|
 gently caress yeah! Porridge! Kuule hain nussivan fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Apr 24, 2016 |
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 13:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 20, 2024 04:45 |
|
|
Decided I'm going to get some rats because getting a dog right now would be stupid and I heard that rats are like little dogs. Plus they're cute. I can't decide between girls or boys. What to do? Coin toss? Or should I neuter some boys and get a couple girls too? What do you people think about ferplast ferret xl? Fine for three or four rats? Could I get away with something a bit smaller if they can roam the apartment for a bit every day? lorabel fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Apr 24, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 14:14
|
|
|
Rats are like big dogs in a small package (I have no love for small dogs). I always had boys myself, because once they grow up they're way more lazy and snuggly than the girls, as far as I know. To see if a cage is big enough or not use can use this webpage: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 17:48
|
|
|
I had only interacted with male rats before getting my first group of females. While I wouldn't change their personalities a bit, I often wish I could just sit down and relax with them. They just can't resist the urge to explore and investigate everything around the room during play time, and then if I can be out with them for hours and they get tired, they won't settle unless it's in a bundle hidden somewhere.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 20:24
|
|
|
I have a problem that I can't figure out how to solve, maybe you guys can help me out. I have a pair of boys and both of them get their food from the same bowl. While one of them is perfectly fine, the other boy has gotten way too fat and I can't really figure out a way to feed them so that one of them would lose weight. Any ideas? The weight itself isn't the issue but I only recently noticed that it made the fatty start developing bumblefoot on his feet and hands, I already started treating it with a weak solution of chlorhexidine, just like it's recommended, and relocated everything important so that he won't need to climb anywhere anymore but it won't go away unless I figure out a way to make him lose weight without starving the other boy. I feel really bad for the fatty, I shouldn't have been so careless. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 23:00
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGWJvMJNTUE One of my two newest additions, she has a bizarre gait. It's most prominent in the opening few seconds of the video. On soft surfaces like my sheets, she'll sometimes just propel herself with her forepaws and leave her legs slack, soles of her feet up. Her spry, bouncy little sister of the same age learned to walk normally right away. I'm hoping she's just being a weirdo, but I'm worried about some kind of nerve damage or something.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 01:37
|
|
|
I honestly haven't seen a rat that young walk like that. It might just be caution or eccentricity (one of my current girls nigh-constantly chews the air for no apparent reason), or like you said it could be nerve damage. Not much to be done in the latter case save make her cage area more comfortable for her. It also might just clear up in time, hard to say. All I can say with absolute certainty is that she's adorable! (I know that's not very helpful, sorry.)
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 07:37
|
|
|
Hi! One of my 2 rats started acting/moving strangely for 3-4 weeks. She's 1 year and a half. When eating, she won't keep the food in her front paws. She drops the food on the floor and eat it there. She has difficulties climbing her ramps. The back legs seems ok. We went to the vet and the vet told us that could be a neurological problem because the rat shows no physical problem (no tumor, heart and lungs are fine, no mouth/teeth problem). The rat answer to the pain when the vet pinches the front paws. She now starts falling off the levels of the cage (this one: https://www.amazon.ca/Living-World-61850-Resort-Starter/dp/B00IFXFWS4) and it could be dangerous. She seems to have zero strength with the front paws. First, any idea what her problem might be? And I wonder how can I expand the flooring of the levels to minimize the chances of falling down. As you see on the cage, the levels don't cover all the cage lenght. What can I use to expand the levels so if she climbs, she won't fall? I saw ideas here for the ramps but nothing about the floors: http://www.joinrats.com/RatHealth/MultiLevelCages/i-gnVVDk8 Thanks for your help! (sorry for my English) EDIT: And by the way, I've 2 ferret hammocks suspended at the top level in the empty space for them to sleep. They're close to the upper ramp and level ledges so I would only need a full flooring on the middle level. And I'm in an apartment. I don't have access to a saw bench or anything like that to buy wood and cut it. ShiroTheSniper fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Apr 26, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 16:56
|
|
|
Pituitary tumour. It will get worse, probs quite suddenly as well. There are drugs you can get to slow progression a bit but tbh I always euth at the first signs of one since the development is so wretched and the animal is likely in pain (humans with pituitary tumours are).
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 17:05
|
|
|
Invalid Octopus posted:Pituitary tumour. It will get worse, probs quite suddenly as well. There are drugs you can get to slow progression a bit but tbh I always euth at the first signs of one since the development is so wretched and the animal is likely in pain (humans with pituitary tumours are). Sh*t. Thanks Poor thing
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 17:44
|
|
|
My experience with pituitary tumor was that it had taken her from healthy and zippy to immobile and whimpering in pain in the course of one afternoon. The telltale symptom of it was her walking in circles when I put her on the floor. She had to be put down right away and I was devastated because she'd been my absolute best friend of the lot. It could be that yours had a stroke. At 1.5 years old, that's awfully young to be having strokes but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. The matriarch of the mischief, my oldest at 2.5 years, had had a couple strokes towards the end. The first one weakened her where she couldn't hold food and always seemed to have her hands crossed in front of her, but the second one a couple months later took her motor control almost entirely. But she was on in her years. If yours had a stroke, it's probably going to recover just fine. I hope that's what it is, and not a pituitary tumor. Is your veterinarian trained in exotics or is he/she a run-of-the-mill dogs & cats vet? You might want to shop around for an exotic vet if you can for your rats, given yours couldn't identify signs of stroke or brain tumor.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 17:59
|
|
|
Parpy posted:I hope that's what it is, and not a pituitary tumor. Is your veterinarian trained in exotics or is he/she a run-of-the-mill dogs & cats vet? You might want to shop around for an exotic vet if you can for your rats, given yours couldn't identify signs of stroke or brain tumor. Trained in exotics. I called her and she told me that a pituitary tumor is possible, that or a myelin degeneration. Either way, not much we can do I guess except looking to securise the cage even more... which bring me to my first question of my post...
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 18:34
|
|
|
Thanks for the tips guys. Sorry about all your rats. So many sad posts in this thread. Post some good stuff too.. and more pics.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 21:54
|
|
|
Did someone say cute rat pics? Here y'all go!  These are my boys: Jasper (the grey one) and Hamilton (the brown one). This is an old bed of theirs that I don't use now ('cause Hamilton fell off it). They're both about a year old and they weigh 1.5 lbs each. (I shouldn't have favorites but I do and it's Jazz. His little face  )
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2016 04:28
|
|
|
Being a rat owner is living a life full of heartache. Rat personalities are vibrant and (usually) wonderful, but with burning so brightly they also burn short. It kinda comes with the territory, and eventually you learn to deal. It's to be expected that this thread would be full of lament and anguish at lost friends, since lamenting is part of dealing. Ahem. Rat pics. Here's the most recent one of the alpha of my pair of girls, Myia. She's being shy because it's still morning.  And here she is with her sister/cousin/something (pretty sure they're related, anyway) Damo. Damo is kind of dumb. She also has a tendency to grow tumours, which has cost me more than I care to think about to remove over the course of two surgeries. But then I see her derp and I just can't stay mad.   We recently had an uncharacteristically nice day so I took them outside to play for a bit. Here's one pic of Myia just sort of chilling as she took in her surroundings (staying close to me for safety, of course.)  They share their play area (a living room) with a rabbit. They don't really interact, though occasionally one of my girls will get curious and run up to sniff the rabbit through the bars of his cage. Sometimes they'll tease him if they think I'm not looking. I should try to get a pic of that sometime. Anyway, here's Myia playing on one of the rabbit's toys, the ownership of which she strongly disputes.  I can't believe they're already almost a year and a half old. They're still plenty exhausting, though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2016 05:39
|
|
|
My friend has a litter and all of the males are spoken for except for this one little boy and he doesn't want him to go anywhere alone, are any of you in the McMinnville/Salem, OR area? He would want a fee though, and only to someone who already has at least one rat so hes not alone. Hes the masked agouti The whole litter are absolute sweethearts, he just drew the short straw.   
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2016 22:54
|
|
|
ShiroTheSniper posted:Trained in exotics. I called her and she told me that a pituitary tumor is possible, that or a myelin degeneration. Either way, not much we can do I guess except looking to securise the cage even more... which bring me to my first question of my post... Well we went to put her down last Friday. Poor thing. Saturday, we went to get a new one because we didn't want the last one (Nezumi) to feel depressed. Here's Mademoiselle Sushi :  Nothing better to know each other than camping: 
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2016 12:55
|
|
|
I don't understand why so many people think rats are gross. So freaking cute! Great pics and advice guys, thanks!
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2016 22:26
|
|
|
lorabel posted:I don't understand why so many people think rats are gross. So freaking cute! Great pics and advice guys, thanks! Everyone that I tried to show my rats to eventually ends up saying that they're kinda cute but they things that the tails are very creepy. Also even some rat owners that I've met think that rat balls are too disturbing.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2016 23:24
|
|
|
Jack Trades posted:Also even some rat owners that I've met think that rat balls are too disturbing. Honest to God, this is the first thing that popped in my head when I read rat balls: 
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2016 23:48
|
|
|
Yoshi Jjang posted:Honest to God, this is the first thing that popped in my head when I read rat balls: Not those rat balls, those are actually very cute.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2016 00:49
|
|
|
Interesting how you are all on the "one rat is HORRIBLE". I got my female at a humane society. They have a policy where you must take a minimum of 2 - 3 depending how many of a litter are left. But then there was one rat that was all by herself. When I asked why, they said they that despite growing up with her siblings, she was very vicious towards other rats to the point that they had to separate her. They were looking for someone who was home a lot and could be "the other ratty". I took her home and it was the best choice I ever made. We were best of friends and we were always together; to the point that the cat got super jealous. When she died last month, I even let her sleep on my bed, on her fav blanket, for the final two days of her life, and honestly, I think that's all she wanted. Me by her side. I agree, rats are social, and they should have a friend, but to make it out that it's the be all to end all is wrong. Some rats just hate other rats.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2016 16:53
|
|
|
I think that what they're saying is that most often, like 95% of the time, rats are better off with a friend. Of course there are exceptions to the rule.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2016 05:51
|
|
|
 So I went to play with my babies this morning and I noticed this weird growth on Almond's stomach, it's stable but not firm feeling and doesn't seem to cause her pain when I touch it. Is this something I should be worried about?
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 18:35
|
|
|
Probably a mammary tumor which are extremely common in female rats. They can often be surgically removed, but sometimes recur. Getting a rat spayed cuts down the likelihood of getting them. There's a lot of info out there on them. Good luck!
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2016 00:34
|
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:Probably a mammary tumor which are extremely common in female rats. They can often be surgically removed, but sometimes recur. Getting a rat spayed cuts down the likelihood of getting them. There's a lot of info out there on them. Good luck! Yeah I did some looking after that, I have a vet appointment on Monday and I hope she's okay here's some pictures of her from happier days   
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2016 03:44
|
|
|
Not mine but for some reason I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this doofus.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2016 10:14
|
|
|
Pretty excited because I get to help an old rat in their retiring age soon.  Someone had been keeping two males together in a fairly small cage for most of their life and apparently this rat is pretty unsocialized, but hey. It's old (2~ years) and I get an excuse to feed a rat a bunch of junk food in a comfy quiet place for a while.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2016 08:41
|
|
|
Catnipped posted:Pretty excited because I get to help an old rat in their retiring age soon. Oh my gosh, thank goodness I am not the only one! When my rats are near the end of their lives, I stop caring and let them eat whatever they want.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2016 15:21
|
|
|
Yeah definitely! At some point you just forgo the boring lab blocks and splurge a bit on em to make it comfy. Edit: His name is Seymour! He's grumpy so I'm not handling him rn, but he does have some apple to nibble on. He's surprisingly a nice lookin rat despite being 2+ years old - bright eyes, alert, no sniffles or sneezes at all. Tofu Terry fucked around with this message at 22:12 on May 15, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 15, 2016 18:50
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF1xijwDgEQ So I can't afford a trip to the vet right yet, but in texting the local rescue if they'd seen polio-like gait in rats, she suggested either hydrocephalus (fatal swelling; but her head looks fine to me) or cerebellum ataxia (brain can't process balancing and so the limbs get bad instructions). She still shows a bit of porphyrin around the eyes which causes me some worry about stress or pain. There's little information online that's not research journal type stuff. Wondering if anyone's had experience with ataxia.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2016 11:39
|
|
|
 I renamed him to Alder. He's a nice old man, just seems to have bad eyesight, lots of hair loss, & some scars from itching. @Parpy: Oh jeez I hope your rat gets better, that looks serious.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2016 17:21
|
|
|
Catnipped posted:
He looks so cute.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2016 18:02
|
|
|
I have a senior rat (3+) and he gets baby food, grapes and peanut butter on toast.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2016 22:46
|
|
|
I fed him some beef stew and bits of peanut butter cracker today. He's thinner than I originally thought so I'm also mixing a seed base in with his lab blocks to see if it helps him gain some weight.
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2016 02:17
|
|
|
Patchy old rat.  
|
|
#
?
May 26, 2016 19:35
|
|
|
Awww
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2016 09:44
|
|
|
this site doesn't deserve my cute pet pics
Guy Mann fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Feb 24, 2019 |
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2016 06:23
|
|
|
guys, my rats are attracting unwanted attention from nearby males, and I'm worried it's going to end in pregnancy - I can't be vigilant all the time and I know it can take as little as a few seconds. Is there anything I can do?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2016 17:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 20, 2024 04:45 |
|
|
Have you tried Repel? I heard it's pretty good for this kinds of things.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2016 18:09
|
|