Feeding An Orphaned Baby Rat

Many people have asked what I feed them, and this is important, since most conventional milk replacer formulas don't work well for babies as small as rats and mice. Most formulas won't keep them alive, because they just aren't nutrient dense enough, and these tiny babies can easily get bloat and die from starvation, even if you think you're giving them enough. If the formula isn't dissolved well enough, they may not be able to digest the nutrients. And most formulas, per label instructions, won't be nutritionally dense enough to support them. I'm talking about the amount of fat, protein, and other nutrients per volume, because most of these formulas are meant to feed much larger animals, like squirrels, who will get enough nutrition because they are drinking a much greater volume than a little rat can. Over the past 2 decades I have raised a ton of orphaned baby roof rats, cotton rats, and deer mice. I have found Esbilac Goat's Milk based POWDERED formula to be the best, followed by powdered WHOLE goat's milk (Meyenberg) or fresh goat's milk. If you can't find Esbilac Goat's Milk powdered formula, then you can use powdered or fresh goat's milk and use KMR, Esbilac, PetAg, or Fox Valley milk replacement formula added to it to further increase the nutrient density, because the milk alone won't be dense enough. I HIGHLY suggest you adhere to using goat's milk in some form as the primary base of your formula because it's just so much easier for them to handle and their chances of survival are much better. I've raised dozens of rats and mice over the years, and I've lost a lot of them too. I lost a lot fewer of them when I discovered using goat's milk was better than standard rehabber formulas. Now, whether it's a rat, squirrel, or cottontail, I use goat's milk in some form with them as the base of the formula. In the past, I also used sponge makeup applicator wands to feed rats and mice, by soaking these with formula and allowing the baby to suckle on it until it's dry. Then, you can use the syringe with the dental applicator on it to add more formula to the end of the sponge as the baby is suckling. This only works well if your sponge applicators are small enough for the baby to fit it in their mouth. But for rodents I eventually discontinued using the sponges as they got older, because when their teeth start coming in they have a tendency to catch their teeth on the sponge and they latch on and it can be hard to get them to release the sponge, and it may tear pieces off, posing a hazard to them. Once they get to be this old, with eyes open, I don't recommend using the makeup sponges. They would however be better for cleaning up a baby after feeding than cotton swabs are, as the cotton swabs tend to leave fibers. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Meyenberg-... https://www.amazon.com/Fashionclubs-D... https://www.amazon.com/VNDEFUL-Dispos... To donate to this rescue: PayPal: wfreptilerescue@pm.me Donate without a PayPal account at this checkout: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... FB page:   / reptilerescue