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View Full Version : ok for rat to "FEED" pinkies??



alli8877
10-01-2011, 05:41 PM
i am not currently in this situation but just curious for future ideas

a friend of mine has dumbo rats that she breeds a couple times a year and i was wondering has anyone ever tried to let a rat foster a baby sq

i know from my exp in the past with rats that they are great mothers and will usually take in anything that needs nurturing

i just thought that this could be more natural to the babies

any thoughts on this subject out there let me know

gs1
10-01-2011, 06:07 PM
no wouldn't try it at all ...they're natural enemies... rat could easily end up killing baby squirrel.:sanp3

astra
10-01-2011, 06:11 PM
in the wild rats often eat baby squirrels

alli8877
10-02-2011, 04:53 PM
wow i am glad that i asked this here...
i would never want to put a baby in danger ...then again this is why we ask and not just experiment

sdreamcatcher
10-15-2011, 08:41 PM
I worked at a horrible pet store where baby rodents of all types were sold as feeders. Because moron owner had it set in her head mice wouldnt take back their babies, she would give said pinkies to rat moms (when she remembered and/or bothered to put the babies back in at the end of the night). Working there, I saw them nurse other rats, mice, and even gerbil babies. Rats also hate mice, but keep in mind the maternal instinct of domestic rats is VERY strong. I also remember reading about cats (a worse predator) nursing squirrels. If you are in a bind and have a trustworthy mommy who will take other rats' babies, it may be worth trying. I imagine only the tiniest pinkies would be small enough, though (course I am thinking fox squirrels here).

Scooterzmom
10-15-2011, 10:43 PM
There always are exceptions, the kind like dreamcatcher mentioned, but the fact of the matter is: Out there in nature rats and squirrels are mortal enemies and trusting a rat mom not to harm them would be a tremendously risky proposition IMO.

Ask yourself one thing.... Is it really worth trying if the end result is - albeit by mistake - death for the babies? Would you forgive yourself if you found the rat mom had eaten these babies and you knew there could have been the slightest of possibilities that would happen? ... When you had been warned?

Personally I say if there's even a one chance in a 1000 that it may happen it's one chance too many if it means death for innocent lives... JMO

gs1
10-15-2011, 11:20 PM
:goodpost :thumbsup scooterzmom

it's possible there's amazing exceptions....

and yet when they follow natural order and someone gets killed or hurt we get mad and blame the animal (dog,cat,rat,squirrel etc...) and then they get punished, abandoned, locked forever on a chain etc...

it's so sad....

on the other hand there are the amazing exceptions ....http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31008

secondhand knows what she's doing but i still get nervous at the thought ....

moonstone
10-19-2011, 11:41 AM
In my experience, most rodents where you can handle the pups from day 1, will accept the young of other rodents in the pinkie stages if their own pups are pinkies.

Once they start to fuzz and to grow fur in, its a matter of your foster mother's temperament. This can be very risky.

Adding a pinkie probably won't cause too much of a fuss, but you should monitor the situation closely. Also, different species wean at different times, and grow at different rates. Rats if i remember correctly mature much faster.