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Bear Rape posted:I meant to say the other day that your setup is really impressive, Invalid Octopus. But then that thing happened so I forgot to mention it. And themed names are the best. Our first three (Patti, Liza, and Angela) are all named after Broadway leading ladies, and it just happened that the two babies (Folly and Gypsy) ended up with Sondheim show titles.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:52
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The ferret penthouse looks like less of a pain in the rear end than the RUUD, that's for sure. Has anyone ever used the Rat Skyscraper (R-695)? Or I could always go with Midwest Critter since I'm not planning on having a huge amount of rats. RazorBunny: Go with ME names!  I'm just saying this because I recently finished Mass Effect 2 and want to name my boyfriend's turtles Wrex and Garrus since they don't have official names yet.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:54
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Bear Rape posted:The ferret penthouse looks like less of a pain in the rear end than the RUUD, that's for sure. Has anyone ever used the Rat Skyscraper (R-695)? Or I could always go with Midwest Critter since I'm not planning on having a huge amount of rats. And if I find a little gimpy one it can be Joker... I was thinking Mordin, Garrus, Wrex, and Legion 
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Apr 29, 2012 17:57
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Bear Rape posted:The ferret penthouse looks like less of a pain in the rear end than the RUUD, that's for sure. Has anyone ever used the Rat Skyscraper (R-695)? Or I could always go with Midwest Critter since I'm not planning on having a huge amount of rats. A cage calculator says that the midwest double can comfortably hold 9 rats (or even up to 12). I have 4 in my single and would feel comfortable with another 1 or 2 in there. But the Critter Nation is the best cage ever omg get it.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:58
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I would definitely get a critter nation over a martins anything. I haven't owned one but I've seen them in action and they are so much better omg.
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Apr 29, 2012 18:11
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Hubby is vetoing Legion. He says Garrus, Wrex, Joker, Mordin  These are the things married couples argue about when they're both geeks.
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Apr 29, 2012 18:33
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I'm super happy, got to visit a local exotics rescue today to get acquainted with them & start volunteering & possibly fostering. They had about 6 girl rats there among the other animals & I was so happy to get to play with cute wiggly little rats again. It was hard though. One of them looked like my last girl, Emily, and I ended up crying next to the cage. I'm going to be discussing what exactly fostering entails, especially re: responsibility for vet bills, and if it's agreeable then hopefully I'll have rats in the house again for a little while.
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Apr 29, 2012 19:29
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Rats are intelligent, engaging, and active pets! ...oh wait. All four have been in there sleeping all day.
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Apr 29, 2012 22:40
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Olive Bar posted:
I can't stop laughing. Wanna meet that rat. 
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Apr 29, 2012 23:52
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Superconsndar posted:I would definitely get a critter nation over a martins anything. I haven't owned one but I've seen them in action and they are so much better omg. Yeah, I went through several Martin's. They get gunky fast, the powder coat chips, and the rings holding it together rust. My Critter Nation is about a year-and-a-half old and still looks almost new. I also ordered the deeper Bass pans. http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Ferret+Pans/default.aspx The smaller Martin's are great isolation and travel cages. I have a couple for that.
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Apr 30, 2012 00:14
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Critter Nation it is!  Depending on how much the stuff from Home Depot is next month to finish up the custom guinea pig pen (just need to finish the second floor + ramp), I might go ahead and get one then. I'll be sure to show off whatever completed setup I end up with.
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Apr 30, 2012 00:58
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How realistic would it be for me to attempt to train my rats simple commands, like stay and come? I know they can be trained, but mine are very new and only one so far has it made it clear that she would rather stay with me - but she will take any opportunity to not go back in the cage and if she gets out isn't particularly keen on coming back to me unless I have treats for her. I have next week off work, so that's why I asking. I figure I can get the stuff ready for Sunday onwards
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Apr 30, 2012 04:55
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It may depend on the rats. Stewart is super shy and still doesn't love people so I haven't really focused on training him, but my two social hogs will come to their respective names and stand up for "fives". I don't know how easy training wiggly rats to stay is though. Unrelated to that, my Winston has the sniffles and I can't get to the vet for two days. Is there anything I can do to help him? I just recleaned the cage again and washed off all his favourite toys and fleece.
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Apr 30, 2012 05:45
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You can try a children's expectorant medicine (not a cough suppressant) or a couple drops of a children's antihistamine like benadryl. Getting him in a steamy bathroom usually helps a lot too, I just run the shower and hold the very confused rat for as long as he will tolerate it. 15-20 minutes ideally.
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Apr 30, 2012 08:43
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Lord Windy posted:How realistic would it be for me to attempt to train my rats simple commands, like stay and come? I know they can be trained, but mine are very new and only one so far has it made it clear that she would rather stay with me - but she will take any opportunity to not go back in the cage and if she gets out isn't particularly keen on coming back to me unless I have treats for her. There are some pretty good YouTube videos detailing various tricks. You do it the same as you would a dog, basically. Not sure about "stay" but "come" is doable.
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Apr 30, 2012 14:34
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What do you guys use in the litter tray? My last pair weren't litter trained (I didn't know anything about it until they were much older) and just lived on CareFresh and poo poo wherever they pleased. I'd like to go for more of the arrangement Invalid Octopus has in the pics, with fleece and a designated litter box.
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Apr 30, 2012 19:37
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I have a litter tray that attaches to the sides of the cage (those little buttholes moved around and tipped over the old, unattached one) and fill it with the Petsmart brand of newspaper pellet cat litter. They used to be great about pooping only in the box when we used fleece, but with Carefresh it goes wherever and they use the poop box for fun food storage. 
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Apr 30, 2012 19:59
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RazorBunny posted:What do you guys use in the litter tray? My last pair weren't litter trained (I didn't know anything about it until they were much older) and just lived on CareFresh and poo poo wherever they pleased. I'd like to go for more of the arrangement Invalid Octopus has in the pics, with fleece and a designated litter box. Generally speaking rats will pick a corner and you can just put the litter box there, but if you don't want to wait for them to do that, you can always just pick one for them. When I introduced the babies they weren't as quick as picking up on it as Angie was and started using other corners as well. When I rearranged the cage I made sure to put food bowls in the problem corner (upstairs and downstairs) and that seems to have pretty much eliminated the issue. With Critter Nation cages you pretty much have to use liners, unless you want to pay for a spill shield or different bowls, but I think liners are just a better way to go in general. Litter training has never taken me very long at all, but for the first week or so you should keep an eye out for stay poops and move them to the litter box. Also, I highly recommend getting this litter box. You attach the locks to the cage wall one time, and every time after it's a breeze to take in and out, and it really does help with litter scattering. edit: oh wow I read your question a bit wrong so let me actually answer it! I normally use carefresh, but I picked up a bag of of Critter Litter recently and it seems to be working fine. I don't know if I'll stick with it, though, just cus it seems like you have to use a lot. Invalid Octopus fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Apr 30, 2012 |
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Apr 30, 2012 22:16
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I'm picking up a couple of baby does on friday and have been excitedly getting everything ready for them. I picked up a cage from 'Pets at Home' and it came with some free bedding and this litter: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/small-pet-wood-litter-7ltr-by-pets-at-home-15786 The packaging says it is suitable for rats but I was a bit concerned that it might be an issue because I know there are certain types of wood I should avoid using. Does this seem alright for them? The other question I have regarding this is should I be lining the bottom of the cage with it, or only putting it in the litter tray? I have some seperate paper bedding and wasnt sure if thats what I should be spreading around the bottom of the cage :/ Edit: After further inspection the reviews seem to say its no good for rats 
junglistvip fucked around with this message at 12:05 on May 1, 2012 |
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May 1, 2012 11:59
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The reviews on the website suggest that most owners of rats hate it. Causes alot of sneezing, so I think it might be quite dusty.
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May 1, 2012 12:04
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Yeah, that stuff is. I tried out a few different beddings because the least dusty thing means I wouldn't feel like I couldn't breath after cleaning the cage and the rats wouldn't sneeze. I use Carefresh paper bedding, and several other people here use fleece (which you can get cheap at any hobby store with fabric, and I've thought of going to). The carefresh is pretty good at keeping odor down and is actually so not dusty that I just get a little coughy instead of feel like an asthma attack. Yes I'm allergic to rats and still have them, they are too cute to resist.
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May 1, 2012 14:16
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Conrad never ceases to amaze me! He plays with me like a dog! I have to chase, chase, chase him around while he "chews" on me like a dog, pausing only for belly rubs. If I stop he runs to the front of the cage and gives me the saddest stare ever. If I start again he gets so happy he bounces all over the cage. I've never seen a rat bounce before!
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May 1, 2012 19:03
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I'm super pleased. I've made quite a few changes to the rat cage over the past couple weeks and they all seem to have worked out really well. All of the new sleeping places I've brought in have been seeing a ton of use, litter box use is back at close to 100% (and there seems to be less of a smell when I clean it), and the newest liners are in basically perfect condition after 5 days of use. Since switching out their lab blocks with a cereal mix, they seem to be eating a ton more, and really the only problem there is that it's a little bit more annoying to clean it off the trays. Overall, I'm pretty thrilled that the different things seem to have worked out so well. Or maybe they're just waiting until later this week when I get a houseguest to start destroying everything and making horrendous messes.
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May 1, 2012 21:04
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Big Bug Hug posted:You can try a children's expectorant medicine (not a cough suppressant) or a couple drops of a children's antihistamine like benadryl. Getting him in a steamy bathroom usually helps a lot too, I just run the shower and hold the very confused rat for as long as he will tolerate it. 15-20 minutes ideally. Thanks for this! While it isn't a fix, it has made him sound much less pathetic for the time being until our appointment Thursday with my ratvet. Long as he doesn't get super excited he can breath pretty well.
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May 2, 2012 04:28
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FelicityGS posted:Thanks for this! While it isn't a fix, it has made him sound much less pathetic for the time being until our appointment Thursday with my ratvet. Long as he doesn't get super excited he can breath pretty well. Olive Bar posted:Conrad never ceases to amaze me! He plays with me like a dog! I have to chase, chase, chase him around while he "chews" on me like a dog, pausing only for belly rubs. If I stop he runs to the front of the cage and gives me the saddest stare ever. If I start again he gets so happy he bounces all over the cage. I've never seen a rat bounce before!
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May 2, 2012 07:18
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Lord Windy posted:The reviews on the website suggest that most owners of rats hate it. Causes alot of sneezing, so I think it might be quite dusty. FelicityGS posted:Yeah, that stuff is. I tried out a few different beddings because the least dusty thing means I wouldn't feel like I couldn't breath after cleaning the cage and the rats wouldn't sneeze. I use Carefresh paper bedding, and several other people here use fleece (which you can get cheap at any hobby store with fabric, and I've thought of going to). The carefresh is pretty good at keeping odor down and is actually so not dusty that I just get a little coughy instead of feel like an asthma attack. Thanks I have donated the wood litter to a friend with rabbits and invested in some Carefresh. Now I just have to wait till Friday, this week is going far too slow!!
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May 2, 2012 13:46
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I cannot find a shutter speed that can take pictures of rats without blur. $600 Canon Rebel, outsmarted by wiggles.  (Recently got it in the mail, I used to own one but it was stolen, so I got another and now I have to re-read the manual apparently.  )Also, how long are female rats normally in heat for? I'd like the late night humping of my other rat to end soon.
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May 2, 2012 14:02
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Bear Rape posted:I cannot find a shutter speed that can take pictures of rats without blur. $600 Canon Rebel, outsmarted by wiggles. Some general tips for pictures is bump up the iso, get the aperture wide open and use the flash when needed. That way you can usually have fast enough shutter speeds to capture them without blur. Although they're pesky little bastards when it comes to pictures.
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May 2, 2012 14:36
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I'm curious as to what a long exposure of a rat enclosure would look like. Rat blur everywhere! Or they'd just pick that time to actually stay put for once and sleep the whole way through.
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May 2, 2012 14:58
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NaDy posted:Some general tips for pictures is bump up the iso, get the aperture wide open and use the flash when needed. That way you can usually have fast enough shutter speeds to capture them without blur. Thanks, I'm still trying to get it "just right" but after bumping up the iso I am getting much better results. But yeah, both of them are very squirmy. Also, a long exposure of mine when they're out of their cage would look like a tornado, but they're only really active in the cage after the sun sets, or shortly after it rises. Fun experiment with camera later this week: taking good pictures of rescue ferrets. More wiggleys.
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May 2, 2012 19:30
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So, while getting rat food supplies today (I do Subee's mix myself) the boyfriend and I were in the Blue Buffalo dog food section (yes, in my Petsmart, there's a whole bloody section..) and a representative came up and offered us help, which we totally accepted. After she got me what I needed, she happened to mention that the Blue Buffalo walnut based littler is safe for bedding use for our small critters. Have you guys heard about this? We use it for our two cats and it's THE most amazing cat litter we've ever used! Here's a link to the cat litter, if anyone is interested : http://www.bluebuffalo.com/healthy-home/naturally-fresh-multi-cat-litter also, cute rat face! 
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May 3, 2012 02:07
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Cool! After it was discussed in another thread, I was thinking this might be a good one to switch to for our cats. Would be awesome to use the same litter for everybody.
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May 3, 2012 02:33
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Dat face!!!  Vet at 7:30am tomorrow 
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May 3, 2012 03:25
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I was browsing Craigslist while bored and happened to find a post from a guy who needs to rehome his two year old dumbo girl before he leaves for military stuff in June. I got really excited and jumped on it, because we miss having three rats, and our ladies are two too. I don't think I could take having babies again, but giving an older rat a home is great. Has anyone introduced older rats to each other? I feel like it probably will go smoother than introductions did when they were just 5 or 6 months old and hated having a new friend, but I could be wrong. Stardust's owner is bringing her by tomorrow to see how they get along.
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May 3, 2012 14:49
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My big boy Butters has to go to the vet today to get checked out... He's had a scab on his side and, after a few weeks of no improvement, I took him to see my roommate who is a vet tech. First thing she said was "Take him to the vet after this.." and she squeeze the scab ever so gently and a whole, pea-sized, white THING came out. So we have an appointment for 2 hours from now, and I have the white thing in a bag to take along.... He looks just fine though. Tired, cause he's an old boy and he's usually asleep this time of day, but barely a squeak when she squeezed the mass out. He just wants to lay out on the bed in front of the fan and sleep. I'm really good friends with one of the vet techs and I asked her if she was working today, she said she was and I told her I was bringing 3 of them in (get my money's worth ) and she told me to sneak 'em all in. 
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May 4, 2012 21:38
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So hey guys, I have a surprise for you over in Random Nonsense...
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May 5, 2012 01:49
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D'aww more babies! *squeee!*
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May 5, 2012 02:10
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Awwww RazorBunny you're such a sucker. Cute ratties
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May 5, 2012 06:36
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They're so soft I know it's cuz they're babies, and that will go away, but I love their velvety fur so much. They're not entirely happy to be held, but they're not trying to get away either, so we'll see. I put half an ear of roasted corn in there and a piece of tomato - just throwing whatever I've got at them for the moment, I'll go shopping later today - and they weren't interested in the tomato, but they stripped the corn clean.
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May 5, 2012 15:17
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They look so soft and adorable Are they all black/gray?
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May 5, 2012 15:48
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