The human gut microbiota consists of thousands of species of microorganisms that communicate with the brain via the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) to influence host physical and mental health. Early life adversity (EA) disrupts the gut microbiota, possibly contributing to the development of depressive and anxiety-like behavior. Some of the microbiota that are disrupted by EA normally produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as metabolic products; without these SCFAs, healthy communication between the gut and the brain is altered. Here, we utilized maternal separation as a model of EA to investigate the capacity of an oral SCFA supplement to mitigate the behavioral and microbial effects of EA. Maternally separated (MS) rats were removed from their home cage and isolated for three hours daily from postnatal day (PND) 1-14. Non-separated (NS) control rats remained in their cage during this period. Beginning on PND21 and continuing throughout behavioral testing, rats were administered an SCFA solution or equimolar sodium chloride in their drinking water. Two groups of rats were selected for cecal sample collection on PND21 and 28, while a third group of rats underwent open field, forced swim, and sucrose preference tests to assess depressive and anxiety-like behavior. Results indicated that MS altered gut microbial composition but did not consistently induce depressive or anxiety-like behavior. SCFA supplementation failed to attenuate these microbial alterations and maladaptive behavior when it was observed. Future studies should employ larger sample sizes, control for handling of rat pups, utilize a lower concentration sucrose solution and administer the SCFA solution for longer than one week prior to initiation of behavioral testing.