Sitemaps

What are some emergency care tips for baby rats that have been abandoned by their mother2007-11-24 22:16:28

A friend found a litter of baby rats in her backyard this morning. The mother appears to have died, or abandoned them. They have hair, about 1 inch long, and appear to be at least a week or so old. They roamed around the yard all day looking for food, water, their mother. Most have since died from heat exposure, dehydration, but two remain. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep the remaining two alive until they can find someone to remove them from the backyard? They definitely don't plan on keeping them around, but they don't want to kill them either.

Answers:

What a shame =( The mother must have died because usually they don't leave their youngens til they can survive on their own.

Your friend can put them in a box and hand feed them every few hours until their eyes are open and they are healthy looking(able to fend for themselves.)

At the very least have them put the Rats somewhere shaded and leave some little bits of food and water for them.

Below is a link to the proper way to care for Rats if you or anyone else is interested.

---

One by one. Hold it over the toilet bowl and drop one in.

After it drowns, flush it down, and repeat until their all gone.

Problem solved. :-})

---

Housing Your Rat

Cages for Rats

A large wire cage is best, especially one with horizontal bars that allow the rat to climb on the sides if they wish. A tall cage with ramps and platforms is ideal for providing room for multiple rats. As minimum, a cage with 12 by 24 inches (2 square feet) of floor space is okay for two smaller rats, as long as the cage is tall and you provide shelves and/or hammocks for extra space. Larger is always better. Large aquariums are okay, but do not provide good ventilation (and must be cleaned more often).