Cat gave me a present this morning...

Question
QUESTION: Dear Sandra,

Well, the subject says it.  I woke this morning to my son saying there's a mouse on the floor.  Nope, not a mouse, but a beautiful little baby rat.  Now, I love rats and always have since I was a little girl, and once discovered it was still alive, I immediately took it from my husband and began keeping it warm in my hands until we could get the heating pad set-up.  The rat looks to be about 7 days old.  Eyes and ears are still closed, but ears are gradually ascending from the head.  It has it's baby fur and can crawl VERY well.

Here's my concern:
The cat did manage to puncture the skin.  One on its head and the other on its back.  Now so far, there is no bleeding aside from a scab on the head, or oozing and the rat has been successfully eating the formula I bought this morning and is still active.  I do remember reading somewhere that cat saliva is toxic to rodents and the rodent would require Amoxicillan (sp?).  That of course, I do not have, but I do have some left over liquid Penicillin 250MG/5ML.  

I'm wondering, based on the rat's behavior, would it be more of a risk to administer the Penicillin or to leave it be and hope it'll make it through?  Also, should I treat the wounds with antibacterial ointment?  A Vet is just not an option for me, right now, and I understand if you cannot answer me, but I thought I'd take the risk and ask anyway.

Anxiously waiting,
Valerie in California

ANSWER:
Thanks for helping the little guy. Chances of his survival are very low at this point mainly because its really difficult to save a rat that has not opened his eyes. This means he is probably a week old. He will need lots of care so be prepared.

Yes cat saliva can be lethal to small rodents and birds and can cause infection but for such a tiny rat, I have no idea how much to dose him. Also, what kills the rodent is the puncture wounds from the cats large teeth that penetrate deeper than we realize, often causing internal injuries. You may not see bleeding outside but he may be bleeding internally.

You need to feed this pup every 2 to 3 hours  with a dropper. You will need to stimulate his genitals to get him to urinate and defecate. They cannot do this own their own for some time yet. Keeping the pup warm but not too warm is important.  You will need to check his belly to see if there is a band of milk after feeding him.
Best bet is to call pet stores and see if they have any nursing females that will adopt this pup. That is his best bet to survive.

If he should live you will have to plan to either keep him or find him a home because he will no longer be wild and will more domesticated. Should he survive the next few weeks, holding him and keeping him social is a must to get him to accept humans and not be scared.

Here are the guidelines on caring for orphaned rat pups:

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm


I would truly call a vet though, to really be honest. They may even take the pup off your hands for a while but if you want it back let them know. You may not have to pay a penny if they keep it.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm sorry, but I had one more question:

All the Professionals I've spoken to have not mentioned the disease factor in having a wild infant in my house.  A couple of non-professional people have.  What kind of diseases am I looking at and are the babies born as carriers or do they need to be infected by the mother or other adult rat?

Also, when would be a good age to to it to the vet to be vaccinated??

thanks!


Wild rat babies   ANSWER: Hi

No worries on asking me questions.

SO I take it baby is ok?  

You are looking at NO diseases at all, nothing. Dont listen to anyone that tells you otherwise.
Also rats do not get vaccinations of any kind so there is nothing to worry about there, either. Rats do not in any way carry rabies unless they are attacked by a rabid animal. If that occured, the baby rat would be dead from the bite alone since rabid animals are also very brutally aggressive during attack. So many misinformed people think that rats are natural carriers of rabies but they arent. Bats, skunks, the fox and raccoons are natural carriers.  The only small pet that needs rabies vaccines are ferrets, dogs and cats, and ferrets also have to have the distemper shot, but they arent rodents anyhow, they are weasles.

I raised a wild rat from the time she was 11 weeks on. She lived to be almost 4 years old.

Here is a great photo of a litter of wild rat babies a friend of mine raised after rescuing her mother.  She found homes for all of the wild babies because she was allergic to them, and most other animals too.

Click the photo to make it bigger. They are cute, get ready :)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So perhaps that is why I haven't heard the word "disease" from the Vets?  BUT
the Vet's want me to bring him in when he's older to get shots.  Does a
distemperment shot work on a rat or is it completely unneccessary???  I'm
just worried because once when I was a child, I had a pair of rats (my 4th
pair) and they were pretty vicious.  I have children and I do plan on becoming
very close to this little critter, I just want to make sure I'm doing the right
thing.  Guilt trips about endangering my children are hard to over come while
I'm syringe-feeding this little baby.

And YES, it's is doing Ok.  I'm still not quite sure what this "milk band" is
supposed to look like.  When I feed him, he takes down 3cc's of 1 part
formula to 2 parts distilled water, but his belly shows no signs of growth.  I'm
worried he's not getting enough.  He hasn't had diarrhea and peed on his own
today AND his eyes are cracking open!!!!  AND he crawls like crazy all over the
place.  I'm very excited, 'cause I have a good feeling he's going to pull
through.

Gosh...I can go on and on....

Answer

How cute!   The vet you need to discuss rat care with is an exotic vet. If any vet suggests shots, you need to steer clear of this vet if your rat to live. Rats do NOT need shots in any way shape or form, ever.  Trust me.


Rats also get such a bad rap as being so vicious and mean and they are so timid its pathetic. When they bite its not because they are mean, it is because they do not trust their keeper and are terrified.
My suggestion to you is when the pup is around 5 weeks old, I would either find a breeder or a pet store to purchase a fancy rat the same age and of course the same sex and this way she will learn from the domestic rat. The key to having a social rat is to handle it from birth, which your basically doing.

Just forget the rat is wild. SHe isnt wild any longer. SHe is now being raised tame as a pet. She will not need to see  vet unless she is sick. I promise you she cannot pass any disease to you or your children.
I am so pleased he is still alive. Or she. Gee I wish I could see what sex she is!!  
As for the milk bank, you would see through their tummy almost like a light bulb under the skin that is the tummy nice and full of milk.

If this rats eyes open and his fur starts to come in, he has one good chance of making it.

Have you seen my website? If not, please check it out.

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

You will need to learn about diet, proper litter to use (cedar, pine and corn cob are lethal to rats) and the illnesses they are prone to getting as they age.

Also, allow me to find an exotic vet for you. I think you would do better speaking with them rather than other people that are giving inaccurate advice, no matter if it is well meaning and has your families best interest at hand, it is scaring you and there is no reason to fear this rat. After all, he has more right to be scared. We have been trying to wipe out the rat population from this earth for centuries.   :(