u/EyeOfTheSmilodon

Before I start, I want to clarify that I'm actually not interested in the strain of hanta on the cruise ship, or worried about that strain specifically. I'm interested in the virus as a whole because about a month ago my roommate and I rescued some baby wild roof rats and I'm wondering if it's possible they have it, and if so, how they would have contracted it.

I've read a lot of conflicting information, from "baby rats/mice can't carry the virus/would die if they caught it" to "babies can absolutely carry it and show no symptoms" and "it can be spread through birth/nursing from the mother" to "it can't be spread from mother to baby." I've read that it only spreads from rodent to rodent through fighting and that it possibly develops through coprophagy (eating their own/other rodents' feces), which is apparently something both wild and domesticated rats do.

Does anyone know how exactly it develops in the first place? Is it possible for a baby wild rat to carry it and survive? Where would it get it from as a baby? If it doesn't get it in the wild, can it develop it due to coprophagy or something else somewhere down the line?

Not sure if this is the right subreddit. I recently rescued some baby wild mice and have been using Esbilac to nurse them. They are doing well and love the Esbilac, but I came across this post from a few years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/WildlifeRehab/comments/wobiy4/please_avoid_new_petag_esbilac_puppy_milk/ talking about some of the changes made to the brand and how it wasn't safe anymore. I haven't read all of the links included in the post but I believe one of them mentioned a color change.

Now, this post is from years ago so I would be using the "new" Esbilac. It seems to be safe as my babies have had no problems. I was using the resealable liquid form in the bottle, but when I ran out and went to get more, they only had the canned liquid (not powder) version. It looked to be exactly the same aside from the packaging, so I bought it. However when I opened it, it looks and smells distinctly different from the resealable bottle version. The bottled one was almost pure white, while the canned version is a beige/cream color. It also doesn't smell as strong as the bottled version. Doesn't smell bad, just...different.

I guess my question is, has anyone had any experience with the bottled vs canned (again, both liquid versions, I haven't used the powdered one) Esbilac? Does anyone know what causes the difference in color and smell? Are they both safe? Thank you!