lots of questions

Question
Wow where do I start? I first got my rat pup when it was about oh 3 or 4 days old maybe.  I was to feed my son's snake.  The snake wanted nothing to do with it and I was not going to let the baby starve to death.  So I looked up what to feed the baby rat.  Now it is 2 1/2 weeks later and Squeaky has pulled at my heart strings.  So now I have a new addition to my family.  Everyone said that it had a very slim chance of living so I only just named it.  As you can guess I have a ton of questions.

When and how can you tell the sex of a rat?

When is it the best time to get a friend for Squeaky?

How do I introduce real food to Squeaky?

I am sure to have many more I now know where to get some answers.  

Thanks-Kelly

Answer
Ohhh Kelly bless your heart. Seriously; that is so sweet. I raised two rat-food pups also; but I was lucky enough to have a lactating mama at the time, so your job is REALLY tough with Squeaky!

Telling the sex is difficult unless you have something to compare to; but look at Squeaky's belly, with his/her head pointing up, tail down (tail should be at your wrist). If Squeaky is a boy, there will bve an oblong/oval-ish lump (a penis) about the size of the writing end of a ballpoint pen about 1, maybe 1 1/2 centimeters above the anus (at the base of the tail). If Squeaky is a girl, she will have a smaller bump very close to the anus. At 4 weeks, testicles are obvious, and you will be positive Squeaky is a boy if they descend.

As soon as Squeaky is 5 weeks old, weaned, and determined healthy -- go out and get a buddy about the same age. I'd suggest waiting until Squeaky is like 7 to 8 weeks old to get a 5 or 6 week old baby; to be sure that the new baby won't beat up on little Squeaky and they're sure to get along. Usually babies are very social, but that's just an extra precaution I'd take. Be sure, positive! to follow quarantine procedure. www.ratguide.com and www.ratreport.com have great articles on quarantine.

As far as real food goes - be sure it's rat-edible and toss it in the cage. Squeaky will discover it on his/her nightly/daily walks around the cage and being curious, just like toddlers, all things wind up in their mouth.

I'm SO sorry for the delay in answering this -- my daughter has been a PILL lately and I've been kept away from the computer. (That and spilling applejuice on my keyboard didn't help things).

Good luck with Squeaky!! Please keep me updated, I'd love to here more!