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Man, rats can be so gross. I went to wash the cage liners today, and made a pretty foul discovery. I hadn't been finding much poop in the cage, but they're little, so I didn't think much of it. Last night they chewed a hole in the bottom pan liner and crawled inside it, but I smoothed it out and covered the hole as a temporary measure. When I cleared out the cage this morning and lifted the bottom liner, they were all underneath it, having pulled up a different corner. Fine, whatever, grab and drop in plastic tub (can't find my little carrier, sigh) and continue clearing out cage. MASSIVE wad of poo poo and piss in the back corner under the liner, like, fist sized. All the tidy little pellets of rat poop had gotten mushy and smeared all over the liner and the pan underneath. After a thorough wipe-down, I wrapped the pan in one of the dog's cheap fleece blankets and tucked the edges under really well so they can't pull them up (I hope). Moved the litter box to the corner where the poop wad was. It's a good thing I like them, because that was seriously foul...
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May 22, 2012 16:09
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| # ? May 15, 2024 10:07 |
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So I finally decided on a name for my new rat; Theodore Ratsevelt   I also got is new cage in the mail today, it's a hedgehog cage from Martin's cages. It's so much better than the SuperPet POS he was in before. Comparison!  He gets around pretty well for a rats with poorly working back legs. But I have noticed that he has trouble grooming his back (there's a big grease spot on his back) so when he trusts me a little bit more I'm gonna give him a bath and then wipe him down with a wet rag maybe once a week. He's becoming more and more outgoing every day, too. Also, any recommendations for stuff to go in his cage? I've never had to deal with a rat with mobility problems.
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May 23, 2012 08:46
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Well when I had a rat retirement cage, I gave them kleenex boxes, with paper and paper towel to tear up, some fleece, a litter box and I hung a fleece hammock really low so they could get in  They really loved it.
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May 23, 2012 12:20
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I have the exact same cage for my rats. I ended up placing a couple of wood perches on the sides and a hammock on the ceiling so they had some additional climbing room. When they get older I can just take them out and not worry about them falling off of things. I've had a lot of multi-story cages and got tired of wiping down the wires twice a day to cut down the stink. I have them in that cage now and I can't smell anything. Is that the travel style cage that can fold? Ended up getting both the small and large ones because none of the apartments I lived in allowed rats, and the smaller cage is easier to pack for vacations. It makes it easy to stowaway the cage when maintenance needs to get into our room.
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May 25, 2012 01:00
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Well, my first set of rats are about to be about a year and a half old, and I don't know whether to or  . When I brought Hurley home he was so tiny and so scared I thought he would never be okay. Now he just wants to lay in your lap while you scritch his ears and he grooms you. As I type, he is sitting here on my shoulder, calm, and giving me endless kisses. My oldest three are slowing down so much and it makes me sad, but at the same time, I know they have had an awesome life, and that makes me smile. Share your happy rat times!
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May 25, 2012 01:06
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My husband got himself nipped just now because I put a bowl with some wet cat food and a soft boiled egg in, and they were super excited about the egg (haven't even gotten to the cat food yet, lol) and he reached in to move the bowl. Not hard, and he knew he was asking for it. That's the only thing close to a bite we've had, so I consider that a victory. My first pair were much more nippy when I brought them home, and it was never safe to put your fingers or face up against the bars.
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May 25, 2012 01:23
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The Twins I took to the vet two weeks ago? Last week they died within 12 hours of each other. I picked up the ashes yesterday. Ruby died in my lap, and I petted her until her last breath. It took around 15 minutes for her to stop fighting. I gave her some pain medication...I would have taken her to our vet but it was 10pm and I trust no one else with them. Butters died that morning, around 9am. He was having issues with his eye, and it turned white a couple days before he died. He was super lethargic and slept most of the time, but the boyfriend heard a loud noise from the cage, and it turns out that Butters had a brain tumor and the pressure was turning his eyes white, and eventually had a seizure and died within a couple minutes. They were both 27 months, and it was nearly a year to the day when their mum died :-/ In April (the 11th to be exact) I had two sisters die. One of a supposed URI (Pippin), and the other also had 5 tumors on her body that we could see, and we think one in her brain (Daisy) eventually caused a stroke. They were both put to sleep. My vet and I talked about it, we are assuming, because of the lack of anything AB's are doing (tried everything and anything, absolutely no results) that all these kiddos from the same litter, are dying from tumors. Two from lung tumors, and two from tumors in the brain. Originally there were 5 kiddos from the litter. There is now one left, and she is as healthy as the day is long, and I adopted two kiddos (as I have mentioned before) to keep her company. I just feel terrible that all these guys are going the same way. I feel helpless that there's not much I can do besides give them a great quality of life.
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May 25, 2012 01:29
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Baika posted:I have the exact same cage for my rats. I ended up placing a couple of wood perches on the sides and a hammock on the ceiling so they had some additional climbing room. When they get older I can just take them out and not worry about them falling off of things. I've had a lot of multi-story cages and got tired of wiping down the wires twice a day to cut down the stink. I have them in that cage now and I can't smell anything. It's not a folding cage, but I can collapse it if I feel like cutting a few of the c-rings. It's the HH-95 to be exact.
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May 25, 2012 05:57
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 This is how Gypsy always runs, with her tail curled all around (sometimes more). I looked around the net to see if it was a sign of stress or something, but I didn't see anything like that. BF thinks it's because she runs in the wheel so much – she sure does love that wheel (and I even catch her and Folly running together at the same time!).
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May 26, 2012 03:20
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Your BF is correct, it's from running in a wheel. Surprisingly, it's called 'Wheel Tail'.
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May 26, 2012 04:06
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Slidje, your rats always look like fat and happy princes/princesses, without a care or worry in the world
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May 26, 2012 04:12
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Invalid Octopus posted:
Yep, it's from running in the wheel a lot. Two of my three girls do it; I think it looks adorable 
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May 26, 2012 08:36
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Invalid Octopus posted:
dustbin posted:Slidje, your rats always look like fat and happy princes/princesses, without a care or worry in the world Good, thats exactly my intention when I rescue them.
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May 26, 2012 16:58
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Today was an awful day. Out of nowhere Conrad took a turn for the worst and became extremely aggressive. I took him to the vet because I was sure that he must be sick, but the vet gave him a clean bill of health. He has bitten my sister and myself so deeply that we both required medical attention to get it to stop bleeding, and she now has a permanently numb finger from where he apparently severed a nerve according to the doctor. Any time anything got anywhere near him he attacked it, for absolutely no reason at all. My vet suggested that I surrender him because he is a risk, and I am severely immune compromised, so a bite for one person could turn extremely bad for me. So that is what I did. Today I had him euthenized. It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, and I feel like scum to have made it. My vet tried to make me feel better about it, explaining that sometimes these things just happen. But no matter what she said I feel like a horrible person. I feel like a monster for putting him down. I'm sorry Conrad. I've never had this problem with a rat before.
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May 28, 2012 01:47
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I'm sorry Olive Bar. You know Conrad wouldn't have acted like that if he was feeling happy and healthy, and you did the right thing by giving him a humane death, even if it doesn't feel that way right now.
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May 28, 2012 02:20
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Thank you, I've just never had to euth an animal because of anything except diseases related to old age. I feel like I killed him. I couldn't even be there with him to comfort him because he was that aggressive. He was so playful I don't know what happened.
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May 28, 2012 03:05
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Despite the clean bill of health, I would still be suspicious of something like a tumor or neurological issue. Did they scan his brain or anything? Don't feel bad. Its obvious you gave him the best few months of his life, and saved him from the situaton he was in before. Obviously SOMETHING was wrong. He couldn't carry on that way, I would have done the same.
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May 29, 2012 06:41
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My sister's nephew came over to our house for the first time yesterday. He's 13 months old, and he was fascinated by the rats. They were being cute and running in their wheel and cramming themselves into corners together and scurrying around with big silly chunks of food in their mouths, and he would sit and watch them and point and babble. He didn't want to try and pet Garrus when I got him out, but he was totally content to watch them
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May 29, 2012 16:24
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Well, my heart is on its way to being healed. I pick up two teeny little babies yesterday from a private breeder, pictures are coming soon. My mom is pissed haha, she said no more pets, but its my house and she doesn't live with me so it's entirely my decision. I love them already. Also, I think one has too many animals when they can no longer care for them adequately, I haven't hit that point. Introducing Sam and Dean     Edit: Sam's favorite activity? Chillin' in my bra. He's going to be super easy to socialize. Olive Bar fucked around with this message at 22:47 on May 29, 2012 |
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May 29, 2012 20:38
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Aww little cuties
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May 29, 2012 23:13
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They're SUPER teeny, very curious little guys. So, animal control just came by, I guess it's state law that they have to do an investigation into all animal bites, the officer was very understanding, and agreed that we didn't have to file a report. He also commented on how well set up all of my critters are!
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May 29, 2012 23:16
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I'm gonna eat your baby
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May 31, 2012 20:45
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He sleeps in my boobs all day, so good luck, because he has a hell of a bodyguard!
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Jun 1, 2012 01:09
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Getting a critter nation next week!  Also possibly another dumbo. I think I might be addicted to those. 
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Jun 1, 2012 02:09
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How bout that. I should be picking a critter nation up tomorrow for my three bros.
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Jun 1, 2012 03:41
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My sister the interior designer was impressed at how "not ugly" the Critter Nation cage was, and my boys seem very happy in it.
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Jun 1, 2012 03:43
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I hear you guys like pictures of rats with food. And being cute and stuff.     
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Jun 1, 2012 04:26
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Oh. My. God. Those little faces. The little brown spot on his tail. They are so cute.
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Jun 1, 2012 14:12
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Derp mode engage. Getting this critter nation is going to take forever because I can't find a place that cashes post office money orders aside from the post office. Since I'm waiting, any suggestions on products I should definitely put in there? I normally just get standard stuff, hiding places, chews, ladders, tubes, hammocks. Not really tried anything else and I'd like to go a little wild since I got a bit of a bonus to my paycheck.
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Jun 1, 2012 16:35
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Are you going for fabric liners or bedding? If you're going for fleece, I would recommend that any huts you put in have a solid base. I'm pretty fond of [IMG]this igloo – it's in two pieces so it's easy to clean out, and it's a nice size. The rats seem to like it. By far their favorite sleeping zone in the cage is this critter pod. I think I said earlier that it was a bit small and not big enough for the four of them together...but I didn't give them enough credit. They can all squeeze in there (though I'm doubtful that more than three adults can). If you're going for a wheel, I would recommend the the Silent Spinner (though I think the Wodent Wheel is also well-recommended). I also like wall-mounted bowls, as it keeps them from knocking them all over the place, and encourages them to move around more. Branch perches that lock to the wall are also a pretty great way to use your space well, just look for them in the bird section (honestly, where I find a lot of the best cage accessories since so much is wall-mounted). The Sleep n' Ledge is another way to make use of wall space, and mine are actually much more fond of it than I expected, actually going there with food to have a snack. Also, if you're planning on litterbox training, get one that mounts to the wall for easy removal and has a scatter guard. SO worth it.
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Jun 1, 2012 17:09
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I definitely recommend the Wodent Wheel, my guys love it and it's whisper-quiet. I would NOT recommend buying premade pan liners like the ones from Drs. Foster & Smith. The elastic bands that hold them on prevent the trays from sitting flush against the wire, and my brood managed to pull up a corner and chew a giant hole in the liner. I went to IKEA and picked up a pile of their $2.40 blue fleece blankets instead, and I just wrap the bottom pan with them like I'm making up a bed. I've been leaving the top shelf bare because that's where their food and water is and it gets super messy. The Critter Nation comes with a ramp cover now, btw. By far their preferred place to hang out is in the fleece tunnel daggerdragon made me. They drag food in there, though, so it gets gross pretty fast. I'm going to cannibalize one of the cheap blankets I bought and sew at least one more tunnel, so I'll have one to swap out while the other is in the wash.
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Jun 1, 2012 17:43
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I've experimented with liners a fair bit, and works best for me is a double layer of fleece sewn together laid on top of the liner, with clips to the corners. I tried the liners that CN sells, which wrap around the whole pan, and those ones suck. For the top shelf I do the same thing, except no clips. Works pretty well for me.
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Jun 1, 2012 17:58
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I was going to use bedding since I have tons of carefresh left for this cage, but once it runs low I am definitely investing in fleece. Plus my white rat, Jasper, has this tendency to uh, redecorate. By flipping the houses. A solid bottom might help that. I have two wall-mounted bowls already, so setting all that up should be pretty fun and not too much trouble. Already have some wall mounted perches for a bird cage I never used, too. I'll just go on a spree and then figure out where to put everything once the cage is set up, then there will be a giant post of crappy pictures of the setup. e: This is what I get for keeping the reply box open for like a half hour. Thanks for all the advice!
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Jun 1, 2012 18:01
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Here is a video of one of my boys DESTROYING a cockroach. DO NOT WATCH THIS IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH ABOUT ANIMALS EATING OTHER ANIMALS. THIS IS VERY GRAPHIC. Now on to the show... http://youtu.be/_-SM27RTv7w I don't do this for my own amusement, I just find that it's a good way to occupy my rats occasionally, and they enjoy it a lot, it's almost like a puzzle.
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Jun 2, 2012 02:26
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Do rats like mirrors, or does it send them into a futile kill mode?
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Jun 2, 2012 07:38
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Atmus posted:Do rats like mirrors, or does it send them into a futile kill mode? Mine will look for a second, sniff, decide it smells like nothing interesting and wonder off to do something fun.
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Jun 2, 2012 07:49
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Olive Bar posted:Here is a video of one of my boys DESTROYING a cockroach. Can I borrow this rat for a few days? Summer has brought out the bugs at my place. I promise to return him well-fed.
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Jun 2, 2012 15:29
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Olive Bar posted:boys DESTROYING a cockroach You need to do that video with the original sound. The crunching noise is amazing
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Jun 2, 2012 21:23
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What a stroke of luck I've had today! First off I got a pretty steep discount for a cage I can use as a hospital/isolation cage, and now on craigslist I found someone selling a midwest critter nation that I was going to get tomorrow for like $75 less than petsmart, plus custom metal pans that he made for it because the chinchillas he owned were throwing bedding everywhere. I'm seriously happy. On top of that, a friend of mine has a dumbo they need to rehome, so I can move the dumbo into the current cage my rats have to be isolated until she's had a full vet check and everything. I am spazzing out about this.  It's seriously awesome.
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Jun 3, 2012 00:31
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| # ? May 15, 2024 10:07 |
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@serella: Yes. Yes you can. Any bug at all, he'll consume it.
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Jun 3, 2012 01:18
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