|
It also kind of sounds like the previous owner might not have handled him that much, since she rehomed him due to lack of time for his care. Alhara may just need to start over from a socialization standpoint and treat this little guy like he's fresh from the feeder tank.
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2011 23:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 06:31 |
|
|
I've been looking at cages for awhile now, I know the general rule of thumb for a rat cage is 1 square foot of space per rat, but that doesn't seem very big. I work full time as well so they aren't going to get as much outside time. I want 2~3 female rats, what's a good size cage for them?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 00:32
|
|
|
Squid posted:Alhara, what kind of bites we talkin' here? Like did he draw blood or was it sort of a hard nom and then a confused look when he realized you weren't food? Big Bug Hug posted:Yeah its easy to tell the difference. Did his old owner say he was bitey? Its possible he just needs a bit of time to adjust if he's super frightened RazorBunny posted:It also kind of sounds like the previous owner might not have handled him that much, since she rehomed him due to lack of time for his care. Alhara may just need to start over from a socialization standpoint and treat this little guy like he's fresh from the feeder tank. The bites were of the draw-blood variety. The first one, he grabbed on to my finger hard and tried to pull it into the cage (I guess my finger smelled like food). I made a yelping sound and he let go, but he had my finger for several seconds. The second and third times, he seemed more apologetic after he did it, but he still drew a lot of blood on the third bite. The previous owner said he bit her once, and she was too afraid to handle him much after that. I really feel like, aside from his basic needs, she ignored him.  When I picked him up out of his cage to take him home, he squeaked in terror (but did not bite). So I need to start over with his socialization. Should I try forced socialization, or would that be too hard on him? I was thinking maybe I could teach him not to bite by wearing gloves and then squealing in pain if he bites down on them. Is that a good idea? I should also mention that things are going great with Chance, the shelter rat. He's bright, curious, and a little pudgy (the shelter had him on a cheap food meant for gerbils, so it had lots of sunflower seeds in it). I'll upload pictures soon so they don't explode.  Edit: One more thing--could fruit scented hand soap be making my hands smell like food? I could switch over to unscented if so. Alhara fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Jul 24, 2011 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 00:42
|
|
|
I feel like gloves might be useless as he won't get used to your skin. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I say give him a couple of days or so to adjust and then try forced socialisation.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 01:21
|
|
|
Alhara posted:Edit: One more thing--could fruit scented hand soap be making my hands smell like food? I could switch over to unscented if so.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 01:22
|
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:I feel like gloves might be useless as he won't get used to your skin. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. This may sound cruel but I successfully rehabilitated a persistent fear biter -- adult female -- using gloves. I used fitted leather, lined gloves, and followed her around the cage with my hand touching her until she was exhausted. She would bite to discourage from being handled. She eventually understood that biting did not work anymore. Once I broke the biting habit using gloves, the transition to bare skin went without incident. After about a month she had become an affectionate, gentle girl. No problems. Results would vary for true aggression, hormonal males, etc...
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 05:02
|
|
|
Ah that makes sense, especially with a really persistant biter. Rat bites hurt. And it doesn't sound cruel, just follows the way rats work with the whole fear thing. Oh, oh! I want to ask: Alhara, what color eyes does your bitey rat have? The only one of my three that will bite is my red eyed blind-as-a-bat guy when he mistakes my fingers for food out of manic excitement. Its funny how quickly they soften the bite and pull back when they realise the mistake 
Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 10:35 on Jul 24, 2011 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 10:32
|
|
|
Alright so again it's decision time. One of my girlies has survived an operation to remove a lump, back in February time. Now she's got a mammary lump growing, and I'm not sure what to do. It's definitely increasing in size and we've been to the vet once who said to monitor it (our vet is great). The problem is, how far is too far? We once let a lump get too big on another girl and she died during the operation due to the trauma of it. But how long do we let it grow on this girl? She's coming up to two years old in the middle of August, and she's not the strongest creature around. Do we wait until it gets too big and we're forced to put her down? Or do we put a healthy, happy ratty in for an operation that might just kill her. This sucks
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 21:55
|
|
|
Rathen posted:Alright so again it's decision time. One of my girlies has survived an operation to remove a lump, back in February time. Now she's got a mammary lump growing, and I'm not sure what to do. It's definitely increasing in size and we've been to the vet once who said to monitor it (our vet is great). It's been my experience that if you want to do surgery, you should go ahead and do it as soon as you notice the lump. It will always grow, and the rat will only get older, weaker, and more affected by it. If you can't do surgery, then monitor and decide on euthanasia appropriately. My Cecilie had 3 tumors removed after her 2nd birthday and bounced back well. Her 6th (total) around 2.5 years was where we finally decided she'd gotten too frail.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2011 22:09
|
|
|
How much does it cost for tumor removal? @__@ Is it really worth it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2011 02:36
|
|
|
eig posted:How much does it cost for tumor removal? @__@ Is it really worth it? Each of her removals cost between $75-$150 (depending on area, size, and difficulty of removal), including a trip to the e-vet that cost $150 when the glue gave way on one of the surgeries. Cecelie had her first tumor when she was around 8 months of age, so we probably ended up at least doubling her life. It's a really personal thing as to whether or not it's "worth" it. I foster small animals and we average about $200/critter on vet care, so spending $75 on a rat is not really that unusual or strange to me. She was the best rat I've ever owned and looking back I certainly don't regret spending the money and would have had the last tumor removed with no reservations if she'd been in better shape and I felt like she'd have done ok with it. Her last day we fed her tiny rat cookies and she laid on my chest and bruxed and boggled her eyes with her hands full of cookies. It's still my best memory of her.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2011 12:19
|
|
|
I was wondering if some of you guys could give me some information regarding treatment for respitory infections? My rats have been a little bit congested sounding (audible kind of 'squeaky' breathing, the occasional 'hoot') on and off, and next time they have a flare-up I'm going to go to the vet. I went the first time I suspected they were a bit respy but the vet couldn't find anything wrong after examining them and listening to their chests, said they sounded healthy, so I've left it for a bit. I've been putting it off because they only sound respy some of the time, at random, and can sound completely normal for days at a time. I'm worried if I take them to the vet again when they don't sound bad I'll be wasting money, and stressing them out for nothing. Anyway! When I spoke to the vet about bringing them in, she sounded like she'd be prescribing antibiotics to go in their water which I've heard is a really bad way to administer them (My rats have unlimited water, I don't know how I'd measure how much they'd drunk and that they were getting the meds) and I also know that a lot of vets don't prescribe the right amount so it doesn't actually do anything. Can you helpful rat people tell me how much the vet should be prescribing, and whether I can insist on not putting the meds in their water? I'm in the UK if practices are different here. Also, if anyone has any information on being allergic to rats and how you cope with it would be great - my new flatmate has had allergy flare-ups since she moved in with me and my rats and we think it could be them. If it is, what can we do to minimize her reaction to them? I am a very light sleeper so I can't have them in my room, so they'll have to stay in a common area where she will be somewhat exposed to them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2011 23:51
|
|
|
If it's Baytril there really isn't a "wrong" way to give it (apart from in water, our vet advises the same but the alternative of squirting it down their throats is pretty awful too); I usually measure out what's needed and add it to a small amount of yoghurt or custard; usually less than half a teaspoon is enough. Baytril tastes awful by itself so it's good to add it to something with strong flavours to mask it. Plus it means that medicine time isn't a chore As for how much should be prescribed, it probably depends on what it's being given for. One of my rats is currently taking Baytril for an infected bite, and we need to give him 0.15ml twice a day. I'd say check with your vet for the amounts and consult with them before increasing or reducing doses. Ubiquitous Flan fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Jul 26, 2011 |
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2011 07:42
|
|
|
Lord Windy posted:I've been looking at cages for awhile now, I know the general rule of thumb for a rat cage is 1 square foot of space per rat, but that doesn't seem very big. I work full time as well so they aren't going to get as much outside time. Here's a cage size calculator: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml Personally, I have three girls in the Critter Nation 161, but I could comfortably fit two or so more in there as well. I freaking love that cage, though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2011 17:32
|
|
|
This is the cage I have which I think is probably the smallest you should go for 2-3 girl rats. Then again, I let my rats out a lot. Also it goes on sale for pretty cheap. v vhttp://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753300 (I don't use the dumb wheel and use a ceramic dish instead of the plastic one.) eig fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Jul 27, 2011 |
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 01:20
|
|
|
I'm wondering if it's time soon to euthanize my old man rat, if he doesn't pass on his own soon. He's almost 3 now, and he's outlived his (younger) cagemates. He hardly ever comes out of his igloo anymore, might be completely blind, and won't let me touch him at all. He doesn't have any lumps and his breathing is normal. I'm worried that he's in pain and it's why he's acting so strange, but if he is blind is it possible he's just scared of me and navigating his cage because he can't see any of it? He did seem improved today, he came out of his igloo and climbed up 3 levels to get to his hammock. He hasn't been eating much, if anything, lately, but I saw the rice was gone out of his bowl so I offered him some baby food. He's been rejecting that too lately, but this time he ate spoonful after spoonful and begged for more. I'm just afraid that he'll relapse even worse and stop moving and eating altogether.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 02:48
|
|
|
tse1618 posted:I'm wondering if it's time soon to euthanize my old man rat, if he doesn't pass on his own soon. He's almost 3 now, and he's outlived his (younger) cagemates. He hardly ever comes out of his igloo anymore, might be completely blind, and won't let me touch him at all. He doesn't have any lumps and his breathing is normal. I'm worried that he's in pain and it's why he's acting so strange, but if he is blind is it possible he's just scared of me and navigating his cage because he can't see any of it? I would say that as long as he's eating, he's fine. However, I don't think that him not letting you pick him up is normal. Rats don't use their eyesight as much as their nose, so if you socialized with him properly, he should still recognize you by smell. What does he do when you try to touch him?
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 03:15
|
|
|
Lately he's been backing away when I touch him and trying to escape to where I can't get him. It's really been bothering me, because he used to be very friendly, always wanted to come out and begged for attention when I walked by. I tried petting him again just now, and although he wouldn't let me earlier today, he seemed fine with it now. Even chattered a little, although he kept trying to eat my fingers the whole time. He'd also started nibbling on a piece of bread and a tomato. I feel a lot better now that he's eating and moving around and letting me touch him. I was just worried before, when he wasn't eating or moving or letting me near him for days on end. And now I'm worried he'll start doing it again, but at least he seems more normal tonight.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 03:53
|
|
|
Sounds like he might be in pain or just generally in decline. Enjoy the good periods where he is still up and willing to be affectionate. Its really up to you when you feel his down times are outweighing the up times.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 06:31
|
|
|
If there is nothing obviously wrong with him, and he will take medicine, you could always ask your vet about pain relief. Chocolate Ensure (either water bottle or syringe-feed) and scrambled eggs are my go-to foods for rats in decline.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 20:22
|
|
|
Well, we took the plunge today and little black hood is booked in for a lump removal on Monday. Here begins the worrying and fingers crossing. She's survived one, she's not yet two... welp.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2011 20:54
|
|
|
tse1618, like others said, just enjoy the good days while you can. Sounds like he's had a good long life. Hope he perks up. Good luck, Rathen. Hope she comes through with flying colours.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2011 04:31
|
|
|
So the waffle trick is continuing to work and Jack is almost done with his antibiotics! His sneeze is completely gone! He hates me because of our first rocky encounters with his med administration, but I'm working on him. Hurley is my little shoulder buddy and today he boggled at me, my heart grew three times larger. Benjamin is kind of aloof, but not super terrified of me, maybe just moderately afraid, I'm still working on him too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2011 00:04
|
|
|
Isn't it funny how such a tiny animal can have such wildly different personalities. I have one inquisitive explorer who likes to hang out on my shoulder, one lazy bum who likes to lay around but will enjoy hanging out in my shirt on cold nights, and one little deaf guy who's a little quirky and shy but sometimes he'll choose to come up and lick your fingers or snuggle up to you and its sooo cute argh Also: I LOVE it when they boggle, but my daughter says its "freaky" and its hilarious to say "Hey look at this!" and watch her go Aaarghhh! and run away. Congrats on Jack's recovery Olive. He'll come around!
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2011 01:34
|
|
|
I still kinda miss my rats, even though I've graduated to having a cat-infested household. My last batch of rats were all female dumbos who had some really interesting traits. One was a finger-licker and absolutely loved people so much, the others were big on having the cage open so they could roam my room freely. The finger-licker, when we got my final rat, a little pink-eyed white who was so loving and needy as to have convinced my ex and I to get her even after putting her back in the cage at the store, MMEDIATELY trained her to start licking fingers as well. Only thing that ever got damaged by the constant free-range rattery was a 360 component cable set, haha.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2011 03:57
|
|
|
Rats can get along well with cats 
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2011 06:49
|
|
|
My mom's rat observation of the day: "Oh my god! His balls are so red and protrudey, is he okay?" Yeah mom, welcome to rat nuts.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2011 19:27
|
|
|
Every time I pass by my rats and see them licking their own balls, I feel taken by an urge to declare to them 'aw, there you are cutie, just lickin' your own balls, yes you are, you're lickin' your own balls'. I say that a lot.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2011 23:46
|
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:Rats can get along well with cats They most certainly can. One of my really cute, yet spunky, sewer rats once stumbled upon my old orange tabby that I didn't even know was in my room. She escorted him out herself, after awakening him from his slumber.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2011 08:36
|
|
|
Rathen posted:Well, we took the plunge today and little black hood is booked in for a lump removal on Monday. Here begins the worrying and fingers crossing. She's survived one, she's not yet two... welp. Alright beastie, good luck..
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2011 08:38
|
|
|
Good luck and positive thoughts.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2011 17:50
|
|
|
Welp during surgery they found a second tumour that we hadn't yet detected, but I am pleased to say she is sat in a little tea box in her travel cage, completely groggy, shaven and very fed up - but she is very much alive and I couldn't be happier. The travel cage is right next to her main cage and her sister is just sat looking forlornly. Can't wait to get them back together on the sofa tomorrow. Thanks for the kind wishes!
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2011 17:58
|
|
|
Well that was brutal last weekend. I had the bright idea of going to the spca after looking up their online listings, usually there's never any rats or guinea pigs in the local shelter. This time there were multiples, so I got a cage setup again and went down there to see, planning on adopting if they were friendly. Seriously never seen rats this personable or friendly before. Maybe attention starved, but for being entirely new to them, not a single nip or anything. So I got two of the boys that seemed warmest to me, and headed home. Let them wander around my room with my supervision (it's already been rodent proofed from keeping guinea pigs for a couple years now), and put them back when the white rat seemed to be getting tired, laying on a blanket in the corner I had for them and his buddy sticking close. Next day the grey rat is out and about, but the white one is very sluggish. I'm nervous, but I'm hoping it's just stress from the move and new location. I take the grey one out to give him some roaming time again, and put him back in the cage. The white one hadn't made an appearance, and I feel under the cage for warmth, and it is so I decide to not disturb him. I check in mid-afternoon, thinking it's odd the grey rat isn't going inside the showbox, just laying ontop of it. No wonder, seeing as his buddy was dead inside. No clue what went on, they were grooming eachother and no injuries on either, though they were atleast a year old or so. I'm nervous about getting a rat buddy for the remaining one or not. There's two more from the same cage (they were all in a poorly kept rat swarm cage prior to the spca taking them from the last owner) so introductions wouldn't entirely be needed. But three rats, I'm going to have to upgrade the size of the cage and make more toys/beds. Basically I'm nervous about introductions, but I suppose it really should be done rather than keeping a solitary rat, right? I feel somewhat guilty about the lone rat, I had hoped the two would be around for quite some time so they'd not be alone when I'm at work. VolatileSky fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Aug 3, 2011 |
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2011 02:43
|
|
|
Thats sad, he was probably sick before you brought him home, so don't worry too much. Highly doubt the other rat did anything to him. Hell, maybe they are fairly old rats. At least he died in a comfy warm place after having some fun with his friend. And yes, get your rat a buddy if you can. He is probably confused and lonely, and they always do better with a friend. Introductions usually go pretty smoothly if you follow the advice you can generally find on the internet(earlier in this thread for example).
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2011 03:36
|
|
|
Yeah I've read this entire thread and anything else possibly related, I've just never had to do an actual introduction before actually (everything I've gotten has been in pairs to begin with). I'll just hope it all goes smoothly - I'm considering getting the other pair if they're still there, I just need a bit of time to construct a larger cage (well, fit one cage onto the other and make the little ramps and junk, plus toys). I'm fairly certain I couldn't kill a rat within 24 hrs of bringing it home so I'm sure something was up with him, though the spca swore they were both healthy. I knew it's a possibility anyways, it's just sad to actually see it happen first hand, especially when they were both so friendly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2011 05:09
|
|
|
Poor white boy. :{ I'm sure it wasn't your fault, just one of those things. You should definitely get more friends for your remaining chap, he'll be so much happier and I can't imagine 3 rats being that much more work than 2, once you get the cage sorted. Thought I'd post some pictures of my girls Mishka and Evie now they are all grown up!     And a cute picture of them snuggling up to my boyfriend's feet in bed one Sunday morning 
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2011 11:42
|
|
|
Chakattack! posted:And a cute picture of them snuggling up to my boyfriend's feet in bed one Sunday morning BRB while I go explode all over the place.
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2011 13:50
|
|
|
Look at their little matching noses
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2011 04:33
|
|
|
Must be take your rat to the vet week, looks like I am going to have to make a trip myself. Update: I don't think its swollen lymph nodes, it looks more like a mammary tumor. I can't really tell if the swelling on his cheek is an abscess or related to the tumor problem, we will see what the vet says. They open in 30 mins so I don't have much choice but to wait until I can squeeze an appointment in.    He is just a year old, pretty active, loves to eat. I can't get him to stay still for the camera. Food is out of the question because rather take off with treat in mouth and eat it in the most secluded space possible, if only he could be like his brother and just sit still while eating. Baika fucked around with this message at 16:32 on Aug 6, 2011 |
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2011 07:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 06:31 |
|
|
 Picked up this fearsome stray rat off death row this morning. She is bruxing in my ear and stole one of my pencils.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2011 16:30
|
|