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Old socks or toilet paper tubes filled with treats and hung up in the cage are like rat pinatas.
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Sep 9, 2011 12:26
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| # ? May 15, 2024 15:17 |
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Have some rats!   Yaaaaawn! 
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Sep 10, 2011 02:37
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I just bought a ferret harness for my little guy, but the top loop is slightly too big and easy for him to pull off. Does anyone know if there's any way to make harnesses smaller or fit better? Should I just make my own?
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Sep 10, 2011 20:51
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I don't know how well a rat would take to a harness, never heard of anyone trying it! I think if I were to get adventurous and try it I would make my own.Olive Bar posted:Have some rats!
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Sep 11, 2011 07:44
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I can't believe how big they've gotten! I found those baby pictures then looked over to my chunkahontas boys and had a whoa moment. Jack used to be the size of his head!
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Sep 11, 2011 17:23
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I know, my babies have doubled their size in the 3 weeks or so I've had them o.O I love when they're little and so fast you can't catch them and bounce around everywhere, but then again big squishy rats are fun too and I think they are gonna be really nice boys when they calm down a bit.
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Sep 12, 2011 00:27
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pyriphlegethon posted:I just bought a ferret harness for my little guy, but the top loop is slightly too big and easy for him to pull off. Does anyone know if there's any way to make harnesses smaller or fit better? Should I just make my own? I found that hamster harnesses are perfect. You may have to do some searching or look online for them, but they fit much better than the ferret ones.
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Sep 12, 2011 01:44
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Little ratter faces 
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Sep 12, 2011 12:47
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I found a lump under one of my girls' armpits. It's maybe the size of a pea; I had trouble telling if it was there or not because it's so small and squishy but it's definitely not there on the other side. I know logically that since she's young and healthy and it's small there's a good chance it can be excised and she'll be fine but I'm freaking out. I love these little monsters so much.
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Sep 13, 2011 17:38
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Indigestable posted:I found a lump under one of my girls' armpits. It's maybe the size of a pea; I had trouble telling if it was there or not because it's so small and squishy but it's definitely not there on the other side. I know logically that since she's young and healthy and it's small there's a good chance it can be excised and she'll be fine but I'm freaking out. I love these little monsters so much. Pretty common but you do want to keep a very close eye on it in case it grows quickly. If it does it needs to be out ASAP - but if it isn't growing it's not that big an issue at this point.
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Sep 14, 2011 07:05
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Rathen posted:Pretty common but you do want to keep a very close eye on it in case it grows quickly. If it does it needs to be out ASAP - but if it isn't growing it's not that big an issue at this point. Thanks. Nobody else can even tell it's there unless I show them the exact spot but it feels gigantic to me, so I'm going to get her to the vet by Monday if only for peace of mind.
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Sep 14, 2011 16:45
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Part of Everything posted:I found that hamster harnesses are perfect. You may have to do some searching or look online for them, but they fit much better than the ferret ones. whoa, i've never even heard of hamster harnesses. thanks for the tip, i'll look for that.
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Sep 15, 2011 05:17
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I know, imagine a freakin' hamster in a tiny little harness 
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Sep 15, 2011 10:02
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Like most female ratties, theres nothing mine love more than exploring. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. I'd like them to be able to roam around new places, so i'm considering a leash. I've heard its hard to get some rats in certain leashes. Others have good experiences. Have you guys used them?
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Sep 15, 2011 12:00
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My little black hood is becoming increasingly frail and my gorgeous licky brown rat is growing a tumour on her neck which we discovered yesterday. Brown rat will have an operation on Monday but she's just turned two so we're not so confident of it (but this lump is growing quick and if we don't operate ASAP she won't stand a chance). We want to remember these two forever and we wanted to do little pawprint thingies, you know like parents do with their kids dipping their hands in paint then putting it on the paper. Trying to work out what we can use for this - yoghurt on black paper? Chocolate? Doesn't matter if it's massively bad for them due to the above reasons. Will post it here when it's done along with ratty pictures because they are super pretty
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Sep 15, 2011 21:13
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Rathen posted:Trying to work out what we can use for this - yoghurt on black paper? Chocolate? Doesn't matter if it's massively bad for them due to the above reasons. Non-toxic paints or inks made for children?
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Sep 15, 2011 21:32
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Jin Wicked posted:Non-toxic paints or inks made for children? Imagining letting them run through some non-toxic paint and then letting them run around on a canvas/paper 
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Sep 15, 2011 22:27
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My beautiful boy Basil has a small abscessed tumor on his groin, and he's just turned 2 years old. I am still struggling with whether or not to get him surgery. He's never been in the best respiratory health either which adds to the decision. The tumor is slow growing and he is on antibiotics, baytril twice a day. The last time I was at the vet a couple of weeks ago I said I would probably leave the surgery and let it takes its course, and the vet thought this was the best decision. The lump hasn't really changed much since then though it bleeds a little now. Basil is still in decent condition, doesn't seem to have lost much if any weight and still goes up and down the ramp to get food. When he's not eating he's sleeping pretty much. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but cleans the wound a lot. What would you guys do? Am I doing enough by giving him antibiotics in the hope an infection doesn't set in? Should I ask for stronger/additional antibiotics? Or do you think he would have a decent chance with surgery? The vet wasn't sure. The surface of the lump is open and pussy but solid, I can't drain it. There's no necrotic tissue there yet that I can see. Any advice at all would be welcome, I've not had to deal with this before, and I just lost one of my babies a while ago, I want to do the best I can for Basil. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Sep 16, 2011 |
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Sep 16, 2011 01:59
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redjenova posted:Imagining letting them run through some non-toxic paint and then letting them run around on a canvas/paper http://www.scamperats.com/ Maybe I need to put my crew to work on something to hang in my bedroom.
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Sep 16, 2011 05:31
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redjenova posted:Imagining letting them run through some non-toxic paint and then letting them run around on a canvas/paper This is absolutely the plan but they're such clean freaks I don't really want to use paint - I want something edible 
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Sep 16, 2011 06:47
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Jin Wicked posted:http://www.scamperats.com/ Oh my god, that's the cutest stuff. I could never get my boys to do a thing like that though, they'd just sit in the middle of the paper and lick their balls.
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Sep 16, 2011 07:20
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Uh oh! Our little Phoebe is having some toenail troubles. Apparently she was out playing on the desk, as she usually is, and somehow her toenail got ripped. This was night before last and it still bleeds pretty well if we take her out (I've lost about three t-shirts and a jacket so far!) I'm not sure we can afford a trip to the vet right now. I'm of the opinion that the nail needs to be ripped off, which will hurt, but will also heal and gradually grow back. My girlfriend, however, doesn't want to cause her anymore pain and just wants to keep it like it is, assuming it will heal itself. However, I just took her out (about 48 hours after it first got hurt) and after less than 5 minutes of free play it was bleeding really bad again and had ruined another shirt. Any advice? She's about a year and a half old and could use some help!  phoebe She needs to keep harassing my cat!  cat6 Febtober fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Sep 17, 2011 |
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Sep 17, 2011 05:37
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Febtober posted:Uh oh! Our little Phoebe is having some toenail troubles. What a coincident, my rat Wex is having toenail troubles, too. I think his are less serious, though. I found some blood on cage hammocks, and then his toe bled on me when he was crawling around my shoulder, but that's it. Is toe LOOKS normal, other than it is red underneath, but it doesn't looked ripped or inflamed or loose at all. I touched it and he didn't peep or squirm any more than he already was (being held on his back during the brief exam). I was planning on letting him be. Haven't seen any blood drops since a night or two ago. I am interested in hearing advice as much as Febtober is; I'm not concerned but perhaps I should be. 
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Sep 17, 2011 05:48
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I have experienced the rare toenail loss. Get you some of this: http://www.petco.com/product/6112/Kwik-Stop-Styptic-Powder.aspx With a squirmy rat, I think the last one took about half an hour and a few tries to stop bleeding. Then we had no further trouble. Dampen a Q-tip and dip it into the powder to apply. That works well for me. It does burn. Give treats afterward. Febtober that nail is probably going to fall off on its own. I am not sure it matters either way. dustbin if it has stopped bleeding, just check on it regularly in case of any infection.
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Sep 17, 2011 06:06
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Jin Wicked posted:I have experienced the rare toenail loss. Get you some of this: http://www.petco.com/product/6112/Kwik-Stop-Styptic-Powder.aspx Sounds good, I'll pick some up today. I figure the nail will come off on its own as it's more or less hanging by a thread right now, it just seems like every time it gets jostled it starts bleeding again so I figured it'd be better to just go ahead and get it over with.
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Sep 17, 2011 14:48
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Jin Wicked posted:I have experienced the rare toenail loss. Get you some of this: http://www.petco.com/product/6112/Kwik-Stop-Styptic-Powder.aspx Things are going from bad to worse -- I heard some loud shrieking and pulled a bloody Wex from the cage he shares with two larger rats. Lots of blood is still oozing from his toe  I'm hooking him up with private quarters for a while, til he can heal a bit more. I think Petsmart closes in an hour so I might visit them again today.
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Sep 18, 2011 02:59
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if they're anything like my girls, they were trying to clean it and he didn't want it cleaned (because it hurt). Hence the shrieking. Sucks though. My brown rat's operation is tomorrow
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Sep 18, 2011 13:45
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dustbin posted:Things are going from bad to worse -- I heard some loud shrieking and pulled a bloody Wex from the cage he shares with two larger rats. Lots of blood is still oozing from his toe For what it's worth, I bought that styptic powder stuff from PetCo after Phoebe's latest session of bleeding (and my latest ruined t-shirt) and it stopped the bleeding in a matter of a couple of minutes.
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Sep 18, 2011 16:01
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If you don't have the powder, or can't get to a pet store, corn starch accomplishes basicallly the same thing.
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Sep 18, 2011 17:04
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By the time I went to the store and got back, the bleeding had stopped itself. Phew. I still have Wex in a separate cage. I don't think the other rats are intentionally beating on him, but I don't Wex to kick his toenail off accidentally. I can't believe how much blood came out of that tiny toenail.
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Sep 18, 2011 19:50
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Oh my gosh! I picked up two little naked (and Dumbo?) babies today! How I ended up with five rats,  Meet Russel and Talbot!     And bonus Jack sleeping on his head. 
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Sep 19, 2011 08:21
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Olive Bar posted:No no, sorry, that's not an adorable dumbo rat, that is a titmouse.
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Sep 19, 2011 11:01
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My brown has survived the operation and is home and bouncy and SO HAPPY 
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Sep 19, 2011 17:07
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Glad to hear, Rathen.
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Sep 19, 2011 23:58
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Random thing, my coworker was contacted by Discovery channel recently to appear on something they were gonna film about pet rats. She was too scared to go on tv, but if you are in the NYC area and want to be on tv with your rats... try contacting them! They especially wanted rats who knew tricks. :3
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Sep 20, 2011 01:19
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Olive Bar: Whoa, they're so cute! I love their big ears and little scrawny bodies. Adorable. Does anyone have experience dealing with uterine cancer? One of my girls got diagnosed with it today and it's spread enough that the vet recommends not doing surgery. She's still fat and vibrant and energetic but I want to know what I should expect as it progresses. The past few months have been really rough, rat-wise. One of my girls had to be put down because of a massive intracranial tumor that was pushing her eyes out, her sister just had a big mammary tumor removed (and opened up the stitches a few days later), and now I've got the uterine cancer to deal with. They're like tiny cancerous time bombs. It sucks. I'm going to be done after this group. It's just too draining.
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Sep 20, 2011 23:15
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Hey guys, was wondering something about Splinter.. Sometimes he will start squeaking, seemingly at me. The only information I can find about it through google just says rats only squeak when they have respiratory problems or when they are "scrapping" It's more so like he's trying to communicate something to me. For instance, the other day he was chilling with my boyfriend and I in bed and then he started to squeak while we were watching tv. He seemed content, almost as if he watching it with us before that, but then he started to squeak and look at me. Once I started to pet him and give him a massage he stopped squeaking. But he's always done that since I've had him. Does he squeak for attention? Does it mean he's hungry or thirsty? Maybe he wants to go home (to his cage)? Because he usually stops when you start paying attention to him (sometimes ill just let him chill on the bed and watch tv and maybe hes upset im not playing with him?) I'll try to get a video of it ASAP (i never have my camera on me when he does it!) so you get a better idea. He's had respiratory problems before and i know what that sounds like, this sounds more...innocent. It's like a "squee..squee..squee..squee..squee..squee...squee" and then he stops when you start talking to him. Does anyone else's rats do this? HappierGarden fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Sep 21, 2011 |
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Sep 21, 2011 03:26
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I had a rat who was very vocal. Sometimes in the middle of the night he would scream squeak to the point where I thought he may have gotten into a fight with one of his cagemates. I would wake up, turn on the light, and see them staring off at me like nothing happened. Yeah thanks for waking me up for nothing jerks. I have a video with him squeaking, does he sound like this or somewhat similar? http://www.youtube.com/user/marsdjinni2#p/u/9/OAiubqMNGyQ
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Sep 21, 2011 19:44
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I had a dream where my rats died. But they all seem to be okay, still licking each other's balls as usual.
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Sep 21, 2011 20:51
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| # ? May 15, 2024 15:17 |
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My 4 month old male white rat ("Scaredy Rat" or "Chicken Rat") will sometimes squeak if I surprise him while trying to pick him up, or even if he sees my hand approaching him but he tries to get away. He's gotten better as I've handled him more, but as implied by his name(s), he's not really very outgoing.
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Sep 21, 2011 23:26
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