12 replies to this topic

[Hopp23456]

Hey guys! So my dad and I were driving and he find a tiny mammal (it's eyes are still closed and we think it's a rat but are not sure) and it was laying on the concrete in a parking lot. My dad picked it up and we are trying to care for it. I don't believe we have any animal places that would take it but we are going to look. It's currently living in a shoe box with warm water bottles and we are going to feed it soy based baby formula. I plan on feeding it every two hours. Any other help whatsoever would be helpful. Thanks!

Here are some pictures: https://ibb.co/b12Sxdp
https://ibb.co/v3Mt3xH
https://ibb.co/km4yGnD
https://ibb.co/TcKGjm8

Edited by Hopp23456, 24 October 2021 - 04:44 AM.

[Zula]

Hey guys! So my dad and I were driving and he find a tiny mammal (it's eyes are still closed and we think it's a rat but are not sure) and it was laying on the concrete in a parking lot. My dad picked it up and we are trying to care for it. I don't believe we have any animal places that would take it but we are going to look. It's currently living in a shoe box with warm water bottles and we are going to feed it soy based baby formula. I plan on feeding it every two hours. Any other help whatsoever would be helpful. Thanks!

Hi, do you have any photos in order to confirm whether it’s a rat or not?
Are the hot water bottles inside or outside the box? I would be concerned if they are inside that it might get a little too hot for the rat. Are you able to place one underneath and fill the shoebox with scraps of material and create a little nest if you haven’t already?
I’m not very familiar with soy based baby formulas, however it sounds like it should be alright. Some other alternatives you could try are goats milk or kitten formulas if you wanted to though. Feeding every two hours sounds good.

It looks like you are doing a great and conscientious job! Fingers crossed for the little rat! <3

[♥TheHamHamGuru♥]

Hey guys! So my dad and I were driving and he find a tiny mammal (it's eyes are still closed and we think it's a rat but are not sure) and it was laying on the concrete in a parking lot. My dad picked it up and we are trying to care for it. I don't believe we have any animal places that would take it but we are going to look. It's currently living in a shoe box with warm water bottles and we are going to feed it soy based baby formula. I plan on feeding it every two hours. Any other help whatsoever would be helpful. Thanks!

im not an expert of rats, nor have i ever cared for baby mammals, but i will put what i know.

 

make sure you keep the box warm all the time, not boiling but warm. i would recommend put in a blanket too if you havent. feeding wise, im not too sure what type of milk is good. i do think what you have is good but i have heard cat milk is safe too (double check that though... not 100% sure). feed it every 2 hours, even at night. yes that means a messed up sleep schedule but if you want the animal to survive, you have too. after around 2-3 weeks it should have some fur and you should be able to identify the animal. at this time you can feed it normal food slowly introducing it and start thinking about an enclosure. at 4 weeks your going to need a an enclosure 100%. if your not keeping the animal, you dont need the best one in the world, it just need to work. just research the animal and care. update us as you go please!

[Hopp23456]

As far as pictures, I don't know how to add photos to this website... With the hot water bottles they are baby bottles with warm water inside and they are inside the Showbox. I have a blanket and shredded paper towel for bedding. Thanks for your reply!

Edited by Hopp23456, 24 October 2021 - 12:20 AM.

[Hopp23456]

im not an expert of rats, nor have i ever cared for baby mammals, but i will put what i know.

make sure you keep the box warm all the time, not boiling but warm. i would recommend put in a blanket too if you havent. feeding wise, im not too sure what type of milk is good. i do think what you have is good but i have heard cat milk is safe too (double check that though... not 100% sure). feed it every 2 hours, even at night. yes that means a messed up sleep schedule but if you want the animal to survive, you have too. after around 2-3 weeks it should have some fur and you should be able to identify the animal. at this time you can feed it normal food slowly introducing it and start thinking about an enclosure. at 4 weeks your going to need a an enclosure 100%. if your not keeping the animal, you dont need the best one in the world, it just need to work. just research the animal and care. update us as you go please!

I will definitely keep you all updated, and yes I plan on releasing it into the wild when it's old enough. Thanks for your reply!

[Zula]

As far as pictures, I don't know how to add photos to this website... With the hot water bottles they are baby bottles with warm water inside and they are inside the Showbox. I have a blanket and shredded paper towel for bedding. Thanks for your reply!

To upload pictures you can use an external website such as Imgbb. You don’t need an account, just select the images you want to upload, click BBC full linked and copy it, then paste on to HH

[RodentLover13]

Hey guys! So my dad and I were driving and he find a tiny mammal (it's eyes are still closed and we think it's a rat but are not sure) and it was laying on the concrete in a parking lot. My dad picked it up and we are trying to care for it. I don't believe we have any animal places that would take it but we are going to look. It's currently living in a shoe box with warm water bottles and we are going to feed it soy based baby formula. I plan on feeding it every two hours. Any other help whatsoever would be helpful. Thanks!

I think Zula and TheHamHamGuru gave some pretty good advice. I don't know very much about baby rats but have owned two female rats in the past. If you end up keeping this sweet baby then feel free to PM me with any questions on rat care. I hope the little guy does okay. Best of luck!

[Hopp23456]

I think Zula and TheHamHamGuru gave some pretty good advice. I don't know very much about baby rats but have owned two female rats in the past. If you end up keeping this sweet baby then feel free to PM me with any questions on rat care. I hope the little guy does okay. Best of luck!

Thanks

[Hopp23456]

To upload pictures you can use an external website such as Imgbb. You don’t need an account, just select the images you want to upload, click BBC full linked and copy it, then paste on to HH

I just added some photos. Thank you so much!

[Hopp23456]

Thanks for all your responses! I just added a few photos to my original post.

[Zula]

Thank you for the pictures, definitely a rat pup. Looks to be about 1.5 weeks old ish

Due to its size, a good way to feed the milk would be off a small paintbrush, it can suck and lick off the milk easily and is more natural than syringe feeding or off a spoon, which might be hard due to size and age. Also, from the pictures, I would be tempted to add some more nesting material, anything like scraps of material would work, but at this age they need to stay warm at all times. It could also help the rat feel more protected and supported.

You seem to be doing a great job so far, he is very lucky that you found him, keep us posted and good luck <3

Edited by Zula, 24 October 2021 - 03:28 PM.

[Hopp23456]

Thank you for the pictures, definitely a rat pup. Looks to be about 1.5 weeks old ish :)Due to its size, a good way to feed the milk would be off a small paintbrush, it can suck and lick of the milk easily and is more natural than syringe feeding or off a spoon, which might be hard due to size and age. Also, from the pictures, I would be tempted to add some more nesting material, anything like scraps of material would work, but at this age they need to stay warm at all times. It could also help the rat feel more protected and supported. You seem to be doing a great job so far, he is very lucky that you found him, keep us posted and good luck <3

Thanks!!!

[Hopp23456]

Quick update: the baby rat is doing okay. We named him Alec Baldwin. The only problem is he doesn't like to eat, we have to force him to have the formula. I'm pretty sure he's losing weight. Also he looks kind of dirty, like maybe he somehow got covered in formula? Could I clean him off with a baby wipe? I included a couple of pictures I just took. Thanks guys! https://ibb.co/48dqX6W
https://ibb.co/qnbVQjN