Oh no I fell in love with the food. [baby rats]

[Gallagher]

I made the mistake of growing the rats up just a little... I really shouldnt have done that... now Im in love...


http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/84263baby_rats-med.JPG


The one with the stripe down its face... it looks like a puppy!! Shes so cute... and I dont even really like rodents... but we recently took in 1 male and 3 female rats because my kids and don like them... but Im hooked now...


Btw there is a question in here lol. When are baby rats weaned? The ones in the pic are about 2 and a half to 3 weeks... and are just getting there eyes opened.

[Traci1]

I can totally relate, did you read my post about Rodent Fest in MD? As far as I know they can be weaned at 4wks of age, 5 at the latest or you risk the male offspring trying to mate w/ mom and/or sibs.

They sure are cute!

[Guenhwyvar]

Oh my!! Those are CEEEUUUUTE!

[mrweaw]

I sure wish mine would hurry up and have babies :cry: There should be enough white ones to feed...but I wanna play with the cuties!

[Gallagher]

I was lucky enough to pick this group up already established. They had the five big ones about 2 days after i got them. I keep hoping for ugly ones so my snakes will actually get feed but it isnt happening lol


Angel

[Jynx]

I can't say I'm surprised in the least bit Angel. LOL :)

[peep_827]

Hubby and son have forbidden me from starting a feeder colony. They know full well that once I've "raised" them they probably won't be snake food. What can I say? :shrugs: I guess it's just as well, popping a frozen mouse into a cup of water is probably a lot easier. LOL

[DdotSpot]

LOL! I know exactly how that goes, I bought a bunch of live mouse the other day because I couldn't find any frozen. There's always AT LEAST one that I just can't cull because its so darn cute. So I kept this BEAUTIFUL male mouse with an all silver coat and dark ruby eyes.

Dangit

[dionythicus]

We think rats are great pets (I've had pet rats all through my life), but sadly my husband is highly allergic to them. So we don't have to worry about the "but they're too cute to kill!" because we'll never have live rats or mice. Except the rat that stared down a snake last year and somehow stuck around. I'm not sure how that happened. But one rat doesn't seem to push hubby's asthma over the edge like having two or three. We've tried more than once to keep other rats, but he has to rely on his inhaler all day long. Not worth it. So we'll help keep Rodentpro in business. LOL

[Taceas]

Welcome to the club. I grabbed my current adult breeder male out of a feeder bin and fell instantly in love. It was over from then on. That weekend we went and found him a girlfriend and the rest is history. :rolleyes:

I generally wean my rodents at around 5-6 weeks, or until the mom gets sick of it or is nearing her next birthing time. That extra week or two gives them a good boost of fat and nutrition while they're switching over to solid foods and water. They just seem to transition and look better over all. They CAN be weaned at 4 weeks, but I don't like to rush it with "keepers". I want them to be as healthy as they can be before they start their life of servitude to my snakes.

I have never had a rodent under 6 weeks to try to mate or be mated upon, at least that I've observed. Most of my females I keep back to raise up as breeders never really breed till darn near 8 weeks of age. They seem to know their lives better than we do. Most of the males are older and really don't try to force the issue either. However newly introduced males and females may try to do it at a younger age, because of the newness and hormones. Reminds me of me 7 years ago....

[Gallagher]

When weaning the babies whats the best thing to feed them?

[Taceas]

I always make sure lab blocks are on the floor of the cage at all times, at least for my weanling mice. They're in a rack system and they have to be able to reach the top wire to eat or at least climb to it and hang upside down. Most aren't capable of that when at the weaning stage. So I always put a few on the floor so they can eat till they figure out how to get food from above.

However the rats' food is always on the floor of the cage. Food bowls just ended up being beds or toilets. =P

If they're being separated to be weaned like my mice are...I add in a small handful of crushed Wheaties cereal. Just grab a 1/4 cup or so and in your hand give it a good crunch and thats it. You don't want a powder, just smaller flakes to appease everyone with not as much squabbling over the flakes. It's slightly sweet to attract their attention, easier to nibble with small new teeth, and quite nutritious. Baby cereal works well too, however more expensive for a small box of that compared to a giant box of Wheaties from Sam's Club/Costco.

[HeatherP]

:) Rats like litter boxes, get a couple old tins or old tuperware dishes(1 per cage) and put in the rattie raisens, keep doing it, after awhile they pick up and love it.I hide their fruit bites in the cage but it always ends up in a dish. Once a litter box trained, rats are very good at it, my free range darling uses the kitty litter boxes :) And eats cat food and pretty much controls the lives of my cats lol.

I wean my baby boys at 5 weeks and the girls are weaned when mom says so :) But mine just have 1 litter at a time so you might think about weaning them at 4 weeks, better on the doe. Dog/cat chow, scrambled eggs and plain yougurt are good for the pregnant ones as well as little ones and doesn't set you back alot (left over breakfast anyone?). They get cerel as well. Coolest thing about those family size buckets of yougurt with the snap on handle is you can use it as a swing (just pop handle off one side, slip it through the top bar things and pop it back on the bucket), you can even take a pic of it with all the ratties piled in side, hang it as a poster with KFR or Tom & Jerry's written on it in the snake cages ... oh, my rats will get me for that one, evil mommy evil evil.

There is a DIY ratfood recipe online, sue bs or something, I'd make it but I'd have to get stuff from america and the would push the price up. And just because it is that time of year, those bottoms to the cut offs you made make great tunnels if you safty pin them from the roff of the cage. When the get dirty, just toss them in the wash (old holey socks are great fun for them too, just not little new borns).

I better stop lol, once I get started on ratties I can't shut up :) Those babies are very cute :)

[sdmessmer]

Hi Angel! I knew you were going to fall in love with those rats when you left my house! Looks like the youngest litter there is much bigger than that first litter. Love the one with the big blaze, it might be a "keeper". It is hard to feed off the rats, but soon you will end up with SO many if you do not. I have two as pets and they are great, they use a litter box and don't poo on me. Very affectionate little things they are.

I wean my rats at about five weeks. I have had young females get pregnant as young as six weeks so if you don't want extra litters seperate them from the males. At six or so weeks old the mom usually has another litter anyway and she needs the milk. By seven weeks old they are big enough for my young and always hungery ball pythons and most of my corns so I don't have to keep them alive after that. I use CO2 gas to euthanize them when my kids are not home since they hate that fact of life living with snakes. :eek1:

Silvia

[Gallagher]

Thanks everyone for the info.

Yeah the second litter have 15... so theres 20 babies in that group... one mother mostly takes care of all 20 or close to. But funny thing is the two in the pic arent the mom either. So funny... they really are such good moms.


Angel

[Spitfire]

As far as I know they can be weaned at 4wks of age, 5 at the latest or you risk the male offspring trying to mate w/ mom and/or sibs.


Are you not supposed to let siblings mate? Some gentic issue?

[fyrefairy]

:) Rats like litter boxes, get a couple old tins or old tuperware dishes(1 per cage) and put in the rattie raisens, keep doing it, after awhile they pick up and love it...Once a litter box trained, rats are very good at it...

At what age do you start training them? :shrugs: I've got one weaned baby - she was leftovers, but I think I'll keep her - and I'd love to let her roam the apartment, but not until she's box trained. She's about 5 weeks now, and I've got her bowl with droppings all set up...she just sleeps in it atm. :rofl: