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Probably depends what they eat. My rats' droppings vary. They can get kinda wet with a lot of veggies and whatnot. For me the issue with fleece/towelling would be the smell and shredding.
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May 19, 2011 13:26
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So I've noticed my rats are making this little huffing sound occasionally, usually when they're in each other's face wrestling or otherwise surprised/active/agitated. This is nothing to worry about, right? I just can't find it described on most webpages listing different rat sounds, and my newbie paranoia is getting the better of me since I know they're prone to respiratory troubles. I'm also interested in replacing the litter bedding with fleece and just leaving a litterbox in the corner. Right now I have some plastic mats on the upper levels of the cage, but I'm thinking fleece there too might be better/less smelly. Any recommendations on keeping that in place? I've heard binder clips work but there's really no way to fix those onto the cage side of my Martin's on those upper levels, so it'd still get pretty bunched up on that end, I think. More information on fleece vs. CareFresh in general would be welcome, actually. Besides all that, things are working out really well with the boys.  They seem extraordinarily well socialized and I've had lots of fun snuggling them and letting them mooch cheerios - just still learning the ropes here!
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May 20, 2011 00:14
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The huffing is probably just heavy breathing. Pretty much all rats do get respiratory problems from time to time, so its possible it could be a little flare up, but just keep an eye on them. I wouldn't worry unless they are wheezing/sneezing a lot at rest and less active times as well, or otherwise get worse.
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May 20, 2011 01:48
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Near as I can tell, my rats were born sometime this month, so I celebrated their first birthdays with mine and took cruddy cellphone pictures. I made them a special dinner: a salad, spaghetti with mealworms, and a shotglass of coffee with milk and sugar (since they always steal sips of mine).  We also shared a mooncake, and the girls got a few sips of flat beer. (Zinc abstained. He also turned down the offer of cake at first; I think he was suspicious of all the hullabaloo and thought I was fattening them up for dinner.) Please pardon Moose's lack of headwear, as the pet store was out of miniature party hats.  I gave them some crickets, too, but didn't get any pictures as I was too busy catching the crickets and holding them for the rats (*crunch* ughhhhh) because they didn't want to bother chasing them down. And I got them a hanging refillable skewer thing with chew blocks and apple wood sticks but of course they completely ignore it even though I told them it's very valuable and not to chew on it. Happy birthday, you little shits.
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May 22, 2011 00:15
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Ahhh rats. I used to have 5 of the little bastards and they were fantastic. I have never had such charismatic, intelligent pets that you can form real bonds with. But sadly, that's the reason I can never have them again. I can't help but feel that 3 years just isn't long enough to get to know these guys and it isn't worth the heartache. But all the same. Here is (a poor quality iPhone photo of) Mud, one of the first girls we ever bought. Miss you babe. 
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May 22, 2011 02:32
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Indigestable posted:And I got them a hanging refillable skewer thing with chew blocks and apple wood sticks but of course they completely ignore it even though I told them it's very valuable and not to chew on it.
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May 22, 2011 03:16
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Invalid Octopus posted:I feel like another aspect of it is lifetimes. If you rescue an adult dog (say, 3-5 years old) you have maybe a good 10 years left with him, depending on breed. If you rescue an adult rat, you might only get a year, year and half since their lifetimes are so short. See, this scares me. I've never had trouble finding rats at rescue, or at least pulling them from a pound. 3 of my boys had been dumped and were coming up on their 90 days at a city shelter when I happened to be there. I have no idea how old they are or how much time I have with them. One of my hamsters passed last week, and now I'm scared for all my pets, I just can't know how old they are. I don't bother with fleece or laundry, I just get dollar blankets at a thrift store and throw them out regularly. Also, the boys have recently started ignoring their Regal Rat. Which worries me, because that's what I keep in their trough all day, with oats/pasta/sausage/veggies at dinner time. They were never picky before; I know a lot of rats don't like the stuff, but the boys have always eaten it with no problem. I wouldn't care so much, and would just go back to Fortidiet, but I just got a new bag and I can't just go getting new junk for all my animals every time they feel like being prissy. Dammit. Catalina: sorry for the long absence. Tomorrow is bath day, so I should be able to get some pics of my rats being pissed as hell.
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May 23, 2011 10:26
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Glasgow posted:I have no idea how old they are or how much time I have with them Cant look at it like that. It might be a week, might be months or years. Enjoy the time you have. I had a rescue rat that was skin and bones when I got him. The friendliest little thing I`ve ever seen. Cant imagine how bad his last owners were, but I know they were loving heartless monsters. He was abandoned at a Vet I go to, so they rang me up. I got there expecting some abused, savage. As soon as I opened his pee soaked cardboard box he started licking my hands, ran up my arm and licked my face. He was so skinny I just cried, and he licked the tears off my face. Who could do that to such a harmless adorable little bastard. I kept him with me at all times, even at work cos I needed to make sure he was kept safe and fed. Kept him in my coat sleeve when carrying him around, he just curled up and slept there. Sat him on the shelf when I showered. The steam helps them breath when they have respiratory problems. He grew more and more lethargic but tried his best to eat what I gave him and groomed me whenever I gave him a rub. One day carrying him back home I went to get him out of my sleeve and he had passed away. I`m certain he was peaceful when he went. I had him for 2 weeks. I don't like talking about it because it always makes me cry. I`m not crying cos he died before I could give him name, I get upset about the condition I got him in and the abuse he went through before that time. Those were 2 of the happiest weeks of both our lives. As long as you can give them a better life before the end it shouldn't matter how long you had them for. Don't get adopt a pet and think about how it affects you. You are rescuing an animal to give them a better life. If that isn't your intention in the first place, you shouldn't be adopting.
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May 24, 2011 21:37
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That is the sweetest story. I'm glad he had a few weeks with someone who cared.  I work with rescue groups, and I can't be mad at people leaving animals outside anymore, or I'd just walk around pissed off all the time. I can never know their situation or what brought them to that point, I just have to be glad they decided to bring the animal somewhere that someone might be able to help.That's how I got started with rats, I was at a kill shelter doing a pick up for a breed rescue, and I saw some rats in a crate. They told me they didn't really know how to deal with rodents, and after 90 days they were $2, i.e., snake food. I figured I had $6 on me, I would rather take the time to call a rat rescue and learn what I needed to do than leave them in a crate in a concrete room eating birdseed until someone came along looking for feeders. Now I have 7 rats, and while they are derpy stinky boys, they are my sweetest, cutest pets and I love them to death. Speaking of, yesterday they got their dinner in a round pie dish, and when I went to bed I saw they had dragged their igloo over the top of the dish, eaten everything and were sleeping in the dirty tin.
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May 24, 2011 23:05
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Those are both super sweet stories. Rats and rat owners are amazing, I don't know why some people are so freaked out by them. Only one of my friends absolutely refuses to be in the same room as them, but oh well. Her loss. My siamese discovered that I have long hair and that it MUST be part of his master plan in his cardboard box hideout. He wouldn't stop trying to drag my hair/head into it and only gave up once he realized my head would not fit into the 4 inch tall door. My 11 month old dumbo rex must have hurt his hind paw sometime while I was at work, because he was fine when I left this morning but when I got back he was laying in his bed away from the others and moving from there to the bottom corner of the cage.  He wobbled/limped over to me when I called him and I saw that he was holding his back right paw up close to him, although he could put weight on it if he had to, so I'm thinking it's not broken. It's not even swollen either. My vet's not open until 8 AM, but I'm not sure if it's even worth the trip to the vet. I really don't know what they could do for him, but I would take him if it got worse, of course. Just wondering if anyone else had any experience with sprained paws and if you have any advice. Thanks.
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May 26, 2011 04:02
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Bophf posted:He wobbled/limped over to me when I called him and I saw that he was holding his back right paw up close to him, although he could put weight on it if he had to, so I'm thinking it's not broken. It's not even swollen either. My vet's not open until 8 AM, but I'm not sure if it's even worth the trip to the vet. I really don't know what they could do for him, but I would take him if it got worse, of course. Just wondering if anyone else had any experience with sprained paws and if you have any advice. Thanks. I had almost this exact scenario happen with one of my big boys. I ultimately took him to the vet so they could make sure nothing was broken. They also prescribed a few days of Metacam for any pain.
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May 26, 2011 04:28
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Slidje posted:Don't get adopt a pet and think about how it affects you. You are rescuing an animal to give them a better life. If that isn't your intention in the first place, you shouldn't be adopting. I don't understand who could abuse a tiny animal.
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May 26, 2011 05:34
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So I think my girls have finally warmed up to me. They come running to the edge of the cage when I get home from work and get all bouncy whenever I talk to them. They also eat food while sitting on my lap now, which is a pretty big step
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May 26, 2011 16:03
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Last night, in the middle of drawing, my tablet suddenly disconnected from my laptop. I'm sitting there plugging it into other USB ports trying to figure out why it wont recognize it, restart my computer twice, reconfigure all kinds of stuff, and finally am like "haha lmao my brand new tablet is broken that's just great." Then I thought to check the USB cable itself.  The rat cage is right next to my computer desk, and the cable had fallen within reach of them. The shitheads pretty much severed it.  I would've been really mad but I had another cable so it's all good
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May 27, 2011 14:54
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Superconsndar posted:Last night, in the middle of drawing, my tablet suddenly disconnected from my laptop. I'm sitting there plugging it into other USB ports trying to figure out why it wont recognize it, restart my computer twice, reconfigure all kinds of stuff, and finally am like "haha lmao my brand new tablet is broken that's just great."
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May 27, 2011 23:13
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And Wrinkles just chewed a huge chunk off my Crocs, but that's what I get for owning Crocs, I guess. First pair of shoes that is irresistible to rats.
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May 27, 2011 23:46
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My rats ruined a brand new pair of DM boots by nibbling through the soles. We've also had to buy a wireless Wii sensor bar, a new power lead for the cable TV box (I also got electrocuted but the rats were fine), and replace countless pairs of in-ear headphones (they ALWAYS go for Sennheisers, never the standard Apple ones or cheap in-ear kinds), bedsheets, PC speakers and socks. Would I exchange them for a better-behaved animal? Not on your life
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May 28, 2011 12:17
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BATH TIME! My rats get smelly, silly boys. They need to be washed. Marley was apprehensive at first, but soon learned to love it.  Xerxes was the opposite. Dived right in, but after a while started jumping onto my housemate to get dry.  Marley was so confident that he winked at me.  Xerxes likes warm towels.    ALL DONE 
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May 28, 2011 18:49
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Hey, here's a couple pictures of Ilerin, my little feeder-tank refugee. First one's not great because I didn't dare open the top of the cage... he was so cutely asleep, and I knew he'd get up after (which he did, as in the next picture). 
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May 29, 2011 04:25
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neongrey posted:Hey, here's a couple pictures of Ilerin, my little feeder-tank refugee. First one's not great because I didn't dare open the top of the cage... he was so cutely asleep, and I knew he'd get up after (which he did, as in the next picture). The very first rat I ever owned, at about age six, after begging my mom for a rat for months (because I'd read in a library book that they were smarter than hamsters and gerbils,) was a beige hooded randomly fished out of a feeder tank. I named him Sam and he was my best buddy in the whole world for 3.5 years (along with the subsequent rat sperg he caused in me, he wasn't alone after a few months and was joined by several others who became my first "group" of rats.) As simple and common as they are, beige hoodeds will always have a special spot with me. In related news, it's starting to get really hot here. Today it was just hot enough to be kinda uncomfortable, but not hot enough that I felt justified in turning the AC on. I noticed the rats all sprawled out in their cage, so I gave them some of the strawberry shortcake ice cream I had in the freezer so that they could cool down and they are so boggle-y and bruxey and happy right now, covered in ice cream and trying to drag it out of the cup and hoard it but they can't because it melts.
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May 29, 2011 04:49
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Rattie update - both are now on antibiotics for respiratory troubles. A proper welcome to owning rats for me, I guess! Still, two months feels so young for this, so I can't help but think it's a little ominous for their future health.
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May 30, 2011 00:51
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Don't worry about it too much - adjusting to a new place can in itself aggravate respiratory problems. And some rats just get problems on and off a lot of the time, unfortunately As long as you're using proper bedding and whatnot you're fine.
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May 30, 2011 06:08
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I was cruising craigslist today, because I love to be depressed apparently. I sent out two emails, one reading simply "Don't breed your rat you big dummy" to some stupid person who wanted a male rat to keep her female hairless rat warm. The other was in response to a person who was rehoming a (cute as gently caress ) little male who she bought to breed with her female and then changed her mind. Both these rats live in a cage with mice, and also they regularly play with the guinea pig!  I need to block my IP from craigslist or something. It's some sort of terrible self-destructive habit I have, to make myself SO ANGRY about rats on the internet. rant over
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May 30, 2011 23:08
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So my sister snuck into my room and managed to do what I never did: get a good picture of all of them together. Have some others, too!    
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Jun 1, 2011 21:45
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Amiss posted:Yeah, my Casper was on Baytril or some form of antibiotic for the last year of his two-year life. It only ever put a dent in the symptoms for the first week of an upped dose, though. We just put him to sleep on Tuesday, half because of the respiratory complications (he was struggling to breathe on the last day-- heartbreaking to see) and half because the right side of his face had suddenly shut down (uncontrollable infections in the ear and eye, lower jaw migrating over so far he couldn't chew or brux after just a week, whiskers totally immobile)-- maybe a horribly malignant cancer. Within a week or two after Casper passed at just over 2 years old, Kovacs developed the exact same mass in the exact same place. They were ticking time bombs. The vet recommended that I contact the breeder to let her know about the line, but I don't trust myself to be anything approaching civil. My pet store rat, Loot, lived to 3.5, and we'd gotten friends for him from a breeder hoping for similar longevity. Kovacs's mass is now the size of a cherry, hard and swollen, and his ear is full of solid dried blood. His ear and whiskers on that side are frozen in place and unresponsive just like Casper's were. His jaw is so misaligned that his teeth have ground to angled points. The speed at which this has all developed has been horribly fast. I was going to call the vet today to make an appointment to get his teeth trimmed, but when I got home and brought him out and took inventory of everything... He still seems moderately oblivious to it all, and maybe it's just the Metacam he's on, but I don't think I want it to get to the point where it causes him enough pain that he can't hide it. Waiting for TheSnowySoviet to get home so we can discuss the appointment I think I'll actually be making. It is so loving hard loving such fragile little beasts. E: Made the appointment for tomorrow afternoon. This will be the last four-legged heart that pees on me. I just can't do it anymore. Jin Wicked - For the record, I've always wanted to thank you for unknowingly getting me started, and I'm glad you're posting in here now so I can get that chance. My brother bought me a book of your webcomic years ago, and this is the one that got the gears turning: http://crap.jinwicked.com/2004/07/06/rodent-love/ So thank you-- thanks for setting the interest in motion that resulted in all these incredible little furballs sharing my life and love. It's been hard, but I've never regretted it for a second. Amiss fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Jun 2, 2011 |
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Jun 2, 2011 01:44
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That really sucks, I'm sorry Amiss
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Jun 2, 2011 02:23
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Went to wipe down some messy spots in his cage and woke him up. He limped upstairs to investigate, very wobbly, and proceeded to pee right where I was cleaning. Again. Like always. I laughed. Little jerk.
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Jun 2, 2011 02:53
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Amiss posted:Jin Wicked - For the record, I've always wanted to thank you for unknowingly getting me started, and I'm glad you're posting in here now so I can get that chance. My brother bought me a book of your webcomic years ago, and this is the one that got the gears turning: Awwwww, thank you so much. That made my night.  Best wishes to you and your boy, these things sometimes happen so quickly.
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Jun 2, 2011 06:01
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Amiss posted:http://crap.jinwicked.com/2004/07/06/rodent-love/ Well, yesterday, my first rat girl, Olivia, died. She was about 1.5 - 2 years, so while it wasn't completely unexpected, it was quite sudden. The vet said that sometimes with animals with strong prey instincts, if they're sick, they won't act sick, as a way of protecting themselves from potential predators. If they are showing obvious symptoms, they're to the point where they can't hide it, and are in serious danger. So! The vet said that the most visible sign of sickness is sudden weight loss. From now on, I'll be weighing my other two girls regularly. There's a hole in my heart where Olivia once was, but I'm so extremely glad she was my first girl, and introduced me to how sweet and special rats are. I hope she rests peacefully. I'll share some pictures of her with you guys!   
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Jun 2, 2011 15:31
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NaDy posted:BATH TIME! That's so .Alas whenever I try to get my two near water they jump out and make a bid for freedom, smelly little darlings. edit:  Tilly the rat is keen on technology. ContinuityNewTimes fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Jun 3, 2011 |
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Jun 3, 2011 12:20
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Jin Wicked posted:Awwwww, thank you so much. That made my night. Holy crap I remember seeing one of your comics years ago. It was you shouting and screaming with the rats asleep in the background, making all sorts of noise, then in the last frame you are carefully opening a plastic wrapper and the rats instantly wake up. It was loltacular
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Jun 3, 2011 17:52
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The girls got a new cage today (accidentally posted in the YAPPY rat thread about this, whoops!) and it is SO. BIG. Like, I can't even believe we even considered getting the double level, this new one is huge (a little less than twice as big as their old one). It's the Critter Nation 161, for reference, which seems to be pretty popular. I love how it doesn't have the deep dish, too, since it means we can see everything the naughty ones are up to New cage:  Bonus pic of baby Liza exploring a couch: 
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Jun 3, 2011 20:49
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That is a really nice cage, I'm jealous. I wonder if we can get them here in Australia.
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Jun 4, 2011 04:23
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Big Bug Hug posted:That is a really nice cage, I'm jealous. I wonder if we can get them here in Australia. Also... we got a third rat. Meet Angela:  
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Jun 4, 2011 04:47
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Thanks for the info, google tells me ferret nation are much easier to find. I would need a bigger place (hopefully soon!) before I got one of those. They're cool though. I'd also probably fill it with more rats Also that is a cute little rat girl. I love when they're in the gangly stage.
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Jun 4, 2011 08:30
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I feel like I've lost not just Kovacs, but the rats before him all over again-- Scud, Loot, Casper. Even if I won't have them as pets again (barring unforeseen circumstances like necessary rescues, of course), rats will always feel like a part of my life. I've cleaned and rounded up all rat-related articles-- cages, bedding, food, treats, toys, etc., some of which are still fully packaged. A rat-owning friend has first dibs on anything she wants/needs, but if you're in the Portland, OR area and want some free rattie things, shoot me a PM and I'll let you know what I've got.
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Jun 4, 2011 23:11
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So the AC at my apartment seems to be on the fritz, I just bought a ton of fans including a quiet mini tower fan for outside the rat cage, but it is still 90+ in the apartment (more than likely hotter, the thermostat only shows up to 90, but the needle if embedded far past that. I keep placing food bowls full of ice and cold water in the cage as well as replacing their water bottle with chilled water every few hours, but it doesn't seem to be enough for my poor girls. At least they look like they are having fun nibbling on the ice, but I am so worried with how sluggish they are. Anything else I could do?
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Jun 5, 2011 03:07
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Enzer posted:So the AC at my apartment seems to be on the fritz, I just bought a ton of fans including a quiet mini tower fan for outside the rat cage, but it is still 90+ in the apartment (more than likely hotter, the thermostat only shows up to 90, but the needle if embedded far past that. I keep placing food bowls full of ice and cold water in the cage as well as replacing their water bottle with chilled water every few hours, but it doesn't seem to be enough for my poor girls. Fishing for peas! Get some frozen peas and put them in a sturdy dish with cool water. 
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Jun 5, 2011 03:44
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You know what, that's a great idea, and I might just have some. If not, I got a clean damp washcloth freezing in the fridge right now. Really can't run out at the moment as I am on the third floor of an apartment that has cicadas covering every square inch of it, get about twenty of them in the house every time we open that drat door.
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Jun 5, 2011 04:26
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| # ? May 15, 2024 13:22 |
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Enzer posted:So the AC at my apartment seems to be on the fritz, I just bought a ton of fans including a quiet mini tower fan for outside the rat cage, but it is still 90+ in the apartment (more than likely hotter, the thermostat only shows up to 90, but the needle if embedded far past that. I keep placing food bowls full of ice and cold water in the cage as well as replacing their water bottle with chilled water every few hours, but it doesn't seem to be enough for my poor girls. Agreeing with frozen pea-fishing-- it's always a hit. Also, grab some ceramic tiles at Home Depot or Lowe's or something; they're anywhere from 10 to 50 cents each. Stick 'em in the fridge for a while, and blammo, instant cooling pads. Just be aware that if it's super hot, you might see your rats lying on their backs with their feet in the air to cool off, looking for all the world as if they've passed on. Just give their bellies a poke and watch them jump.
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Jun 6, 2011 05:12
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