Goosemoose Pet Portal

I work at PetsMart and am considered the 'Rat Expert'. We recently got a pair of young dumbo hairless rats into the store and I noticed that one was VERY small. Both would fit easily in the palm of my hand, and having raised a litter myself I figure they're around 6-8 weeks old. I weighed them, one is at 100-110 grams, the other has ranged from 60-70 only D:

Yesterday morning I opened the store and when I went into the New Arrival room (we quarantine all our animals before they go to the floor so we dont infect our whole Habitat) and filled up a water bottle for some of our larger blue rats and when I went to check on the hairless, the smaller guy (I've been calling them Bunsen & Burner, he's Burner >__> ) attacked my hand and started to furiously lick water off me. Immediately I ran my hand down his back and he is ALL SKIN AND BONES. Like there is nothing between his spine and skin or hips and skin, it made me almost cry. I checked the water bottle and it was half full, he just isnt big enough to make the roller ball work. I watched him try and get some water from it, and there's just nothing.

So I immediately grabbed a syringe and started to nurse him water and he drank almost 50CCs off it without stopping for a breath. So, I started to go in every 45 minutes or so to nurse him and check on him. I gave him some baby food we had in the back and told the person who came in with me about his situation and told my manager and GM what to do for him. When I weighed him he was right at 70 before I left for the day. Before I left I switched him to a water bottle that doesn't use a roller ball, just the force of gravity (think like those aqua globe things they're always blasting on the TV!) and that seemed to work better for him.

Today when I opened I checked him immediately and weighed him, he was just at 64 grams. I gave him some applesauce and cut up some carrots for him just so he would have something in there. My main concern is that he just isn't big enough to handle the water bottle or to eat the lab blocks and supplements (carrots, greens, things like that) that we give them each day. After he ate some I weighed him again before I left and he had jumped to 70 - I had a big smile about that, but we'll see if he keeps the weight or not tomorrow.

My biggest concern (and my manager's too) is how to get him to a point where hes big enough to survive on his own as a basic rat can - managing to eat on his own and drink on his own without us needing to nurse him.

I picked up some baby food for him and some of that rice baby cereal stuff and will be giving it to him in the morning.

If it comes down to it, I'll buy him from the store and nurse him each hour if need be, I do adore the boy and he's got SUCH a personality....he'll leap up out of his cage right onto your shoulder and snuggle up with you before you can blink your eye!

I'm just looking for other people's perspectives on how I can help this baby to make it. Thanks for any tips!

I wish you were at my Petsmart.  I would come right down and get him :BlueDumboSmile:.  I would just do whatever you can to help.  You seem to be doing everything you can do.  My little guys have been drinking from a waterbottle since they were 3 weeks old though.  I can't see that being the problem.  They are 5 weeks now and range from 60-120g.  They all eat and drink on there own and mom has totally weaned them.

See, my kids were fine too but that's the only reason that I could come up with for why he isn't about to get that bottle to work. My tapping the end to see if it would work resulted in water, so I just couldn't fathom why he could get water out....the best I could come up with was he's just so darned small!

How sure are you about the little guy's age? It almost sounds to me like that little guy is too young to be away from mom. At least that would explain why he is having problems eating and using the water bottle - it could be that he is not used to solid foods and may not have ever used a water bottle before. Just a thought...

Perhaps bringing in some high calorie goodies - like chicken, a high quality moist puppy food - would help get his weight up.

We aren't very sure at all. Our breeder rarely gives us any sort of information, I'm going on my knowledge and experience as  a rat owner alone and guesstimating that he's about 6 weeks old or so.....I'm also guessing that hes the runt of his litter, considering that his littermate / cagemate is so much larger than he is at this point.

Try rehydrating him with ensure rather than pure water.  It has lots of calories and other things that he seems to need desperately.  I would give him everything he can eat, but in spaced out meals, so he doesn't overeat.

Pink

We have Nutralyte in store, would that work as well? I'm assuming it would be a decent alternative since it's got electrolytes in it that would help boost his system

Crush upab blocks and mix it with either KMR, Ensure or Boost to make a sludge. I would keep him seperate to make sure he is the one eating it and not the other hairless. I've nursed many young babies 2.5-3 weeks old and sick, malnourished rats with this and they put healthy weight on quickly.

I don't know what Nutralyte is, and a quick google search didn't turn up anything.  A pet store should have nutrical, that would be a fair suplement to the diet, it has a lot of calories.  I would still hydrate with an ensure drink.  It tastes really good, and rats will suck up a lot of it.  It has a not only has a high density of calories (it is made to help people gain weight), but hydrates much better then the nutri cal.

Pink

You could also try leaving him at night with lots of watermelon, grapes, applesauce - stuff that has a high water content. All the food suggestions are great, too. It won't hurt the other baby to have some of the same stuff, even though he is larger. I gave my babies kmr and soaked lab block for several weeks after they were weaned.

You've been given some great advice, and I sure hope the little ratty baby will be okay!
I have to ask, though, out of curiousity.... I live in the north Dallas area, and wondered where the Petsmart is that you work at?

I work in Lewisville :D

Today I moved him into his own cage and set him up with the cereal and babyfood, he's been pigging out most of the day, which makes me MUCH happier because I can see he's starting to put on some weight from a couple days ago.

I moved him on his own so I can monitor how much he's actually getting to eat and how it's going through his system. I can't thank you guys enough for all the advice, I've given a lot of it to my manager too and she was very grateful :3

Darn, I live in Rowlett, near Rockwall. Oh well, it was worth asking. But I am glad to know there's SOMEone working with the animals in Petsmart that cares well for the animals. Props to you! :wink5:

Do you have someone who can give him sub-q fluids so he doesn't dehydrate?  You're too far from us or we'd come do it!  

Lab block mush is a great idea.  You should be able to get enough "dust' from the bottom of the lab block bag for several days so you don't have to crush it yourself!  I always mix the "dust" in the bottom with baby food for my boys~they think they are getting a BIG treat!

I like to mix baby cereal with the baby food too.  Heinz has things like chicken & apple and turkey & sweet potato; they have twice the protein than just the veggies.  Also there's no salt added.  (I'm a label reader!)

I'd come get the boys if I was closer!  Good luck and kudos to you!

Ann & my gorgeous boys Nobel, Ridley, D'Marco, Gino & Nunzio!
Enjoy the yogie bar Efram!
Co-founding Partner/Secretary
Pittsburgh Rat Lovers Club & Rescue

Do you work at the one off Round Grove/Hebron near the mall? I actually work at the Studio Movie Grill right down the freeway (though I live in Arlington). Good to know that there is a Petsmart near by that has caring, knowledgable employees! I'll try to visit sometime before I go in to work.  :thumbsup2:

Yep! That's the one! Im the redhead usually running around in PetCare hiding from a manager who's attacking me with a laser pointer......today, half the staff had laser battles and kept chasing each other around with them XD

The baby was doing MUCH better today, thanks for all the great advice everyone! I didn't have too many issues when I was raising my babies, so I never had to do much extra work other than feeding the runt by himself every once in awhile when the big kids seemed to be ganging up on him; it's been a year since then so I'm rusty D:

You guys have made me feel much better about this whole situation by giving me some extra tips and advice, I'm sure Burner  appreciates it too! I know I do!

That's great news DV!  Next time you're at your vet's office, have them show you how to give sub-q fluids.  It's easy.  It's a great thing to be able to do when you have your own sick ratties at home who just aren't getting enough fluids!

Ann & my gorgeous boys Nobel, Ridley, D'Marco, Gino & Nunzio!
Enjoy the yogie bar Efram!
Co-founding Partner/Secretary
Pittsburgh Rat Lovers Club & Rescue

 you know i saw somethink like this at my store too. He was at our store for months in Iso and he would not grow but his tummy was swollen looking. worms.. we got him adopt out with a vet friend who was able to get some weight on him but he never did get very big, no where near the size of my boys.