# Help with Orphaned Rat Baby



## Akgirl574 (Nov 15, 2012)

Please help, I have a rat baby I believe it's about 2 weeks old. I've read all I can on feeding, heating, and hygiene. I've been feeding her for about a week, every 3-4 hours, as much as I can get her to eat of baby soy formula (Suggested from another site). Her weight has been holding steady at 14 grams. I'm sure she needs to gain weight but not sure what to do? Help!


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Sometimes hand raised babies will be smaller.

If your worried about her weight in her formula mix in some Goat milk. Goat's milk is similar to rat and human milk and has no lactose in it.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

As soon as she has teeth, you can start adding sugar frosted shredded wheat cerial soaked in the milk... 

I feed my "just barely weaned" fuzzies whole milk and soggy frosted miniwheat cerial.... no it's not on any web site, it's just what I had on hand when I brought home my first fuzzy rat... but it worked a treat, then I switch to and suppliment with mizzuri rodent blocks... the babies fatten up and grow fast.

Is this a domestic rat or is it a wild rat, the domestics tend to pork up faster.


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## Akgirl574 (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. This is a domestic rat, just got her teeth so I will try frosted mini wheats.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I wouldn't use mini-wheats. I would try to get cream of wheat instead or corn flakes. Min-wheats has a lot of stuff rats should Not have. Also goat milk would be better (or soy milk) as it has no lactose in it.

or try a bit of greek yogurt, that would actually be much better.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

I have moved this to Caring for Accidental Litters - I know it's not necessarily an "accidental litter" but this section is the most appropriate for this. It may get lost/pushed down in General. Good luck with your baby.


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I can't disagree with lightningwolfs suggestions for improvements having never tried them and if he's had luck with his recipe I certainly wouldn't discount it as an option... Although aside from the sugar (which disolves into the milk and isn't likely to harm a baby rat), mini shredded wheats are only shredded whole grain wheat (generic brand is fine). My "unusual" recipe is what I had on hand way back when I brought my first fuzzy rat home and realized she was too young for blocks alone... The rat just grew so fast and strong I've never gone back to worry about better or why the recipe worked or how to improve it. Same with the mizzuri lab blocks, I really wouldn't feed it to adults as a staple, but for fast growing pups it works a treat.

I suspect that rats are very adaptable and there are likely many recipes that will work equally well, I only post mine because there are also likely a few that won't.


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