Baby Wild Rat

Question
We had a colony of wild rats living under our shed.  We were live trapping them, saved about 50.  We lifted up the shed and there were babies.  My brother was going to get them all to save, but could only get one.  It had fur on it and just yesterday opened it's eyes.  I have been feeding it Soy formula and stimulating it's genitals so it can go to the loo!  I was wondering about keeping the little booger as I'm already bonded to it.  What are the chances of it have any diseases, such as Weils etc.

Answer

Linda's baby rat pups! Hi Ashley

Your in luck...you have more of a chance getting Weils from a dog than the baby rat you have there.  Rats also DO NOT carry rabies so dont worry about that, either.  Not dont misunderstand me, rats can catch rabies if bitten by a rabid animal just like you and I could, but the chance this tiny rat survive a bite from an animal with rabies is ZERO, so thats no worry either. In fact, you "kinda sorta hafta" keep the pup now anyhow.  You already left a human imprint on him. You certainly cannot release it into the wild. It wont have any survival skills since you will need to nurse this pup for a while longer.  Your pretty much a rat owner now, kiddo :)
If his eyes are open, he is about 2 weeks old. Hopefully your out of the woods with him by now but do NOT be too disappointed if he doesnt make it. I have only had a few happy endings when people rescue pups and hand feed them, but they usually dont have their eyes open, either.How long have you been caring for him so far?
Also, if he seems strong, now is the time to always handle him, hold him,pet and snuggle him (if you havent already been doing that, that is!) and he will need a big cage to climb around in.
In fact read up on my website about rat care as far as what type of bedding to use, food to feed, cage to buy, how to make a play area for them that is safe (you will need one for this pup as he will be very curious and will want to run and explore) when he gets stronger, around 4 weeks old, he will be slippery as heck so do not ever take him outside or out in a room he can get lost in such as the kitchen (they go up inside the back of the fridge where they can be killed by the fan to the motor) they find small holes in the wall or under sinks etc...to go in and you may never get him out again after that. They also go up inside the couch cushions or in the springs. ANother danger.

What to do is make a playpen wall out of cardboard that he cannot climb. Have some toys for him and sit in there with him during his play time. The cage should have bar spaces close together so he doesnt get out.
As for food, again, check my site, but he is not to be fed a diet high in protein or fats. THis only causes kidney disease later in life.
If your new rat is raised healthy he can live up to 4 years with the average being anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 years.

I had a wild rat named Holly. I didn't rescue her till she was 11 weeks old and by then, she was mean and bit me all the time. I never gave up and used my rat behavior training skills to trust train her. SHe lived a few months shy of her 4th birthday and despite the fact she needed to live alone, (she beat up the domestic rats!) she was the best rat I have ever had. I lost her last July 07 to cancer.

Anyhow, you may want to also think about getting a friend for him. When he is about 4 weeks old, you can go to the pet store and buy a rat that is of course the same sex as he or she is and this will make him even more domesticated.

Here is a photo of a colony of wild baby rats.CLick to enlarge the photo.  A friend of mine rescued a wild rat from the walls of her Cafe and lo and behold, she was pregnant. They are adorable!!!
If you have any photos that would be fun to see.

Anyhow here is the URL to my website.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/gettingstarted.htm

Please look it over and let me know how things are going!  Good luck!