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Fraction posted:Yeah I already knew of it so thankfully knew what it was, but it's still adorably creepy. Do you have a couch you could take them out on with you? Of my four, only one has the guts to climb/jump off it.
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Sep 9, 2012 20:08
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Is there any suggestions for socialising escape-prone rats? Or just keep on doing what I'm doing?
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Invalid Octopus posted:Do you have a couch you could take them out on with you? Of my four, only one has the guts to climb/jump off it. Yeah but they're brave enough to try and jump down from my chair, which is actually higher than my couch. I keep moving my chair away from the cage though now after Chell did a flying leap for the cage. I'm only taking them out one at a time if that changes anything.
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Sep 9, 2012 20:13
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Fraction posted:Yeah but they're brave enough to try and jump down from my chair, which is actually higher than my couch. I keep moving my chair away from the cage though now after Chell did a flying leap for the cage. I'm only taking them out one at a time if that changes anything. Might be worth trying them out on the couch. Bring out a blanket and they won't be as interested in jumping off, since they have places to explore and hide in right there. Even super adventurous Folly isn't keen on jumping off the couch right away, only after she's run around for a while and had enough time to get bored.
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Sep 9, 2012 20:32
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Invalid Octopus posted:Might be worth trying them out on the couch. Bring out a blanket and they won't be as interested in jumping off, since they have places to explore and hide in right there. Even super adventurous Folly isn't keen on jumping off the couch right away, only after she's run around for a while and had enough time to get bored. Would that be hands-on enough to socialise them though? Chell and Valentine are super skittish, I'm trying to handle them as much as possible to socialise them.
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Sep 9, 2012 20:35
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Fraction posted:Would that be hands-on enough to socialise them though? Chell and Valentine are super skittish, I'm trying to handle them as much as possible to socialise them. It will help with socializing, though I don't think it should entirely replace other forms of socialization. I like socializing them on the couch because it's more of a fun experience for all of us, even if it's not necessarily as intensive as what you've been doing. On the couch, they can run, hide, explore, play with their rat friends – and do a lot of that on and with you.
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Sep 9, 2012 20:52
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Well I might try that tomorrow, I've got a friend round so I can throw a blanket down and there's twice as many hands to grab any rats. Weirdly enough though Chell was fine tonight. A little nippy (my first 'bites'/nibbles from my ratlets) but she laid down on me and let me stroke her and stuff. It's just Val that is Super Crazy right now!
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Sep 9, 2012 22:09
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RazorBunny posted:
I have been hitting up the fabric store and getting yards of fleece that are around 60" wide for $4.50 and $5. My girls have started a trend of biting holes in the fleece and using it to play/hide/sleep in and despite that it is still substantially cheaper than Carefresh. I just need to get a litter box now and get them using it so less poop gets knocked out onto my floor every day. My girls have turned into humpers now. First, I was catching the more timid one humping the sociable one constantly because she squeaks a bunch when she does it but last night I had both of them out on the couch with me and the sweetheart humpee turned it around and became the humper over and over. I brought them both out into my bed this morning with me and the old lady and she humped her like 5 or 6 more times. I guess having the cage next to my bed is teaching them some things.
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Sep 9, 2012 23:17
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RazorBunny posted:By the way, I discovered that I could literally buy a new fleece blanket for every single cage cleaning and it would still be cheaper than using CareFresh. That's only because I have an IKEA nearby and they sell fleece blankets for $2.49, though. I do this too, only I clean out the local thrift stores of baby blankets and fleece! Costs me about a dollar/week in bedding.
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Sep 9, 2012 23:19
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I'm building the girls a new cage out of a display case I found But I ran out of the wire cloth I used for the walls Any ideas on what I could use for another floor? I tried cutting the lid to a plastic bin, but after 30 minutes i only had made about an inch progress. Ideally I want to use something I can make or buy cheaply. I thought about using layers of cardboard, but that'd need to be changed out constantly. Which is fine I suppose, it's not difficult to come across cardboard. I was looking for something a bit sturdier though. Also My rats don't like hammocks. I've tried flat ones, saggier ones, tubularier ones. They just have no interest.  Rosie, Peaches, why do you do this to me?
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Sep 10, 2012 01:56
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I think my rat is very ill. He's always had a respiratory infection - very mild - for a couple years now, and over the last six months, he's had a tumor growing that the vet wasn't particularly concerned about. But over the last few days, he's lost a lot of weight - a rough estimate of about 20%, maybe even a bit more. He appears to be having some trouble breathing, and walking around looks fairly difficult. He's not as interested in playing around as he was four days ago, and I haven't seen him eating either. He's pretty old. We got him about a year ago, and he was already at least two years old - the vet estimated he was around 3 when we first got him checked up a few months in. Should I expect the worst?
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Sep 10, 2012 04:21
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I was patting/scratching one of my girls while she was out today, and she started stretching her body out and shaking. She wasn't boggling as far as I could tell and she never bruxes, but the the other girl was trying to get on in with the action. I've never seen that before, was that a sign of contentment or was it something else?
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Sep 10, 2012 15:12
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I just had Valentine out again today and she was markedly better than yesterday. I had her on my chair again (I'm not gonna have 'em all on the couch until they're at least a little more social in case they jump, I think) and she just pretty much settled on my lap. She still pooped a whole lot and stood in it a bit ( ) but she was much better! I think they're slowly coming round.   I realised last night (whilst she was climbing up the back of the cage, of course!) that she has a paler/white line on her stomach, as well as the paler/white hair on her face. Val is weird.   My little buddy Alice  I've got no more pictures of Chell yet because any taken when it's not super bright sunshine/light right on her come out completely blurry.
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Sep 10, 2012 15:30
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Lord Windy posted:I was patting/scratching one of my girls while she was out today, and she started stretching her body out and shaking. She wasn't boggling as far as I could tell and she never bruxes, but the the other girl was trying to get on in with the action. Three of my rats shake when I pet them (my hooded dumbo, hooded normal and one of my PEWs) and I never paid much attention to it. They still run up to my hand to be pet and don't try to get away, so I assume it's nothing bad. My dumbo does it when another rat grooms her as well. It's like a boggle without the bugging-out eyes. e: Also this is going to sound stupid e: sounded too stupid. Hardwood Floor fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Sep 10, 2012 |
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Sep 10, 2012 18:25
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Invalid Octopus posted:It will help with socializing, though I don't think it should entirely replace other forms of socialization. I like socializing them on the couch because it's more of a fun experience for all of us, even if it's not necessarily as intensive as what you've been doing. On the couch, they can run, hide, explore, play with their rat friends – and do a lot of that on and with you. Okay I think this was The Best Idea. I had Alice out seperately on the couch to see how she was and she really enjoyed exploring, and it marked the second day of no poop/pee on me Then I had Val and Chell out, and I don't know if just the daily handling is to blame or the couch helped, but Chell was SO relaxed. She didn't poop or pee at all (Val did but only a couple times, I think she was more relaxed because of Chell being there). Then when I put those two back something happened with Alice... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqi1rWS7ppk  She did it once before I took the video, then did it again afterwards. What a good, brave little ratlet.Some pictures to celebrate!  Valentine  Alice  Alice (she didn't really give a crap)  Chell  Valentine  Valentine Most of the photos I have are of Valentine because she is less inclined to explore and more inclined to kind of cower on my lap at the moment. 
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Sep 11, 2012 22:23
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Fraction posted:Okay I think this was The Best Idea. I had Alice out seperately on the couch to see how she was and she really enjoyed exploring, and it marked the second day of no poop/pee on me Yay!  Best rat friends.
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Sep 11, 2012 22:37
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 Don't tell them but Alice is my favourite. It's funny because I wasn't even intending to get her, I was just going to get Chell and Valentine originally!
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Sep 11, 2012 22:50
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More rats is always better. And I totally play favorites too... but I make sure all the other ones hear it when I tell Angie that she is the prettiest, nicest, smartest of all rats :P
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Sep 11, 2012 22:57
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Yes! Hector is fixed! I guess I just needed to take a firmer hand than I was. He's even learned that me, plus clicking noise, equals food. I got him to take 8 separate pieces of food rapid fire today, although he's still figuring out how to put the previous piece down first. He did very well today.
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Sep 12, 2012 00:50
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Invalid Octopus posted:More rats is always better. And I totally play favorites too... but I make sure all the other ones hear it when I tell Angie that she is the prettiest, nicest, smartest of all rats :P If you're going to make a claim like that we need photographic evidence! Olive Bar posted:Yes! Hector is fixed! I guess I just needed to take a firmer hand than I was. He's even learned that me, plus clicking noise, equals food. I got him to take 8 separate pieces of food rapid fire today, although he's still figuring out how to put the previous piece down first. He did very well today. I'm so happy for you guys  Yay for Hector coming round! How have you been handling him, just having him out on you for 20 min or having him in your hands?Does anyone have any suggestions for getting my ratlets to take food from me? Even Alice still has no interest in doing so, in or out of the cage. E: I just had Chell out for 25 minutes and when I put her back she came straight onto my arm again. Yay for brave rats!
Fraction fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Sep 12, 2012 |
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Sep 12, 2012 07:52
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CaladSigilon posted:I think my rat is very ill. He's always had a respiratory infection - very mild - for a couple years now, and over the last six months, he's had a tumor growing that the vet wasn't particularly concerned about. Honestly, it sounds like he is an old rat, and probably will decline from there. Maybe just arrange his cage so he doesn't have to climb and has lots of warm hidey-holes, and spend lots of time with him. If he's really having trouble breathing it would be worth a vet check, just to see if there's anything you can do for him. It sucks to watch them struggle to breathe, they can panic and get very stressed.
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Sep 12, 2012 09:58
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Fraction posted:Does anyone have any suggestions for getting my ratlets to take food from me? Even Alice still has no interest in doing so, in or out of the cage. Congrats on your new babies, Fraction! They are completely adorable. Making me want a third ratty... Just to chime in with my experiences, both times I've had new baby rats they've initially had very little interest in hand-fed food for the first wee while I've had them. I remember with Mishka and Evie getting so frustrated because everything you read tells you that to get rats to like you, you should be constantly giving them treats, and my girls had absolutely no interest in anything I offered them, ever. They grew out of it though. Maybe they're not 100% relaxed and at home yet, or confident enough to take food from you. Also often if you have them out of the cage, they're too excited about exploring a new environment or scary new place to care about food. My new girls, Mouse and Blue, were similarly uninterested in food from me for the first week or so I had them. Also, it took them ages to be adventurous trying fruit/veg because they'd obviously not had that varied a diet in the pet shop I got them from. Maybe when you're feeding them, you could take bits out of the bowl and offer it to them, since they'll know it's definitely food?
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Sep 12, 2012 11:59
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Also try cooked food. All my rats go nuts for warm food. Eggs, chicken, cooked vegetables, things that smell good! Even when they're outside the cage (where they normally don't take treats) they will eat food from my plate.
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Sep 12, 2012 12:03
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Everybody talking about their lady rats shaking when petted: they are probably in heat. They will arch their backs toward the ground and vibrate their ears back and forth if you, uh, stimulate them by petting their backs/rumps.
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Sep 12, 2012 12:43
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Big Bug Hug posted:Honestly, it sounds like he is an old rat, and probably will decline from there. Maybe just arrange his cage so he doesn't have to climb and has lots of warm hidey-holes, and spend lots of time with him. If he's really having trouble breathing it would be worth a vet check, just to see if there's anything you can do for him. It sucks to watch them struggle to breathe, they can panic and get very stressed. The vet said that his respiratory infection had gotten worse, and prescribed some antibiotics. But she also said, uh, he has cancer; he's old; he's sick. Deal with it.
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Sep 12, 2012 15:26
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Chakattack! posted:Congrats on your new babies, Fraction! They are completely adorable. Making me want a third ratty... Thanks Chak Get a third and post a thousand pictures! I've not even had them a week so it does make sense that they might not be entirely settled yet, as you said. I'll try offering food from their bowl and I'll try especially when they're more awake in the evening/night.I love how the rats come running back to me when something startles them if they're out on the couch 
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Sep 12, 2012 15:36
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I really wish my phone would let me quote. But yeah, I just kept him squished to me for 30 minutes at a time, now I let him run around a bit more. I couldn't before because he would run up and randomly nip me, but he hasn't done that in days.
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Sep 12, 2012 17:07
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I got myself a mostly-naked dumbo that I'm planning on having neutered so he can hang out with my girls.  He's really young, I'd say less than 2 months. He was at a rescue and I just couldn't leave him there once I visited. So now he's got a bigass cage to himself and I really want to get him fixed soon so he can have girlfriends.
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Sep 12, 2012 19:51
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Pew! Pew! posted:I got myself a mostly-naked dumbo that I'm planning on having neutered so he can hang out with my girls. He is AWESOME!  Can't wait to hear what you name him.
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Sep 13, 2012 00:33
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I'm going to need a face picture to make sure this was a legitimate adoption.
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Sep 13, 2012 00:41
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He reminds me of my hairless rat Bandit that passed away 3 months ago.
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Sep 13, 2012 01:16
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I named him Biscuit because I vowed to name all dumbos after food. He looks kind of like an angry old man.
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Sep 13, 2012 04:09
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Angry old naked man rats are the best, I miss my Talbot a ton. Russell is still a naked grumpy old man rat though, except he's the sweetest thing ever who might lick you to death.
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Sep 13, 2012 05:35
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 SUP
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Sep 13, 2012 07:29
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I don't wish to alarm you but there appears to be a rat in your clothes.
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Sep 13, 2012 08:05
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Vheissu posted:
Do they ever play with your beard? The idea of a rat chillin' in a beard is just adorable to me. OH HAY WELCOME TO OUR HOME
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Sep 13, 2012 12:42
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CaladSigilon posted:The vet said that his respiratory infection had gotten worse, and prescribed some antibiotics. But she also said, uh, he has cancer; he's old; he's sick. Deal with it. it sounds like your boy has had a good long life though.Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 13:16 on Sep 13, 2012 |
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Sep 13, 2012 13:14
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Guys. Guys. The vet clinic near me sells Baytril for ridiculously cheap prices ($1.25 a bottle and $10 per injection). Should I buy some bottles and stock up or just get them if I need them? It's definitely proven to be helpful to have on-hand, though. They also gave me antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills for my dog for $11. I'm just like WHOA
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Sep 13, 2012 19:16
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Some casual googling says that baytril doesn't have all that long of a shelf life, so I doubt it.
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Sep 13, 2012 21:51
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Pew! Pew! I love themed names, all of my animals have tv show character names. Here's all of the rats past and present because I have nothing better to do. Jack, Hurley, Benjamin, Russell and Talbot, Conrad, Gus and Hector, Sam(now Gus) and Dean.
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Sep 13, 2012 21:56
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Yeah I didn't get the Baytril, if I need some I'll just go up there. Olive Bar: I was going to go with a solid theme in naming (all after video game characters) but that didn't happen so instead I'm pretty much going with what fits best and whether or not they're a dumbo. I'm kind of surprised after being around Biscuit how laid back and food motivated he is compared to my girl rats. He seems a lot more relaxed, too. The only thing he does that I dislike is the habit of plucking my arm hairs. Ow.
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Sep 14, 2012 21:01
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