Around the 9th of June I sprayed around the edge of the house to help rid my kitchen of ants. Been driving me crazy for months. Tiny sugar ants. About an hour later when I was in the kitchen I heard squeaking. I thought it was a mouse in the wall so set a trap. 30 min later I was back and took the garbage out. When I did I found baby rats behind the dumpster. Seems spray irritated them or something and they had crawled out together into the open. They were a week old. Eyes still closed and barely haired. In total there were 10 of them with 2 dead already. Ugh. I dont need rats in my home but I couldn't just kill them or let them die starving and alone in the elements. Not in my heart these days. In the old days Id give them a fast death with our cat. Now no cat and couldn't anyways.
So I tried to raise them. So tiny about half pinky size. Over the next week 4 more died. I was doing my best. Had them in a small box with torn up paper towel bedding. They'd bury in to stay warm. Had a heating pad on low only half on and half off the bottom of the box so they could move. They cant regulate their own heat until 2 weeks old at least. I fed them every 2 hours the first few days then every 3 hours..all day all night. I sat alarms to get up to. I was SO tired. Did all I could and read up on them all I could. Spoke online with a rat rehab place. They were over an hour from me so driving them there was out and no one around here helped rats.
Anyways their eyes were ready to open soon and there was only 4 left. I named them Porthos, Aramis, Athos, and D'Artagnan....the Musketeers. Unfortunately another died, then the next day another and another. Finally only Porthos was still with me. But he was strong and he soon opened his eyes at a little over 2 weeks. He got stronger and bigger pretty fast over the next week. I started weaning him from the syringe to a milk jug lid. He took turns with the syringe and the lid and started to nip veggies.
At that time I put him in a larger box but even still I went out one day to the back porch and he was gone. I looked for an hour to no avail and was going to give up when I spotted a tail behind the kitchen canister. He had somehow came inside. I got a box a good 2 1/2 feet tall and moved him to the living room for easier access. He stayed in it until one day he was out again. I knew it would be time to release him soon.He got out a couple more time and each time I found him on the back of the couch. He took paper with him and made a bed behind my magazines.
Keep in mind I always planned to release them. I only handled them to feed and when I changed the paper bedding he'd sit on my shoulder for a few min. A week ago it was time so I took him box and all outside to my lower outbuilding and sat his box with fresh food and water in it inside the building and put a branch into it so he could climb out when he felt safe. An hour later I went to check on him and he was gone. I saw or heard nothing and he didn't come when I called to him.
I rechecked him for all last week and gave up 3 days ago.No sign. I was hoping he was just doing his rat thing and having fun being free. Until 5am this morning.
I was sound asleep on my back in bed and I wake up to whiskers on my lips. Rat kiss! I instinctively swiped with my hand and bumped a mouse I thought then I thought uh oh it might be Porthos. Sure enough it was. He hopped up on the side of the bed as I looked around. I stuck out my hand and he hopped into it. He was so bouncy and excited. He seemed so thrilled to find me lol.
I got up and spent the next hour wondering what to do while he sat on my shoulders. After the little time I spent with him I thought he'd be wild enough to be on his own. Seems all the holding while feeding every few hours made him too tame.He is too much a pet to release into a field it seems and of course he is a rat still so he would poo around the house and chew our stuff up. I cant have him damage Donna's stuff. I really dont want to cage him. He should be free. But I cant have him live in the house. Besides I cant afford a cage.
I spent another hour trying to get him to leave me and stay on the back porch. He'd hop down, go a foot to explore then run back to me and climb back up. I finally sat him down and came inside. Too bad he beat me back in. I sat him out again on the back porch and closed the door. He came to the door and paced back and forth upset kept trying to come in. Felt bad for him but its enclosed and not outside and tons of stuff to play on or hide in. But I dont think he'll stay. Not sure what to do.
Anyways heres a couple pics. First is the Musketeers at about 1 1/2 weeks old. They had grown a good bit by then. But the 2nd is Porthos a couple days before releasing him outside. Should have known he was too much a pet. At 2 weeks he really started getting big. This morn Id say he is the same size or a tad larger. I keep watching my bedroom door because I figure he'll find a way off the back porch back in lol.
