A week ago, someone brought us a litter of 10 orphaned baby rats that they had discovered in their garage. They were tiny, skinny, their eyes weren’t yet open and their fur was very thin. But they hadn’t given up trying: these little babies were determined to make it.
Fortunately, they had arrived at the right doorstep, because we already had everything necessary to help them and we knew just what to do.
We put them in a temperature controlled environment, and carefully hand fed them goat milk every 2 hours around the clock, using a tiny little nipple that just fit into their little mouths. As they ate, we gently held them cupped in our hands so they would feel safe and warm and, when they finished, we wiped their bottoms with a moist tissue to stimulate elimination, just like their real mom would have done.
They quickly grew extremely tame, as they learned to associate the scents and touch of a human hand with care and love, and the sounds and sights of our approach with happiness and full bellies.
Feeding baby rats – now much bigger!
Although they had been born to wild parents, these babies were no longer wild, and would probably always seek out the company of people rather than avoid us.
For this reason, we felt that it wouldn’t be fair to return them to the wild as planned, as they probably wouldn’t survive. What a pity it would be to save their lives, only to doom them to short, unhappy ends filled with fear and hunger!
We estimate that, in 2 weeks, these babies will be old enough to be adopted.
Would you like to provide them with a home? This is a very unique opportunity to adopt a pet which is different than what you can find in any pet store. A rat which looks wild, yet is probably more tame than most due to it’s upbringing.
If you would like to adopt one or more babies from this litter, please let us know. We will charge a small rehoming fee, just to insure that our hand-raised babies go to good homes where they will be loved. We also have an agreement with a local Vet to do one check-up for half price to help you get started.
Thanks and hope to hear from you soon!