|
She does give up on it if I present her with a treat, so I suppose I could go for a long-lasting treat like rawhide. I was just worried initially about giving her treats while she was doing it, least I reinforce a harmful behavior.
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 10:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 13:02 |
|
|
Eh true I suppose. My guy will only do it if there's no rawhide in the cage so I don't mind keeping up the supply 
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2010 12:32
|
|
|
Am I just weird or does anybody else find it really funny when their rats are in heat? One of mine was in heat the other night and I kept poking her on the rump so she'd do her jumpy little dance. Then I cupped her with my hand and she did her mating posture, skittered away and then came dancing back over and over. I thought it was funny as hell and since she kept coming back to me repeatedly I guess she liked it, otherwise I wouldn't have done it. ..did I just masturbate my rat? 
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 16:33
|
|
|
ahahhaha i can't help but poke my girlies when they're in heat either. and then my boys walk by and they go craaazzzzyyyyy. ahahha it's the best!! i don't think youre jackin' off your rats though... just getting them aroused?
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2010 18:10
|
|
|
Invenerable posted:She does give up on it if I present her with a treat, so I suppose I could go for a long-lasting treat like rawhide. I was just worried initially about giving her treats while she was doing it, least I reinforce a harmful behavior. I don't think it'll harm the rat but depending on the cage, sooner or later they can sometimes get through the bars altogether...rat teeth are powerful
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2010 02:55
|
|
|
ATTENTION: CUTE RAT PICTURES AHEAD My Fancy Rat Splinter  The first day I got him...  Sleeping as Sulu oversees  Eating a rat sized pancake  With a pumpkin  Playing on the bed  He loves my childhood teddy  Chilling in my sweater hood  Somewhere in this mess of plushies  And finally - yes I know he needs a new one desperately! - but his cage (sorry camera phone pic)  Notice anything? Yes, he needs a buddy desperately! However when I bought him the guy at Petsmart didn't know anything about rats and I kind of just bought him on a whim. When I brought him home and started to research and find out how important it was for them to have a friend I was in a bit of a tight spot financially so was a bit reluctant. Then Splinter's sneezing got bad and he got sick. I took him to the vet (nearly 200 dollars!) and nursed him back to health. Im pretty sure he was sick when I got him cause after he got the meds in him he was a totally new rat, full of energy and spunk in his eye. Now I finally got a good job again... I almost bought a cinnamon colored hooded rat but Splinter has been sneezing a bit, plus I want to get a bigger cage/better quality cage so at least I'll have 2 decent size cages when I do the introduction period for the two rats. I feel so bad though cause the little guy is probably starving for attention, especially now that I have been back to work for the past week. When I was looking for a job I could still spend lots of time with him. Whats more important? Considering my cage size (i do have a smaller cage the new rat could reside in for a bit), should I try to get him companionship as soon as possible? Or should I wait a couple more paycheques until I can get a better cage plus be financially secure enough incase any ratties get sick again (imagine both of them sick, egads). I just dont wanna bring another one home and not be able to pay the vet bill if hes another sick petsmart rat! Btw - thats an old picture of the cage, he now has Clearfresh or whatever that stuff is called on the bottom, and clothes on the top layer. he has a homemade ladder to make it to the bottom level, and has a rat wheel aswell as some new playstuff. Pls don't rape me cause Ive let my rat go lonesome for so long! Im trying to give him a good life! HappierGarden fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Nov 11, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2010 17:08
|
|
|
I don't think the cage is so terrible since it's obvious you let the little guy have a lot of out time Its really up to you in regards to not having the money for potential vet bills but I wouldn't let the cage stop you. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Nov 12, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 01:56
|
|
|
oh jeez, I may have accidentally adopted a rat. I had some as a kid but didn't really know how to take care of them well, I just like them a lot. Any tips other than the excellent info in the OP for me? Also, my house isn't well insulated and gets chilly at night ... how can I keep him warm? Would a polarfleece type pocket to sleep in work? And dumbos are just normal rats with funny ears, right?
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 05:08
|
|
|
Hacka_Tacka posted:oh jeez, I may have accidentally adopted a rat. I had some as a kid but didn't really know how to take care of them well, I just like them a lot. Any tips other than the excellent info in the OP for me? Just make sure you get him a friend as soon as he can. quote:Also, my house isn't well insulated and gets chilly at night ... how can I keep him warm? Would a polarfleece type pocket to sleep in work? Absolutely. Get him a couple. Cozy hammocks are always good, too. quote:And dumbos are just normal rats with funny ears, right? Yup.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 05:26
|
|
|
yay, thank you. I emailed the current owner for pictures so I hope he doesn't explode before then.neongrey posted:Just make sure you get him a friend as soon as he can. also, this. Two males will be friendly together right, or will they just fight?
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 05:47
|
|
|
They'll do what looks like fighting (but is probably just grooming) some, but it shouldn't be a concern once they're used to each other. They'll be just fine, probably.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 06:04
|
|
|
They will scuffle and playfight a little, but they'll be cool if you introduce them carefully. Especially if you bring in a baby rat.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 07:59
|
|
|
Wow, reading this thread brings back so many memories. I kept two rats (brothers) until one of the bit the other's face off for no reason. Seriously I asked everyone and no one know why that happened. They were happy and I played with them everyday, but my 12 year old self still wished that I could have done something. Maybe I really did something wrong, I dunno.  For now I shall just look at cute pictures of rats. They are one of the cutest animals.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2010 16:51
|
|
|
Thats strange and sad, but I bet you probably didn't do anything wrong. Probably just a freak thing  Don't let it put you off rats. I've never seen a rat do anything violent.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 00:05
|
|
|
How do I put just one of my rats on a diet? Jif has gotten pretty chubby, but his brother is just fine. They get a Suebee's diet with fresh fruit and vegetables daily. They run around for an hour a day too. I don't know how he managed to get so fat, except maybe by stealing 80% of the food. Chubby pets are so cute though 
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 03:00
|
|
|
So two of my rats are wheezing, the big beige hooded boy and the baby seal point, and I'd wager it's a myco flare-up from the stress of being moved to a new location. I'm medding them with Doxycycline. Bah. Here's their digs:  The bottom doors may not look secure but they are. They're latched underneath at the bottom. And here's the gang:  Here is Riff Raff making off with a banana chip! 
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 08:14
|
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:I've never seen a rat do anything violent. Sure can be scary if you're not used to it, though. I remember when I got my first two younger rats from the breeder-- I didn't have an extra cage to properly slowly introduce them, so I just carefully let the rat pups loose in the cage; figured there was enough stuff they could hide under. Ended up with the two babies cowering in the corner while the year-old humane society ex-feeders I had just terrorized them. Ended up putting the carrier in the cage and the babies in the carrier to get them through the night, for my own peace of mind, but after that, things smoothed out nicely. Within a week they were finally teaching the older ones what a hammock was for, and they both grew up to be bigger than the older boys. Oddly, when I brought in one more rat about a month later, there were no troubles at all. But, that one was a half-brother of the newer two... maybe he just smelled a bit more familiar, I guess.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 08:24
|
|
|
I wonder what age the rats were when this happened. I once had a rat that killed his brother. Bit right through his ribcage and punctured his lung. It was pretty terrible. Aggression problems. I got this rat neutered but he never did settle down, and he would attack me when I tried to put him back in his cage and he didn't want to go. I still have the scars, this was back in 2002. It happens sometimes with male rats, but I've never seen anything like it before or since. Some rats are just bad apples for no reason. He was sweet as pie before he became sexually mature. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 08:42
|
|
|
My rats were about 3 when that happened, I think. He bit my finger and drew blood, but he mellowed down really quickly and everything was back to normal, until a week later when he suddenly killed his brother. Yeah, I guess he was just an rear end in a top hat, I have no idea why he suddenly did that. He was always a bit pushy, but he never bit or scratched anyone or his brother before that. Really don't have many resources where I live, I've only found literally one place that sells pet rats and there are none at my local rescue shelters. So I might have been lied to about their age or health, but I've owned them for two years, so any important problems should have surfaced before that. Ah well, I should probably stop being depressing in this thread. If it wasn't for the complete lack of pet rats in my country I would have kept a few more.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 15:36
|
|
|
Deadly Chlorine posted:My rats were about 3 when that happened, I think. He bit my finger and drew blood, but he mellowed down really quickly and everything was back to normal, until a week later when he suddenly killed his brother. Are you positive he actually killed him? A lot of times when rats pass on their own, cage mates will start consuming the bodies after a few hours. Dead things attract predators and in the wild they'd remove the body or at least stay away from it, but in captivity they often attempt to dispose of it the only way they're able to. I've seen a lot of cases where people think one rat killed and ate another, when in reality the rat just died suddenly and by the time they got home from work/school it was partially eaten. Extreme aggression in rats is very much genetic. Extreme genetic aggression in adult males is something common in A LOT of show/pet breeder lines and it's something to look out for when getting rats from a breeder- ALWAYS ask about the temperaments of adult males.(Ideally you'd want to see/handle them to avoid the breeder lying their asses off about their temperaments, which they often do, but with a lot of ratteries being closed ratteries that's often not an option.) As common as genetic aggression in males is, killing cagemates is still a very extreme thing and I think I've seen a rat blatantly, verifiably, and intentionally kill another rat only once and it was actually a batshit insane rescue female. All the other cases were just mistaken instances of a cagemate consuming an already dead body.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 16:52
|
|
|
Superconsndar posted:Are you positive he actually killed him? A lot of times when rats pass on their own, cage mates will start consuming the bodies after a few hours. Dead things attract predators and in the wild they'd remove the body or at least stay away from it, but in captivity they often attempt to dispose of it the only way they're able to. I've seen a lot of cases where people think one rat killed and ate another, when in reality the rat just died suddenly and by the time they got home from work/school it was partially eaten. It was a few years ago so I have no way of knowing now, but I sort of hope that's what happened at least. Maybe a poisonous spider or something like that managed to get into my house.
Deadly Chlorine fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Nov 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 17:16
|
|
|
Deadly Chlorine posted:Welp, yes, that might probably be what happened, then. He did seem completely fine the night before, and I couldn't see anything that might have killed him, though, considering he never did show that much aggression before. It could also have been a heart issue or a stroke of some sort. We had a foster home call me hysterically for virtually the same problem. Post-mortem on the dead bro showed he'd had an enlarged heart and likely died of a heart attack and then his cagemate freaked out and tried to eat him. I always tell people that if it started after they were dead, there's likely not going to be much blood, but if they actually had a fight and it ended in death there should be blood everywhere.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 17:47
|
|
|
Raella got 5 mammary tumors removed last night. Our new exotic vet, Dr. Malka, did an awesome job. It took so long for her to completely wake up though. She was so dopey for hours. This morning she's feeling a lot better. When he was taking one of the tumors out, some strange yellow fluids came out of it. He's not sure what it was, because the milk that rats lactate doesn't look like that - he's never seen it before. So he thinks it may be an abscess. I wish we did a fluid analysis, but I was too nervous to go back into surgery to watch. However, he did take a culture of it to see if it was bacterial. Its my goal to have my little girl make it to three years old. Also, the vet has her on .5ml of clavamox BID. It seems a bit high to me. She's 400g and with a calculator the dosage should really be .05ml. I thought maybe the girl working in pharmacy made a mistake, but the doctor confirmed it was that high. So I'm giving her some plain yogurt to help.. but I'm still not positive on the dosage. Any opinions? Carebear fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Nov 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2010 19:00
|
|
|
Rodent Mortician posted:It could also have been a heart issue or a stroke of some sort. We had a foster home call me hysterically for virtually the same problem. Post-mortem on the dead bro showed he'd had an enlarged heart and likely died of a heart attack and then his cagemate freaked out and tried to eat him. It's still really sad, but thanks for providing me with some sort of closure, guys. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2010 05:11
|
|
|
Hey rat PIers. My boyfriend and I have been considering getting a couple of rats. After seeing what rat owners like you guys have had to say about them, we think they sound really awesome. He and I have combed over (and will re-comb over) the first post. We think a couple of girl rats would be good for us. I apologize if any of this has already been addressed in the thread, but I had a couple questions. I want to go the rat rescue route. Is there anything in particular I should watch out for? I've checked Petfinder and we were interested in these two: Rat girls. We thought since they're babies they would be easier to socialize and litter train. Are there any extra challenges that accompany getting young/baby rats? Also, it seems like fancy rats are the popular choice. Beyond that, I only know of Dumbo rats. What's the difference between these two? And we have three cats and a big dog. I know rats and cats can get along, but what should I do if there's trouble? We're still not positive if we're even going to get rats, but we're definitely considering it if it turns out to be a good idea for us (and the rats). Please feel free to tell me if I'm being a stupid rat noob. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 05:38
|
|
|
Skizzles posted:Also, it seems like fancy rats are the popular choice. Beyond that, I only know of Dumbo rats. What's the difference between these two? 'Fancy' is just a term applied to the keeping/breeding/appreciation etc of domestic animals, so 'fancy rat' just means pet rat. 'Dumbo' is just a variety of the same species (pretty much all fancy rats are Rattus norvegicus) but with ears that are placed lower on the head, as opposed to top-eared rats. As far as I know it's a purely aesthetic thing, they're not different 'breeds' and behave no differently from each other.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 06:25
|
|
|
dog days are over posted:'Fancy' is just a term applied to the keeping/breeding/appreciation etc of domestic animals, so 'fancy rat' just means pet rat. 'Dumbo' is just a variety of the same species (pretty much all fancy rats are Rattus norvegicus) but with ears that are placed lower on the head, as opposed to top-eared rats. As far as I know it's a purely aesthetic thing, they're not different 'breeds' and behave no differently from each other. I know I asked the same question farther up the page but I've read up on it since then. Dumbo is just a genetic mutation, like tailless, that's deliberately bred for. It's just a trait but it's darn cute. Also many people who dislike rats or are afraid of them will make an exception for dumbos because they're really nonthreatening looking - the ears make their face a little  Fancy means domesticated basically, and rats come in all different colors, but it's basically like getting a tuxedo cat as opposed to a calico one - just a difference in coat appearance. There's even siamese rats with markings like siamese cats, which I didn't know until this week.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 06:31
|
|
|
dog days are over posted:'Fancy' is just a term applied to the keeping/breeding/appreciation etc of domestic animals, so 'fancy rat' just means pet rat. 'Dumbo' is just a variety of the same species (pretty much all fancy rats are Rattus norvegicus) but with ears that are placed lower on the head, as opposed to top-eared rats. As far as I know it's a purely aesthetic thing, they're not different 'breeds' and behave no differently from each other. Pretty much. I've got a dumbo and a non-dumbo who have the same father, and I know there were rats in the non-dumbo's litter who were dumbo. It's just aesthetic, for most intents and purposes.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 09:27
|
|
|
Skizzles posted:Are there any extra challenges that accompany getting young/baby rats?
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 12:31
|
|
|
Skizzles posted:And we have three cats and a big dog. I know rats and cats can get along, but what should I do if there's trouble? Cats: Just keep an eye on them. If they can't behave and play nicely, kick them out of the room when the rats have playtime. Big dog:   says that the 85 lb dog is terrified of the little 1 lb rats. But of course, you know your dog better than we do, so like the cats, keep an eye on them together.Never leave any not-rat animal alone with your rats - this includes strange humans and little children!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 15:54
|
|
|
Awesome, guys, thanks. I'm not really worried about my dog because he is super chill and doesn't bother anything unless it's a squirrel, muskrat, or possum. He's also the pickiest eater in the world so I highly doubt he would see them as snacks. Regardless, yes, the rats would NEVER ever be left alone without supervision outside of the cage. But if the cats try to get at them through the cage I worry about that stressing the rats out. I've seen my cats play with bugs and the like and, while they love to chase them, they don't seem to know what to do with them once they've caught it. It is the most thing to see all three of them standing around a bug, pawing at it like, "Uh, what now?" I think they enjoy the chasing more than the killing/eating, but again, I will always supervise and kick their little butts out if they're being jerks to the rats.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 18:56
|
|
|
Skizzles posted:But if the cats try to get at them through the cage 
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 19:42
|
|
|
Yep, my cat loves to sit with the rats at play time, but he has learned not to batt them on the heads because each of the rats has at one stage nibbled on his feet/chased him in retaliation. Now that he knows they have teeth he is very wary of them. Even though they never bit him hard, just nibbled. Its really funny ^_^ edit:  like Daggerdragon said, if they stick their paws through the bars, the rats WILL bite them. My guys bite anything interesting(non-finger) that pokes the bars in an attempt to pull it inside. Cat will learn fast.
Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Nov 15, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 22:41
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:Let's just say they'll only try sticking their paws through the bars once or twice. Rats do have a built-in defense mechanism: their teeth. Husband noses pressed against the bars elicit a similar response to cat paws, and let me tell you, he only did that the once
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 23:05
|
|
|
The temperature has dropped. So it's time to squish together! Gordon on the bottom, Austin's side and a flash of David's nose.  Austin's head and David's butt. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2010 23:20
|
|
|
daggerdragon posted:Let's just say they'll only try sticking their paws through the bars once or twice. Rats do have a built-in defense mechanism: their teeth. Well yes that is true! If nothing else I have a Ssscat I can use as well. Now, I'm also aware that owning rats means we're likely going to get peed on. We're not squeamish about that, but is there any way of handling it you guys would recommend? Or just make sure to wear clothes we're not really attached to when letting them chill on our shoulders? I made a joke about rat diapers and my bf's mom got a real kick out of imagining "rat diapers" showing up on the grocery list.
Skizzles fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Nov 16, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2010 15:39
|
|
|
The pee droplets are so tiny that I don't even really notice them unless they go right on my skin and then it's just a wipe with a tissue kinda deal.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2010 17:36
|
|
|
They'll pee a bit when young but stop doing it quite so much as they grow. And you'll get used to it :P
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2010 22:18
|
|
|
Skizzles posted:I made a joke about rat diapers and my bf's mom got a real kick out of imagining "rat diapers" showing up on the grocery list.  I buy cheap packs of unscented baby wipes to keep around for when I get pee marked, which is a lot, so I guess my boys love me?
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2010 21:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 13:02 |
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:They'll pee a bit when young but stop doing it quite so much as they grow. And you'll get used to it :P My girls stopped peeing on us/the bed/floor completely at around 6 months old. Now they really only do it if I take them on a long walk and they can't help it, and they figured out the litter box in 2 days. Rats are smart. (And fastidious. I love the grooming sessions they have after we play with them - "Ugh ew humans are so gross!")
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2010 21:12
|
|