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Mouse show breeders generally breed because they like mice, and they like going to shows and striving to win a thing. Mice are very much considered more as livestock terms than as pets; there is little to no emphasis on breeding for temperament, they breed primarily for colour, type, size, etc. Show breeder mice probably live with the same standard of care as the average pet solo mouse, except they aren't played with, and they 'get' to have babies and live with other mice and steal other babies and eat them because mouse  Mouse breeders are not, by and large, responsible breeders by any standards, least of all PI's. A lot of the ones that aren't show breeders are feeder breeders, and it's only a tiny proportion that actually breed for pets, and yet they still struggle to find homes if they don't cull most of the males. Interestingly, a number of show breeders actually won't sell at all to pet owners, often because they have no real idea of their long term health/they breed varieties that are very prone to problems/etc. So if you are breeding a bunch of animals because it is fun and you see them as livestock... it shouldn't really matter what you do with the ones that are no use to you, whether you sell or cull. I've seen mouse breeders try to be responsible, swearing they'll do a home check and questionnaire for everyone (I think these tend to be the folk that come from rat breeding to mouse), but so very few people want mice (especially in the UK where small animals are pretty much = kids pets or feeder animals) that they end up not being able to shift their stock and either dump them in a pet shop, cull a bunch, keep all of the mice and/or stop breeding. If someone is breeding mice for X reason they very likely do not want to see them being eaten alive by snakes or left to rot in a kids bedroom. They generally prefer to cull numbers down to manageable sizes, and so long as its done humanely I have no problem with that. 
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Oct 16, 2012 11:31
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^^^ThisRodent Mortician posted:Retarded question -- if your local rat stock is so lovely, why don't you just make a day trip to somewhere that doesn't have the local genetic depression that's occurring there, rather than breeding 3,000 rats to try and get one that doesn't immediately explode into pneumonia and misery? If I were serious about starting this again as a serious breeding project, that is exactly what I would do. As it is, I'm bored as hell and just casually messing around with feeders and seeing if anything comes of it before I lose interest. v  v
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Oct 16, 2012 11:52
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Fraction posted:If someone is breeding mice for X reason they very likely do not want to see them being eaten alive by snakes or left to rot in a kids bedroom. They generally prefer to cull numbers down to manageable sizes, and so long as its done humanely I have no problem with that. Speaking of snakes, can you sell/give away culled mice/rats to snake owners?
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Oct 16, 2012 16:10
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daggerdragon posted:Speaking of snakes, can you sell/give away culled mice/rats to snake owners? Personal anecdote: I've seen people selling culled mice and rats, but they're all basically bred for that purpose. I don't know if it's because no one wants to cull the nicer looking mice or if it's because  involved in doing so.
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Oct 16, 2012 16:29
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daggerdragon posted:Speaking of snakes, can you sell/give away culled mice/rats to snake owners? Mine are dog and cat food
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Oct 16, 2012 16:34
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daggerdragon posted:Speaking of snakes, can you sell/give away culled mice/rats to snake owners? Probably but it'd take effort and networking to actually be useful to get rid of all the culls. I think most mouse folk just shove em in the bin. eta: To answer more thoroughly, it would be theoretically be very possible to sell culls as food. It'd depend on how many reptile owners were in your general area, if they'd be interested, etc. Mouse breeders can be very about things so I can't see them putting a great deal of effort into it, unless they started out as feeder breeders/are feeding culls to their own animals or friends', etc. It'd make the hobby much more self-sustaining if they sold culls too I guess.With rat breeders that aren't specifically feeder-breeders, they don't cull to nearly the same extent, obviously, so I'm not sure if they'd even think of it? Fraction fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Oct 16, 2012 |
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Oct 16, 2012 16:49
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WELP. 9 rats. I was at petco picking up rat stuff when I saw a single female rat in a HUGE cage. Cage itself is worth about $150. Plus about $80 in supplies. And the petco representative offered me ALL of that (rat included) for $20 because they had nowhere to keep all that cage stuff and supplies. So, meet Cubone. I named her that because she has apparently always been a solitary rat which is pretty sad (and also totally has a skullcap). Originally dubbed Doodle.  Her original owner sent her along with a book about how to take care of her, and has pretty much confirmed some crazy:  And also includes instructions to feed her an entire bowl full of Kaytee rat and mouse food, a banana slice every day, and treats. Also NEVER PICK HER UP EVER.
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Oct 17, 2012 17:47
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12 minutes in the ball and not a second more  Cubone is the best name ever, but man you need to stop getting more rats. Every time you do I eye mine and think, hey, I could get more little shits too... Rats got to spend some time on my bed today, for the first time. Considering it was a new area they did really well, one pee and one poop between all of them. I'm overdue a photo dump so here ya go.  Chell is best rat               Everyone took treats off me (okay, Alice and Valentine only took yogurt drops, but still!) for the first time out of the cage. Good ratties.
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Oct 17, 2012 18:05
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I love Valentine's color. What is it, like a beige or cream? Also this is my current setup:  The boys have their own cages in a different room. Jasper and Cotton are in a cage underneath the supplies currently because they're shy and like their privacy. But I want all of my white rats to have their own cage because they've all show signs of weird health issues so I want to be able to keep an eye on all of them in one place. I was planning on getting a reptile eventually but looks like I'll be putting that off for a few more months. Reptile setups are even more expensive. 
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Oct 17, 2012 19:14
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Apparently she's buff (and also berkshire). These pictures show the colour she is irl and the stomach marking:  She always looks darker or more golden'y in other pictures, because my living room lights are pretty yellow. Do you basically have an entire room dedicated to rats, then? 
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Oct 17, 2012 19:30
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She's so pretty!  And yep! It's also coincidentally the room I spend most of my time in. Unfortunately there's too much mess and wires for them to wander around safely in, but I take each rat out a few minutes a day to socialize. I sure do love having a part time night job. e: Holy cow, look at the rat that just showed up on my tumblr:  
Hardwood Floor fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Oct 17, 2012 |
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Oct 17, 2012 19:36
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Oh my, what an interesting looking rat! What's his deal?
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Oct 17, 2012 23:03
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I'm not sure. They were just posted here without any real context: http://bocko-wocko.tumblr.com/post/33755488024 Looks like some really excessive blazing maybe, looking at its brothers? Whatever it is, it's gorgeous. 
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Oct 17, 2012 23:06
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That is the neatest-looking rat. I have a serious question, guys. My girl Molly has had a few episodes of rattly breath, and it's enough to concern me (although it doesn't seem to slow her down at all). I want to take her to the vet. Here's the thing. I live in a small city. My options for vets are pretty limited, but I'd like to find the best option I can. How do you guys suggest making sure I'm getting a vet experienced with smaller animals? ie. Are there any questions I should ask, etc?
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Oct 17, 2012 23:18
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It's a opossum. 
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Oct 17, 2012 23:28
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I asked my rat lady friends and they said "Silvered Berkshire Possum" and "berkshire with possum blaze". Possom-face!
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Oct 18, 2012 07:51
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m0rrin posted:I asked my rat lady friends and they said "Silvered Berkshire Possum" and "berkshire with possum blaze". Possom-face! P-p-p-p-possum face, p-p-p-possum face.
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Oct 18, 2012 14:39
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Man my rats are spoiled little bastards. I just picked up some quinoa from a health shop, and did a big ratrations order: maize, bran, millet, linseed, wheat, oats, and some other things. I also got them a bag of silkworm pupae, and one of whole fish. Going to switch them over to rotating grains as soon as their current food is gone. Little bastards better be grateful Does anyone have any tips for making my rats more social? I know they're nocturnal, but my girls just sleep all day. Even when I get them out to roam on my bed, they only wander for like half an hour or so, then they want to snooze again. In the morning and evening they're really happy to see me, and come running for treats (and straight up my arm to say hello, in Chell's case). They get a load of treats during the day, and I'm trying to associate a sound with feeding them so that I can make the sound and they'll come out to see what I have. So far it's not working too good 
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Oct 18, 2012 16:08
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I honestly just harass my rats regardless of whether or not they're sleeping. They'll go back to sleep after playing for a while but they don't seem to mind being woken up for socializing and running around, kinda like ferrets. Mine are most active at dawn and dusk, which is coincidentally when I feed them (small bit in the morning, small bit at night and they eat throughout the night and day). Also, opening their cage and/or holding treats near them is a sure way to get them awake. My rats will snap awake with pasta poking their butts.
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Oct 18, 2012 16:59
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My guys will almost always wake up and come see me when I open the cage door because the way I socialized them early on was to cram yummy things into their faces every time I was near them. Only Joker will come over just for pets, but the others will accept pets after a thorough sniff (and in Garrus' case, a little nibble) to make sure I don't have any food.
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Oct 18, 2012 23:12
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Hey guys I heard girl rats are active, curious, excitable little things.              ...I think y'all lied to me. Of course as soon as I put them back in their cage after their almost two and a half hour long snooze outside of it, they start play. Rats.
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Oct 18, 2012 23:40
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I learned a thing the other day from reading some stuff about rat vision and their whiskers - that if a rat's whiskers are removed, a rat in water will be unable to swim/float and drown. (Because they use the whiskers for guidance in water and knowing when their nose is above water.) Rat whiskers will grow back but be careful with them. Especially if there's stuff that they could get burned by - keep them far away from candle flames and hot stuff. Fraction posted:Hey guys I heard girl rats are active, curious, excitable little things. Ah yes but rats ultimately have their individual unique personalities. Or your ratty needs some rat vitamin supplements. Spacedad fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Oct 19, 2012 |
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Oct 19, 2012 03:48
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I wish my boy rats would sleep/ cuddle outside the cage. They will sleep all day in the cage but the big wide world is far too exciting and they run around until they get put back.
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Oct 19, 2012 07:33
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The worst thing about lazy girls is that when, like right now, a rat is lying on me letting me pet her, I freak out every 10 seconds that she's dying and have to move or blow on her face to make sure she's still okay. drat it Chell stop scaring me. The others all sleep with their eyes shut, but she likes to make me paranoid E: My grains arrived today. A friend of mine got the rest of my massive tub of reggie rat & mixed other things, so I'm going to start feeding grain rotation as of tomorrow. Pretty excited to see how the rats like it! I've been trying to give the ladies more of a variation in veg, and particularly trying to give them more leafy greens. I snagged a bag of parsley and they turned their noses up at it. So far they love broccoli though. I've looked at lists of recommended leafy greens and I never see any of them in supermarkets - I have literally never seen kale, for instance. Is it just a case of keep looking and try to find things? Fraction fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Oct 19, 2012 |
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Oct 19, 2012 13:04
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Hate to bring everyone down, but I had to put down my girlfriend's rat, Betta, today at the vet. We adopted her about 7 months ago after her original owner dropped her off at the pet store, so she was around 2 years old. She was feeling really cold and was just laying around instead of climbing the cage like she usually does, or jumping up at every sudden movement or sound. The vet found out there was some sort of blockage in her abdomen. I'm a bit upset by it so I just wanted to get it out there 
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Oct 20, 2012 02:17
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I don't think it's ever easy, I'm sorry for you and your girlfriend. You need a new rat to heal your heart.
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Oct 20, 2012 02:48
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<3 She looks just like one of my girls. It sucks the way aging rats will sometimes just hit a sudden threshold like that and then be gone. I read someone describe it once as "When they go downhill, they go downhill so fast." I am truly sad for the loss you must feel.
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Oct 20, 2012 08:21
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photo kiosk of life posted:Hate to bring everyone down, but I had to put down my girlfriend's rat, Betta, today at the vet. We adopted her about 7 months ago after her original owner dropped her off at the pet store, so she was around 2 years old. She was feeling really cold and was just laying around instead of climbing the cage like she usually does, or jumping up at every sudden movement or sound. The vet found out there was some sort of blockage in her abdomen. I'm a bit upset by it so I just wanted to get it out there I'm sorry for your loss. Betta looked like a good rat.
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Oct 20, 2012 08:30
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Betta looked gorgeous. I have a real soft spot for rats that look like rats, ie not fancy colours and markings. One of my first rats was this massive big brown ratty boy, Max, who was a total sweetheart. So, I posted a little while ago about rats fighting and I don't think I got much of a response, so I thought I'd just quickly post again. I'm a little concerned about how much my girls fight (they're quite young, 7-8months old or thereabouts) - they are often tussling and there's nearly always some distressed squeaking, and even a few startled shrieks/squawks which are fairly unpleasant to listen to. However, there's only been two occasions now where there's been any mark upon either of them, and both those occasions it was nothing deep or violent, just a little red mark or missing fur. Should I be concerned, or is it really "no harm no foul"? If they were seriously aggressively fighting, would I be right in thinking there'd be much more signs of violence and deep bites etc? It troubles me that they fight so much, but if nobody is getting hurt I don't know how much I should (and can) do about it. Any experience or advice would be so welcome. 
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Oct 20, 2012 23:13
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If rats are anything like mice (bitten mouse pic), it'd be pretty easy to see if they were fighting. It's very much no blood no foul, unless one of the rats is getting really depressed/being bullied away from food, etc. It's probably just play getting out of hand. e: If anyone wants to be endlessly entertained, freeze some yogurt in ice cube trays and give a yogurt ice block to a rat. My girls went pretty crazy for it
Fraction fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Oct 20, 2012 |
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Oct 20, 2012 23:25
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Hey I made a thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfL6LH_tgMQ It's video of Minky and Mary playing with a cherry tomato.
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Oct 21, 2012 05:57
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Does anyone know if those huge Spinning Saucer wheels are okay for rats? I figure it might be a decent way to provide exercise without the wheeltail but I haven't found much about them to know for sure if it'd be safe. Got one for my Robo hamster though, and he loves it.
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Oct 21, 2012 20:04
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I've had one of those for my mice and although they enjoyed it, I can't see a rat being so happy on one. They also take up quite a lot of floor space, as they don't attach to the bars.
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Oct 21, 2012 20:14
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You know the moment where two rats want to drink from the same bottle at the same time and they push each other away? It's even more amazing with four, it was like a roundtable slap "fight." They know there's more than one bottle, silly rats.
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Oct 21, 2012 20:40
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Olive Bar posted:You know the moment where two rats want to drink from the same bottle at the same time and they push each other away? It's even more amazing with four, it was like a roundtable slap "fight." They know there's more than one bottle, silly rats. mine do this every time. Every. Single. Time. It's like guys. Guys. You have two other bottles, both with water. But it has to be the one on the lower level left side.
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Oct 21, 2012 21:17
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Mine have been sharing the bottle and drink out of it at the same time, making the weird click-click noise of the metal ball go even faster. Sometime the smaller one will put her paw on the bigger ones back to hold herself up. It's VERY cute.
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Oct 21, 2012 22:31
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Does anyone know if the smell of female rats in heat would bother a male mouse? I've never really paid attention to Wheatley when the girls are in heat, but he seemed VERY interested in their cage tonight when Alice was slutting it up. He spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to get into their cage anyway ( survival of the dumbest!) but he seemed especially bothered tonight. I guess it could have been the noise from her bouncing around that was catching his interest, too.FYI the best thing in the world is opening up a cage and having your ratty bff start bruxing at you. Chell has forgiven me for taking her outside today, it seems.  I'm gonna be so devastated when my little ladies die. I know its pretty morbid to think of death a month after getting the bubs, but after my mice especially I'm aware that rodents can, and do, go from perfect health to very ill in a flash. I'm actually planning to go into my vets tomorrow and ask about how they euth rats; I wasn't invited to go into the back room when my mouse was pts in July, and was too upset to really think about it, but now I'm worried about how exactly they euthanise there. Guess I should ask what their method is so I now way in advance. Bonus: the ladies eating a yogurt ice cube. Fraction fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Oct 21, 2012 |
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Oct 21, 2012 23:28
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Here's Mary by herself eating a little tomato. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TjHj67ruF4&hd=1
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Oct 22, 2012 00:05
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Molly found the best bed.
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Oct 22, 2012 04:28
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quote:Your rats look just like mine! (Except mine are boys) Crazy   
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Oct 22, 2012 04:53
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