three babies please help

[mommasbaby]

My neighbor just brought me three baby rats!!What do I feed them?I fixed a rice buddy to keep them warm!!What do ido now????

[ALittleNutty]

You have taken care of warming them so now you need to rehydrate them. Keeping them in a small plastic container with lots of fleece, flannel or old t-shirts. No towels since the loops can catch tiny nails.

Most babies are dehydrated when you find them and must be rehydrated before you can feed them. Never feed formula or food of any kind to a dehydrated baby!

How to Check for Dehydration
Pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it doesn’t spring back immediately, the baby is dehydrated. If the pinched skin stays up like a tent for more than a second, the baby is badly dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration: pale grayish gums, dry mouth, sunken eyes, whites around eyes showing, rough spiky fur, dry scaly skin.
NOTE: If baby is badly dehydrated, he will need subcutaneous fluids, which can only be given by a rehabber or vet.

Plastic syringes (1 cc size; no needles. Ask the pharmacist to get these for you)

1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water
Mix all ingredients in warm water. Store in refrigerator.

How to Prepare the Pedialyte
Use a plastic syringe (with or without a nipple). Never use pet nursers or doll bottles. They will choke the baby. Fill a coffee mug with hot water. Fill the syringe with Pedialyte and place it in the mug for a couple of minutes. Squirt a drop on the inside of your wrist to make sure the liquid isn’t too hot. It should feel barely warm on your skin.

Proper Position
A tiny baby should be held upright in your hand. A baby with fur can lie on a flat surface on his stomach. A baby that can walk can be held upright or he can drink sitting up. Hold the syringe so the tip points UP to the baby’s mouth and the handle is down. Don’t let the baby get cold. Keep him wrapped up while he eats.

How to Feed Fluids
Place the syringe tip on the baby’s lips (from the side) and squeeze out one drop for him to taste. Don’t squirt a steady stream. Let him swallow one drop before squeezing more. GO SLOW! It sometimes takes a feeding or two for them to catch on. Hairless babies are fed drop by drop. With older babies (once they catch on) you can squeeze slowly for one second, wait for him to swallow, then squeeze more.

If fluids dribble out his mouth or come out his nose, you are going too fast. Stop and tilt the baby’s head down so the fluid drains out (support his head and neck like you would a human baby). Then wipe his nose and mouth with a tissue. Start over, slower. NOTE: There is now a chance your baby will develop aspiration pneumonia from inhaling fluid in his lungs. This is fatal. Please contact a rehabber or vet, or the people at The Squirrel Board, for assistance.

After the baby is fully hydrated you can start them on the goat's milk formula with just the yogurt, no cream.

Jackie's Goat Milk Recipe
1 cup goats milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dannon all natural vanilla yogurt

Some have found that feeding these little ones is easier using a small paintbrush dipped in the liquids instead of using a syringe.

[ALittleNutty]

:bump:bump:bump this back up the page for the afternoon crew.

[mommasbaby]

Thanks for replying to my post! I called our animal hospital and they told me to bring them in they are going to feed them and check them out and call a rehabber in Virginia to come and get them!!! They are going to keep me updated on them...Super nice people and they fell in love with the babies they are so cute!!

[ALittleNutty]

Thanks for replying to my post! I called our animal hospital and they told me to bring them in they are going to feed them and check them out and call a rehabber in Virginia to come and get them!!! They are going to keep me updated on them...Super nice people and they fell in love with the babies they are so cute!!

:thumbsup Sounds like it worked out great. :Love_Icon that they are going to keep you updated too! Sounds like a very nice animal hospital.