Written by Kerri Fargher – Boggle and Brux Rescue, Chairperson & General Manager
Photos supplied by Marilize Haasbroek and Isak Venter Photography
Tragedy struck when a female rat unexpectedly passed away, leaving her vulnerable babies alone at just four days old. Faced with the overwhelming responsibility of nourishing the orphaned infants, their owner, despite their best efforts, found themselves overwhelmed and without resources to help.
With a heavy heart and a glimmer of hope, the owner made the difficult decision to entrust the fragile lives of these tiny rodents to us at Boggle & Brux.
The orphaned litter was placed with an experienced foster with hand-rearing experience, but unfortunately three babies passed away on arrival, just after being placed. The remaining five babies hung tenuously onto life as we tried to get them rehydrated, fed and warm.
Eight days and many sleepless nights and spilled milk later, only the two biggest babies survived. At this point, we were desperate for a better alternative and, luckily, we knew of a ratty that had recently given birth, and we took a chance to place the remaining babies with her for their best chance of survival.
We entrusted the tiny rats to the lactating rat mom, who graciously welcomed the little ones into her own litter. When her owner presented the babies to her, she immediately grabbed them out of her hand, shoved them underneath her, and determinedly looked for more babies that had been hidden away from her.
With boundless compassion, the rat foster mom not only provided nourishment but also showered the baby rats with affection and guidance, integrating them seamlessly into her existing family.
Two days later, one of the babies passed away and only the last little bub survived. Unfortunately, all but one of the orphaned litter passed away – The Bub Who Lived!
This heart-warming journey showcases the incredible power of human kindness and the resilience of these remarkable rats, who, against all odds, find their way to safety and love. It also shows how quickly the situation becomes precarious when rats are bought from pet stores, mis-sexed and kept together in mixed-sex groups by mistake.
When looking for a forever home for our ratties, it often comes from within the community rather than new pet owners. In this case, the original foster, Marilize, stepped forward to adopt the little one before she was even ready to leave her rat mom. Marilize formed a very strong bond with the little one as she was hand-rearing her and knew that there was something special about little Bub.
Marilize Haasbroek, Bub’s owner, shares...
When I heard that this little baby was thriving with her foster rat mom and would make it, I knew that she had to come home to us again. I spent so many tiresome nights feeding and cleaning the babies every three hours, in my best effort to keep them alive without their mom. It’s really hard, because they’re so small and the prognosis is really terrible. In the first two weeks before they grow fur, they have a very small chance of survival.
And I knew that I made the right call as soon as she came home because she was incredibly comfortable with us, more so than any of the previous babies we’ve had. When I collected her, I brought her home in the same basket in which I took her to the foster rattie mom. She was a bit timid during the drive, but as soon as we got home and had some time to settle down, she started coming out of her cage and running up my arm.
For the first time since seeing her with her eyes open, she ran onto my hand, settled into my arms and stayed still for longer than female ratties usually do, nestling into me. It was like she knew that she was home – it felt like she remembered me. Now, whenever I approach her cage, she’s ready to interact and we take her out every chance we get. She likes to sit on my shoulder and crawl into my collar for hours. She now likes to accompany me while I feed the rest of the pets and do my daily chores.
I’ve grown very attached to this little girl, and I might be imagining it, but I swear that she remembers me too. Rats are incredibly smart and this little girl is no different.
Little Ella, or Cinderella, is a beautiful Siamese rat girl and she’ll soon be integrated with my mischief of female rats. She looks just like the grandmother of the group, Avo, who’s a permanent foster of two-and-a-half years.
Check out this fascinating article which debunks all those myths about these clever, lovable little rodents: https://www.happytailsmagazine.co.za/articles/health-matters/behaviour-related/rat-myths-debunked/
