INTRODUCTION - Most of the time rat moms are amazing and take care of their babies without any issues all on their own without human intervention but occasionally you may find or be asked to care for abandoned babies so what’s the best thing to do if it happens to you? The Georgia Rat Rescue do NOT take in, handle, adopt out or foster care orphan baby rats so do not contact us about taking them in, your time and theirs's is better spent finding more experienced and capable options or starting at-home nursing care (see below). Also, although we have not had or heard about any problems in hand rearing baby wild rats, it is important that anyone who handles a wild animal takes appropriate hygiene precautions and consults your vet about potential parasites or bacterial diseases that may be carried in your region that could affect you through this contact.
FOR babies found outside: First check they really are abandoned as often wild rat mums leave their nests daily to forage so if you find a nest containing babies the best thing to do is to leave it alone and keep an eye on it from a discreet distance or check back in a few hours as the mom maybe waiting nearby for you to go away, even if a nest is disturbed. And as a general rule with all wildlife, its better to leave found babies alone unless you are certain there's immediate danger or the mom can't return or is found dead. Sometimes, like us, you will find yourself being asked by someone who means well that has already taken them into captivity and is asking for your help.
REMEMBER a surrogate mom is better than no mom: Because rat moms really do take the best care of their babies and for the best chance of a full survival (especially in the case of pinkies - babies under the age of 2 weeks with no hair), then the next best thing is to find a surrogate mom with a litter to put them with that is as close to the age as the babies as possible give or take a week but in general any currently lactating mom will do. Rats generally do not care about who's babies are who's so often breeders will place their orphaned litters with other lactating does if possible. This may mean contacting your local pet stores and breeders to see if anyone has such a mom that they can either take the litter or you can take the mom and her litter in and integrate the babies. Moms can successfully raise large litters of up to 22-24 babies with supplemental hand feedings of the babies, extra good nutrition and even rotating of babies in and out for prime feeding times. Tell your story on as many rat forums, social media outlets and community boards as possible or your local wildlife rehab centers and individual people who do wildlife rehab and orphan care (your going to have the best luck with squirrel or experienced caregivers) and while finding someone with a lactating doe willing to foster more is going to be difficult and many wildlife centers will not take rats, don't give up, it's worth asking around...a lot! Please note here that time is very critical, they need to be with a mom nursing or being hand feed ideally no later than 3-6 hours after finding them and at most 24-48 hours or they will not survive.
NO LUCK then try hand feeding: While difficult to do and a major commitment it is certainly possible to successfully hand rear a baby or litter from any age to weaning. Good news is that once they have fur and their eyes are opening then they will start to eat solid food on their own and you can lessen the amount of intensive nursing care needed daily and move to move of a supplemental care routine. As they get to an age around 4 weeks then they technically can be fully weaned from the 'nipple' and supplemented with oral milk that they drink on their own along with solid foods they are now fully on. At that point you will want to add in additional proteins, good fats and oils into their diets. By age 5-6 weeks old depending on their overall weight and health you can start pet placing them. First know that for babies that are just born to about 2 weeks old however you will need to hand feed them every 3-4 hours (this includes overnight which is absolutely crucial! this is often how people ultimately lose them to dehydration). You will also want to create a little warm next or bed for them and keep them warm either through a temperature controlled timed heating pad or heated up socks filled with dry rice or warm water bottle next to them along with plenty of warm fluff like fleece, cotton bits, paper towels etc. Remember to allow for waste elimination by stimulating their bottom parts (both) with a warm wet q-tip or your finger regularly. And finally since there are some great articles, sites and videos on how to care for and feed orphan baby rats we're not going to go into this portion but share helpful links that we've either used before or referenced to get you started and on the right road.
Resources for Feeding & Caring For Orphan Rats (both wild and domestic):