# First time rat mom



## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

Last weekend I brought home my first rat. She was a pet store feeder so of course she's terrified. I'm not sure about her age, but she's not very big so maybe 3 to 4 months. When I first brought her home she was so terrified that she climbed to the very top level and just huddled in the corner. I moved her food and water to the top level because I was afraid she wouldn't eat or drink. I've been trying to bribe her with baby food and treats, so far she hasn't shown any interest but she will sniff my hand and let me pet her when I reach in the cage. Last night I did a full clean out of the cage(it was already starting to smell lol) and after I put her back in because the top level was too crowded with her bed and litter pan. This morning she was actually down on the middle level, had moved one of her chew sticks around, and as I was watching and actually climbed down to the bottom investigate the little house I put in for her. She's definitely making progress. Two days ago I completely lost my mind and responded to a Craigslist ad about live feeder pups. So I ended up coming home with three female pups. I am guessing that they're around 2 weeks old based off of the tons of websites I've checked out about raising orphaned pups. They have very soft costs. Out of the 3, 2 already had their eyes open. As of today, the biggest girl has her eyes completely open, the medium girl has her eyes mostly open, and the smallest girl just cracked her eyes open. They have been eating soy infant formula every few hours and are pooping and peeing on their own. I added some baby oatmeal to their formula this morning and the biggest girl was even brave enough to try some chicken baby food and loved it. I can't wait to watch them grow up. My older girl is white with pink eyes and is named Artemis. The babies were named by my 4 year old and are Lava(black), Police Officer(cream and white), and Volcano(cream). As of last night, Lava was 35 grams, and Police Officer and Volcano were each 31 grams. Volcano is the one who opened her eyes this morning


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## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

*I put her food and water back on the middle level because the top was too crowded


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

Those babies are only about 10 days old. You have quite an adventure in front of you. I can only suggest you look at the immersion thread and spend as much time with all 4 of these babies as you can.The more time you spend with Artemis out of her cage the sooner she will realize you aren't the big bad wolf.


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## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

I got all three of my rats from a pet store. 

One of them was terrified of everything! After having her for about a week, I did immersion training with her. That was about a week ago. She is doing very well now. Still a bit skittish, but last night, she was giving me kisses!


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

You're off to a pretty good start then. It is a little worrisome that the new ones are so young, though. Hope everything goes well with them.


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## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

There are 3 members here that I know of who would be good to talk to about the babies. I'm sure there are also others. These are the ones I've seen that seem to have a lot of experience with baby rats.

lilspaz68Gribouilli

Moonkissed


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## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. I was leaning toward trust training, but seeing as she has not been swayed by any treats so far(I've tried fatty treats, oxbow veggie treats, sunflower seeds, and a variety of baby foods) we're going to give Immersion training a try. 

I was estimating the age of the babies based off of several growth charts and their behaviors. They are eating soy formula every 4 hours and I've started giving them a tiny bit of baby oatmeal mixed in. I am still wiping their genital areas to make sure they are going to the bathroom enough but I have been peed and pooped on enough to believe they're going their own. They are quite mobile and enjoy climbing all over me. They also groom their little faces as I'm cleaning them and have started playing with each other. I've attached updated pictures of the little ones. The pictures aren't the best but the little ones are quite squirmy and active.


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## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

Oops one didn't attach


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

Welcome. You have quite the journey ahead of you with the babies but you seem to be doing a fantastic job! As for trust training I find that no sugar applesauce and yogurt work like a charm. Also remenber that not all rats are outgoing and some are more shy than others. You just have to know when the individual rat is scared of you or just naturally shy.


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## Damiansmom (Mar 6, 2016)

Artemis is still very nervous, but I actually got her to sit in my lap while I petted her. She pooped repeatedly on me, but finally calmed down and stopped trying to get away. She is also freely exploring the cage now. In the past 2 days she has started hoarding her food in her hide and dragging bedding into it. I didnlike't know she was doing it until last night when I watched her climb up to her food dish, grab a piece of food, and climb back down to her hide. She did this over and over until her dish was empty. She would periodically stop for a few minutes to use her water bottle and then go back to stashing. Is this normal?

The hand fed babies are doing extremely well. They are getting very mobile and curious and have a tendency to nibble on my fingers when I'm not getting their formula quickly enough.

I've attached pictures of the babies.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Hoarding food is normal for rats. Some do it, some don't. Nothing to worry about your babies are super cute. You could get a Ratoob and have them with you when doing stuff around your house


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## Yummy (Jan 18, 2015)

Those last pictures you posted are precious. Your son looks like he is loving his new little friends! Best of luck with your babies - I hope they bring a lot of joy and fun times together! You have certainly changed their lives for the better.


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