baby  Glad to see that it seems to be working out well for you and him!


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## Phantom

He's now 14 days old, which makes him two weeks old now! =D
Overnight, Toast has now become even more mobile than he was yesterday. He gets absolutely excited when he sees something new. This morning he pop corned (not a very high jump) when I went to greet him. I'm thinking about putting the lid on the carrier pretty soon if his jumps continue to increase in height. Besides his formula and the Gerber baby Puffs he's been so eagerly munching on I've decided to try the Gerber baby cereal mixed with formula again. He's been munching on it every so often. Does anyone know of any good soft foods I can introduce him to? His jaws are not strong enough to chew on really tough things. He's been trying to chew on absolutely everything he can get his teeth on. Lol. 

Since he's become more mobile I've let him crawl on my floor a bit every now and then. Sometimes he freaks out and runs back to the safety of my hand though. He's also become quite the affectionate groomer over the past few days. Usually when I give him a bath and dry him off (he gets the formula all over himself) he religiously grooms my hand. 

Here's a few more pictures of him today. =P


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## LightningWolf

Aw.

For foods, getting him used to different baby foods if you haven't already would be a good idea. Oatmeal (you can make it with his formula). Fully dethawed mixed berries and mixed vegetables (or a stir fry mix), if he's wanting to chew on soft stuff.


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## Rumy91989

Oatmeal is a good call. You can also just lay some harder foods and let them soak in formula or milk for a bit. He is really stinking adorable. Oh goodness.


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## Phantom

So far I've given him cheerios, a bit on cooked pasta, and a piece of a graham cracker. He loved the graham cracker so much he dragged it around the carrier and went to sleep with it. Lol. XD


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## Phantom

So here's just a quick update because I have work this morning. I didn't have too much time to take pictures. He's doing really great and making friends with everyone he meets, although he is a little shy as first. This morning I went to go visit is little carrier and overnight he's turned into a playful little flea. He comes out during free range time to spend a little time saying hi to Molly and Pastoolio, but mostly he'll crawl out half a foot and run right back to me when I set him down. His eyesight is not too much of a problem, but I do have to let him know I'm there or he'll freak out a bit. He's not one for being picked up, rather he'll walk to you if he wants to be picked up. He does have a slight case of night terrors where he'll be twitching in his sleep and wake up and freak out. That's only happened twice though. 

Right now he's no longer on just straight up formula. His food's now mixed like this:
- 1 part formula
- 3 parts water
- 2 1/2 - 3 parts cereal


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## Charliesmom

*I would switch him over to soy human baby formula, it is closest to rat milk and he'd probably do better on it  he is sooooo adorable!*


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## Rumy91989

Oh my gosh he's so cute and WOW Pastoolio has grown! Goodness. Also, you have a great taste in books. I was snooping on your earlier bookshelf picture and noticed the Martin books in these. Haha.


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## LightningWolf

aw, he's adorable. I would keep him on his regular formula. Don't need any upset stomachs, and also goat milk is typically better then soy as it is closer to rat's milk.

Glad your other ratties are getting along with him.


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## JLSaufl

So adorable! When we got our Leon he was just barely three weeks old, they're so sweet and adorable when they're little. Then they grow up to be needy, lazy, pooping machines.  I seriously love him.


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## Phantom

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was at my boyfriend's house this weekend (Of course Toast came with me. Lol) and his house never has any good lighting. I was also pretty busy with work. Toast is now on the baby cereal as part of his main diet, but I'm still mixing in a bit of kitten formula. I'm almost out of kitten formula (I can't believe he ate it all. =O) so I'm debating on if I should go back and buy some because it does give the cereal he's eating a bit of a protein boost. There's only 1g of protein in the baby cereal. He absolutely loves the stuff though. I've switched him over to a higher bowl so he doesn't drag his cage liner into the bowl. 

Also, my goodness, he poops a lot. o.o
I cleaned out his carrier today and emptied out the tissue box to put some new fabric in it he can use as bedding and it was literally raining poop for a good few seconds. Lol.

I've been trying to give him some soft foods, but so far he hasn't really taken a liking to them. He's much rather eat baby cereal and gerber puffs. He plays a little bit now too, and he's almost as big of an attention seeker as Molly and Pastoolio. He seems to have developed a giant need to curl up in my pants where my feet are when I'm at the computer so I have to be careful when I move. Lol. Whenever I look at him now he reminds me of a tiny, fluffy teddy bear.


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## LightningWolf

Aw, I still think he's super adorable, I think his pink eyes actually make him more adorable (though maybe that's just because I love pink eyed rats). 

Anyways, I would still be using his formula in till he's around 4 weeks old. Would also try to at least get him onto higher protein foods, maybe see if he'll take nuts or seeds. maybe also try sardines or some scrambled eggs.


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## Voltage

Omgosh I just can not get over how adorable he is.
And of course he has the perfect name!

Also game of thrones! I love the books so far and the show. If I hadn't named my girl toast it probably would have been Daenerys or Dany.
I like Toast way better though.

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## evander

He is adorable!!! So glad he is doing awesome!!


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## Phantom

So it's been a few days since I've put up some pictures. I've been very lazy when it comes to taking pictures. Lol. Toast has really active now. I've been letting him play with Pastoolio and Molly every day, and today, before I cleaned the big cage I decided to put Toast in there with Molly and Pastoolio. Molly was too busy enjoying the comfort of her hammock to want to come out and do much, but Pastoolio did come down to groom him. I'm starting to nickname Pastoolio Uncle because he kind of reminds me of Uncle Scar and Simba with Pastoolio being on top of him and chewing on his ears and tail. Pastoolio is still a big squeaker and loves to show it when Toast is around and constantly climbing on the big guy. He's being a really sweet and gentle giant though. Molly and him put up with Toast for two whole hours in the cat carrier while I cleaned the cage today. 

Toast is loving the rat on rat interaction. He gets super excited when Pastoolio and Molly are around. Toast has become quite attached to the two of them. When I put him in the carrier with Pastoolio and Molly I knew he could fit through the bars if he put enough effort into it. However, he hung around Molly and Pastoolio and cuddled up with both of them for the two hours of cage cleaning time. 

I'm also feeding him goat's milk mixed with cereal now that I'm out of kitten formula. I think he enjoyed the taste of kitten formula more. He's become a very picky rat. Usually the other two get super excited when they get treats, but Toast isn't really a treat kind of rat. He prefers his gerber cereal above all else, however, he is starting to munch on Oxbow every now and then. 

I was wondering if anyone here knows how to teach a baby rat to use a water bottle? Toast still has no idea what the water bottle is for even though I showed him that it's where water comes out. He's still getting plenty of liquids through the goat's milk and cereal mix though. 

I know it was mentioned earlier somewhere in the thread, but what was the coat color that someone said he was? I took some full body pictures to determine his color. He has a really light, almost silver white belly and a silvery head compared to the rest of his body.


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## evander

He is so adorable!!!!


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## Rumy91989

I believe he's a champagne, though he might be dark enough to be an amber.

He'll learn the water bottle from watching Pastoolio and Molly.  You can show him with your finger, though, if he goes up to inspect it. Just dab your finger on it and put it up to his mouth and repeat.


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## Capistrono

You can try putting a little yogurt or something on the ball of the water bottle. Hold him up to it and he'll lick it to get the yogurt, but water will also come out.


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## LightningWolf

I think he's an amber, since I think I see ticking in his fur. Is his belly lighter then his back?

Typically they'll learn from other rats how to use the water bottle, so I wouldn't worry too much.


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## Phantom

His belly, arms, and head are all a little lighter than his back. His head is darker than his belly and legs. His fur also changes colors with different amount of light on it. When I put him in the light hi fur is almost white, but when he has the light off of him he looks more lightish brown. I'm probably going to ask again once his adult fur comes in. Right now he's got soft little kitty fur. It makes you want to snuggle with him and use him as a pillow. Lol. =P


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## Finnebon

How is Toast doing?


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## Phantom

He is doing amazing! He's completely figured out the water bottle trick now, and I don't have to keep an hawk's eye on him too much anymore during free range time. He never strays too far from me, and is pretty much attached to my side. He has this thing where he'll go out of his cage when I first let him out, say hi to me, go off and explore two to three feet away, and then he comes right back. He's also starting to play, and whomever said pink eyed rats where a little hesitant because of their eye sight would probably be completely proven wrong my Toast. He is very curious about everything and always willing to interact with people. I think he's slowly starting to learn his name because his ears usually perk up when he hears it even if he's not looking at me directly. 

All this makes Pastoolio happy as can be because now I can play with him a little more often without having to worry about where Toast is. Pastoolio has this thing where he'll run up and attack your hand, which then you would scratch his back or flip him over and tickle his tummy, and he will ether run in a circle around you or run under the bed, and a few seconds later he'll attack your hand again. He would probably play this game for hours if you were to let him. 

Toast is getting to that point where he can no longer visit Molly and has to be neutered soon. He's in his own cage now, but Pastoolio still visits and plays with him very often. I will try to get some pictures up maybe later on today. He's grown a lot, but he's still very tiny compared to Pastoolio. It's hard to believe that Pastoolio was once the same size. Lol. =P


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## Finnebon

That's great! Glad he's doing so well  omg that is so cute how Pastoolio plays! I wish my boys did that!! But they're happy just slowly lumbering around or only playing with each other. How old is he now? How old will he be when you take him in to get neutered?

Haha I think the exact same thing when I look at my huge agouti boy and then look at the little fuzzy babies. How was he ever that small??


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## Phantom

He is now 5 weeks old, and he can't really visit Molly until after he is neutered but he gets lots of visits from Pastoolio. He can be neutered at 8 weeks, but because of work and requesting days off ahead of time I think I'm going to neuter him somewhere around 10-12 weeks. The vet that I get my rat's surgeries done lives two hours away from me, but he's amazing with rats and he only charged me 70 dollars for Pastoolio's neuter last time and checked both my girls at the time out for free. They also got free nail trims, something that costs 15 dollars extra at the vet down my street. 

They get big fast, enjoy them while they'll small! XD
I like keeping all my rats energetic so I play with them a lot when they're really little. I also challenge them a lot by having them do certain tricks. I've only had Pastoolio for 5 months though so I don't know if or when he's going to wind down from being so hyper.


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## saratherussiandog

TOAST!!!  cute name. I'll be following this thread, keep posting pics!


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## Aether

Ahh he's so very adorable! I must follow this thread too


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## Phantom

He's actually grown so much since I last updated this. o.o
I must post pictures, but lately I've been very lazy about it. Lol.


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## Grawrisher

I just stumbled across this thread and ohmygosh.....ive literally always wondered if doing that would be possible and it is and he's like my favorite color and he's so pretty


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## AJ Black-Savage

Loved reading this thread  well done you for saving the little beauty  xxxxx


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## Kyleee Dupper

Do u know what the best "formula" is to feed baby ratties 


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## Grawrisher

Kyleee Dupper said:


> Do u know what the best "formula" is to feed baby ratties
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


A lot of people say soy human formula, some people use kitten milk as well


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## Phantom

Kyleee Dupper said:


> Do u know what the best "formula" is to feed baby ratties
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I fed Toast Kitten Milk Replacer mixed in with a little more water. I never had a problem with the formula, and when he got a little older I started feeding him Gerber Baby Cereal (the whole wheat kind) mixed in with lots of water and a little kitten milk replacer. I used the powder formula so I could mix from scratch. I head human soy formula is good too, as well as goat's milk. I tried goats milk, but neither I or Toast liked the flavor.


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## Kyleee Dupper

Phantom said:


> I fed Toast Kitten Milk Replacer mixed in with a little more water. I never had a problem with the formula, and when he got a little older I started feeding him Gerber Baby Cereal (the whole wheat kind) mixed in with lots of water and a little kitten milk replacer. I used the powder formula so I could mix from scratch. I head human soy formula is good too, as well as goat's milk. I tried goats milk, but neither I or Toast liked the flavor.


 Thanku so much for that


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