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Chakattack! posted:Yeah, I occasionally feed my rats cherry tomatoes, I'd never heard it was bad for them. Why is that?
Sources: Rat Health Food by Debbie “The Rat Lady” Ducommun, Maritime Rattery, Rattypaedia, others quote:Oh, another thing: I asked this question in another rat-related thread but I don't think it ever got answered. I would never give my rats any sort of intoxicating substance, but I live in a pretty stoner flat and worry about them finding/nibbling little remnants of weed when they are free ranging on the sofas or places where people have been smoking (I don't let anyone smoke around the rats, the room they live in is a smoke-free zone and everyone smokes out of windows in other rooms so there isn't a horrible smokey atmosphere for them), I noticed that weed is mentioned on the list of things to never give them so I'm a bit worried. I don't think little bits of weed will hurt them, but if they get into, say, a full bag of the stuff, that's not good for rats, dogs, cats, and probably humans. I've no idea, as I don't smoke myself, but I imagine it can't be too good for a human to eat the stuff, let alone a creature that weighs 1-2 lbs... daggerdragon fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Apr 11, 2011 |
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Apr 11, 2011 19:32
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Oh for fucks sake, those are the most  lists I've ever seen. Avoid Citrus for male rats. Don't feed uncooked legumes. Don't feed raw potatoes. Bread is fine, they won't choke on it. Anything with a thick/sticky texture is fine, just thin it a little. Tomatoes are fine. Avoid dried corn because it's usually moldy and lovely. Take pits/seeds out of fruits before feeding them, the rest is fine, including avocado. Avoid onions and garlic. Chackattack! posted:Also the uncooked vegetables thing seems really odd to me - what about carrots, bell peppers? Cucumber? Peas? My rule of thumb so far has been that if I wouldn't eat it raw, neither will my rats, so things like uncooked potato/sweet potato etc are out, but otherwise they get most things raw. Have I been doing wrong? Absolutely not, most raw fruits and vegetables are fine (actually, better) than cooked. The exceptions are mostly just legumes and potatoes, and a few more obscure things. Rat ladies are so loving crazy (no not you guys, I know those lists are c/p'd, I'm talking about the people that wrote them)
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Apr 11, 2011 19:52
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So generally nothing I wouldn't eat myself, onions, garlic, citrus, and raw nuts. Seems fairly easy to follow, then.
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Apr 11, 2011 20:14
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Chakattack! posted:intoxicating substance Choko got into my stash once, ran off with a small amount to nibble on. She spent a few hours perched on my bedpost staring at random points in the ceiling like she was hallucinating. She was fine after. Not sure about smoking it but my friends budgie would get ANGRY if you didn't let her sit on your shoulder while smoking a joint. I've never smoked anything near my rats so I wouldn't risk it unless your rats are intent on sitting with you while you 
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Apr 12, 2011 20:57
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My late rat apparently ate my roommates cigarrettes (multiple times) v v He already had a tumor growing though so he didn't have much life left anyway.... love u bartmouse
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Apr 12, 2011 21:42
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Slidje posted:Not sure about smoking it but my friends budgie would get ANGRY if you didn't let her sit on your shoulder while smoking a joint. Pretty sure smoke is really bad for birdie lungs.  I would never smoke around my rats, they always go into the other room when people are sparking up, and nobody is allowed to smoke in the kitchen (rat room) anymore. I'm pretty obsessive and terrified about the thought of making my rats unwell!
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Apr 12, 2011 23:16
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Glasgow posted:I got 4 rats from the foster network today. They're currently arranged around my other 3 rats' cage; they all seem pretty interested in each other. Here in a little while I'm going to formally introduce them and see how that goes. Wish me luck. Pictures forthcoming. Ok, the groups seem to have merged p well. However, today, one of the new rats stared down the old alpha, who is much older and bigger than him. They did not fight, the older rat eventually crawled off, but he seems to be avoiding the new guys now. Should I separate them and let the old guy just live with his old friends? Will he possibly be depressed or resentful at his lost status? I'm probably crazy assigning human feelings to a rat, but it's just odd to me that he's hanging out and eating alone now.
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Apr 13, 2011 02:07
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Glasgow posted:Ok, the groups seem to have merged p well. However, today, one of the new rats stared down the old alpha, who is much older and bigger than him. They did not fight, the older rat eventually crawled off, but he seems to be avoiding the new guys now. Should I separate them and let the old guy just live with his old friends? Will he possibly be depressed or resentful at his lost status? I'm probably crazy assigning human feelings to a rat, but it's just odd to me that he's hanging out and eating alone now. I'm kind of in the same boat... Varael's mostly hanging out by himself and not with the new kids. Do they just need longer to get used to each other?
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Apr 13, 2011 02:24
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I'm going to be getting these lovable little rat bastards next Saturday: Russian Blue Self  Mink Masked Hairless Dumbo I'm super excited! I have everything bought already, I just don't want to set it up so soon and stare at it in fear that next week will go by in football time. I'm not 100% on it, but I was thinking of Jabberwocky for the hairless, and Bandersnatch for the Blue Self. If anyone can think of any alternatives, I'd love to hear them!
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Apr 14, 2011 00:31
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Re: food lists Why are almonds bad? Is it just the high fat content, or is there an active poison in them? My girls love stealing them when I'm munching, and I haven't seen any ill effects, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
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Apr 14, 2011 04:52
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Almonds have been linked to preventing cancer in rats. They're just pretty fatty and fleshy, so only on occasion.
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Apr 14, 2011 17:01
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GoddammitKaede posted:
 I'm getting some faux hairless dumbo boys this weekend  I'll be sure to post pictures so they don't explode.
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Apr 14, 2011 18:12
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You guys with new and older rats, I still think it would benefit them to be with the little guys. They may bond in a bit more time, and at least they won't be lonely. Provided no one is getting violent of course  quote:I'm not 100% on it, but I was thinking of Jabberwocky for the hairless, and Bandersnatch for the Blue Self. If anyone can think of any alternatives, I'd love to hear them! Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Apr 15, 2011 |
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Apr 15, 2011 11:22
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I'm gonna try and get her to the vet tomorrow, but I wanted to see if anyone reading the thread would have any ideas. Our white rat, Joan, seems to have lost some mobility in her hind legs today. She's doing a lot of dragging and basically doing that "rat stretch" most of the time she's in the cage when moving. But when she's out on the floor, she seems to move fine, and sometimes she does move fine in the cage just not most of the time. I've also seen her standing on her back legs to groom her face and she does kick back at you with her back legs if you hold her on her back and try to poke at her. She has been starting to get a fat belly over the past few months, but it's been pretty gradual and even so I don't think it's a tumor. It has just gotten to the point where her belly kinda touches the ground a bit compared to Trudy just being a little round in the belly. She still goes for treats and everything, and I just gave them their evening food and while she didn't get excited waiting for the food like she usually does she did still jump up onto the ledge to eat out of the bowl like normal. The only other different circumstances is that in the past week we did have to go out of town and take the rats with us so on Wednsday and Friday she spent 5 hours in the little cage with the other two rats, and the time between those trips they were in their big cage but didn't get much time out of the cage. While visiting the other house they did have some different foods but other than some cooked zucchini it was all just fresh vegetables that we don't usually have at home. Any ideas? EDIT: We only got them just under 8 months ago, so I don't see Joan being over a year old but I don't know how old rats generally are in the pet store by the time you buy them. Boco_T fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Apr 17, 2011 |
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Apr 17, 2011 04:04
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I took Tegan, Moose, and Zinc outside to enjoy the sunshine today. At first they were a little apprehensive.   But soon began exploring after figuring out that dandelions are kind of delicious.  Zinc spent most of his time trying to clean the filthy nature off of himself.  Moose quickly realized there are way more bad things to do outside, like digging in the garden.  The face of evil.
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Apr 17, 2011 22:15
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Indigestable posted:I took Tegan, Moose, and Zinc outside to enjoy the sunshine today. Haha adorable pictures Related to your post, how did you round up your rats when it was time to go inside? My (female) rats are impossible to collect when I just let them out in my room - I know they would basically run away if I let them outside. Is this a sex difference or am I just a terrible rat owner? My ratties recognize their names, for the most part, when they are in their cage. But as soon as they get out they basically ignore me and run into corners whenever I come near I've only had them about a month now but they are still really jumpy around me. Their cage is on my desk so I'm around them a lot, even when they are just chilling. But when I make loud noises or cough or whatever they sprint away like I'm some kind of monster. Am I not handling them enough? When I do the "plop them in a sweatshirt and hold them for twenty minutes" thing they do everything they can to climb off me and escape, so it turns into an intense game of trying to keep the rats on my body. Is this just because they are female?
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Apr 18, 2011 16:34
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When you hold them, you need to really HOLD them, not just let them sit on you. Shoulder rides are good but having your hands physically on them is a lot better. You are a lot bigger and stronger than they are. Stuff them in your hoodie pocket and hold them still, they will calm down in a couple of minutes. I'm not a horrible person, this isn't mean, it's how you get a well-adjusted social pet rat that comes hopping adorably to you when you want it to (or even when you don't)
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Apr 19, 2011 00:27
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CompactFanny posted:When you hold them, you need to really HOLD them, not just let them sit on you. Shoulder rides are good but having your hands physically on them is a lot better. You are a lot bigger and stronger than they are. Stuff them in your hoodie pocket and hold them still, they will calm down in a couple of minutes. Ohhhhh....that isn't at all what I was doing. I was just keeping physical contact with them, scratching their back etc. Which meant they basically were ignoring me and doing their thing. I'll give this a shot tonight, thanks!
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Apr 19, 2011 00:38
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This is a really random question, but are rats affected by pollen at all? It gets really bad where I live, and they sound like they have fairly sensitive respiratory systems, so I was just wondering.
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Apr 19, 2011 01:57
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CompactFanny posted:I'm not a horrible person, this isn't mean, it's how you get a well-adjusted social pet rat that comes hopping adorably to you when you want it to (or even when you don't) This exactly. I have done many forced socializations. Handle them gently, but often. I also highly recommend belly kisses applied frequently and without mercy. GenericOverusedName posted:This is a really random question, but are rats affected by pollen at all? It gets really bad where I live, and they sound like they have fairly sensitive respiratory systems, so I was just wondering. The apartment I lived in for several years had nasty black poo poo in the air ducts. I developed severe indoor allergies, and my rats are healthier in general since we moved. We had a span of respiratory problems, unusual cancers, and other mystery illnesses. Not sure about outdoor pollen but the environment definitely affects them. Jin Wicked fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Apr 19, 2011 |
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Apr 19, 2011 02:16
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polyfractal posted:Haha adorable pictures Tegan and Moose are girls; Zinc's a neutered boy. There is some gender difference in that the girls are way more active but I think yours are just still in the process of being socialized. I've had them for almost a year and this was the first time I've let them run around outside, so they stuck fairly close to me, with a few brief expeditions. In my room, they go crazy - but that's because they've already explored every inch of it and know there's nothing dangerous. When I first got them they would hide under my dresser when they got tired and not come out, but someone here gave me the fantastic advice of picking them up a lot when they're playing and that ended that. Now I'm their "home base" and if something startles them, or if I call them, they run to me instead of some dark cranny where I can't reach them. I would never ever have let them roam outside when I'd only had them a month, because they just weren't that bonded to me yet. Pick 'em up, tickle them, give them raspberries on their tummies, give them little treats when you open the cage and when you put them back, and they'll love you.
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Apr 19, 2011 07:22
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Indigestable posted:give them raspberries on their tummies Hahahaha I do this constantly and without mercy 
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Apr 19, 2011 11:35
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Yeah ours run into the cage at night because that's when I give out our best treats. Joan update: the vet isn't open on Sunday so we didn't take her, but on Sunday and yesterday she was acting completely normally and moving normally as well, so she must have just been in a mood on Saturday. We'll keep an eye out.
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Apr 19, 2011 15:25
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I've been giving one of my boys antibiotics since about the 7th and he's still not getting over his respiratory infection. I feel so bad too because he won't eat it and I have to manhandle him to give them to him. He never liked me as much as the other 2 and now he REALLY hates me and hides and screams when I pull him out of the cage if he sees the medicine bottle. Of course the other 2 are scrabbling at the bars to get out and get to the DELICIOUS medicine OMG GIVEITGIVEIT I just hope he gets better soon
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Apr 19, 2011 17:09
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Explosions! posted:I've been giving one of my boys antibiotics since about the 7th and he's still not getting over his respiratory infection. I feel so bad too because he won't eat it and I have to manhandle him to give them to him. He never liked me as much as the other 2 and now he REALLY hates me and hides and screams when I pull him out of the cage if he sees the medicine bottle. Of course the other 2 are scrabbling at the bars to get out and get to the DELICIOUS medicine OMG GIVEITGIVEIT I just hope he gets better soon Have you tried mixing the medicine into baby food or something else he likes? Isolate him in a small cage or somewhere he feels comfortable, then feed it to him? For serious cases we will combo oral medication with an antibiotic in the nebulizer. My vet rents the machines, yours might too, you may want to ask about it.
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Apr 19, 2011 18:44
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Jin Wicked posted:Have you tried mixing the medicine into baby food or something else he likes? Yeah, I tried several kinds of baby food. The first medicine had a nasty flavor anyway, so they gave us a different kind after I spilled most of it while trying to give it to him (struggling rat + open bottle on floor = bad). Now he's got bubble gum flavored amoxicillin (1ml 2x a day), pretty much the same thing they give to little kids. He took it for a while then turned his nose up at it again. He won't eat it unless it's pretty diluted into food and I don't have time to try to hand feed him that much baby food twice a day. If he's not any better by the end of this round I'll have to take him back to the vet anyway, so maybe they'll suggest nebulizer meds then.
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Apr 19, 2011 19:24
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What are your guys opinion on adding a younger rat to an older one? I had two girlies, but one died post surgery The survivor (~2yrs) seems fine, but I feel bad that it is just her now. Would she be ok with a younger rat (or two, since then I don't want the other one to be alone....)
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Apr 20, 2011 01:57
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I've found it pretty easy to introduce baby rats to adults. There are lots of tips earlier in the thread on introducing them with a minimum of fuss (don't just put a new rat straight in the cage of course), but the short answer is yes, she would probably benefit from a young companion or two
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Apr 20, 2011 04:56
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Big Bug Hug posted:(don't just put a new rat straight in the cage of course) Honestly that's what I've had to do a couple times, and while it's a bit nerve-wracking, with close supervision and the ability to pull bullies out for time-out, it's doable. But I've had pretty mellow rats, all told.
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Apr 20, 2011 04:59
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Yeah I can see my rats getting along fine with a new one in the cage too, but I would feel terrible if I advised someone it was ok and they had a rat rumble  . I prefer to err on the side of caution myself, anyway
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Apr 20, 2011 05:39
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Yeah, definitely. It can be nerve-wracking for a while, so I wouldn't recommend it, but if you don't have a choice, it's not a showstopper.
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Apr 20, 2011 05:51
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I recently introduced two younger ratties to an old female who had been on her own for a few months (outlived all her cage mates ). It was pretty easy to do with caution and it made her a 'new' rat Before it was obvious she was lonely and withdrawn even with lots of attention from me, afterwards she was bruxing like mad, cuddling up to the young ones, coming out to play with them, getting fussed over by them etc. I'm glad I did it and she lived to be well over 3 years old and happy until the end YMMV of course, but like others have said be sensible and it can be done
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Apr 20, 2011 11:06
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Thanks to everyone who gave me the forced socialization tips, I'm already seeing an improvement. I've also started doing the "give treat, pick up rat for a few seconds, put back down and give another treat" thing. They seem like they are starting to understand the game On a different note, is there a way to shift the activity schedule of rats? I know they are crepuscular and active at twilight, which often translates into right when I turn off the lights and go to bed. It honestly doesn't bother me (I sleep like the dead) but my girlfriend is a really light sleeper and she has a hard time ignoring their running around/drinking from the bottle/wrestling. I know it's a long-shot but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask
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Apr 21, 2011 18:51
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People say they adjust but mine have always been pretty active at night. Move the cage somewhere else is the only suggestion I have for you, cause I don't think there's much you can do to make them change. Maybe just spend a long time wearing them out before you go to bed?
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Apr 22, 2011 01:21
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Big Bug Hug posted:People say they adjust but mine have always been pretty active at night. Move the cage somewhere else is the only suggestion I have for you, cause I don't think there's much you can do to make them change. Hehehe this is actually what I suggested when she mentioned the problem. I've noticed they are pretty quiet if I let them run around my room for a while before bed...so we'll probably just play with them from now on. Luckily my girl really likes rats too Edit: One of my rats just discovered the "stash treats and run back for more" game
polyfractal fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Apr 22, 2011 |
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Apr 22, 2011 02:23
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Yeah I like when they all line up for food at the door and get a treat each, then the first one comes back to say "I didn't get one!"
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Apr 22, 2011 05:02
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Aurgh, it turns out my new apartment won't allow pets after all. Crazy landlady didn't make that clear before... Guess I'll have to live vicariously through this thread. I've heard that kittens explode if you don't take pictures of them. I don't know about rats, but it probably wouldn't hurt to be careful! Edit: \/\/\/  Oh my god I'm dying from cuteness over here!
GenericOverusedName fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Apr 22, 2011 |
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Apr 22, 2011 14:16
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My new boys: Erlend  Erlend  Felix  Sander & Erlend  Backside of Felix because he would not keep still  Felix & Erlend (got a feeling those balls are gonna be BIG when he is older...)  Felix  Erlend  Explosions avoided I hope
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Apr 22, 2011 15:55
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ElectricSquire posted:Erlend DAWWWWWWWWWAK;KSADFJWLERJOI  *ahem* That's some really good photography. They look so soft... are they?
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Apr 22, 2011 16:20
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daggerdragon posted:That's some really good photography. They look so soft... are they? Thank you I don't really know what I am doing, it is an old camera and they kept running around (like you would expect hehe) but I think I got some good snaps Shame there is quite a bit of noise though, ah well...Yes they are lovely and soft! Felix is perhaps the most friendly baby rat I have ever had, he zooms up my arm with no prompting when I open the cage door and then sits on my shoulder desperately trying to groom my ears and face while he bruxes
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Apr 22, 2011 16:56
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