# Hand Rearing



## KimmiesGuineas (Jun 14, 2007)

I think the chances of us taking in the rats are very good. We went and saw them today and it was heartwrenching. The problem is, that 1 or 2 of them gave birth today and they are so overcrowded that they killed/others killed/something so that I could only see one baby in the bedding, and it didn't look like it was being cared for. 

There's definitely at _least_ 1 or 2 pregnant girls in the lot, and in the event that they don't properly care for the babies, I need to be able to step in. Any advice on how to do so? I haven't had rats for a while and when I did there were no babies, so I'm really clueless! 

Thanks for any and all help!


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

I think the babies need to be fed kitten formula every two hours and need to be helped to eliminate the waste, but I've never hand-reared anything, much less a rat.


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## KimmiesGuineas (Jun 14, 2007)

I have a puppy/cat formula and tiny bottles, will that work? Even if they're pinkies, will they latch on? And by eliminating wastes, do you mean a wet Q-tip around the bottom?

Thank you for your help. It's just that it was so sad looking at that baby and thinking that s/he might not make it (I wasn't able to take them today no matter how badly I wanted to, for multiple reasons)


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

http://www.afrma.org/rminfo8.htm
http://www.ratfanclub.org/orphans.html


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## KimmiesGuineas (Jun 14, 2007)

Thanks Kimmiekins! By the way, I love your name and the way you spell it


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

Welcome.  Hehe, thanks!


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## KimmiesGuineas (Jun 14, 2007)

Also, I know how often they need to be fed, but I've gotten conflicting information about nights. Do I only do it once during the night or do I do it every so many hours?


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

I believe it's round-the-clock, including nights. Don't quote me on that, but I know that the babies would feed from the mother all day and night, so...


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## KimmiesGuineas (Jun 14, 2007)

That's what I thought, but then I read do it once at night and I didn't want to overfeed them so I thought I'd ask. Thanks (again!)


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