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RoboRodent posted:Rats can definitely fart. My girls do, anyway. They are masters of the silent-but-deadly. Yesterday one of my rats kept suddenly smelling of poop. I kept checking and there was none and the smell went immediately. rat farts   I want my rattttt nowwww 
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Dec 6, 2012 17:38
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^That sure is a pretty rat.^ Apparently the breeder I keep an eye on has possum-marked rats  . I know what I'm getting when the next one kicks the bucket! Also, Critter Nation owners – you would call the cage a dark grey, yes? My partner just asked if I was crazy because "it is clearly blue."
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Dec 7, 2012 01:47
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Rat pictures for the rat thread: Donut has had a bit of staining recently, I think from the stress of dealing with Cubone. But they get along alright, worked out most of their differences by now. Donut's also on antibiotics for a UTI. And a Biscuit!  He's been working the past few days to move all his toys into the litterbox because why not. He doesn't actually use it so it's okay.
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Dec 7, 2012 17:39
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How have you guys had success with giving medication to your rats? Kobe might also be going pretty soon, as she has an ulcerated tumor, and the vet gave us antibiotics to make her more comfortable for the time being. Problem is, she's always HATED medicines. Every time we've been given medication for the girls, the vet always says with such delight, "This one tastes like apples, this one tastes like honey, rats just LOVE these  "Yeah Kobe knows the smell and taste of a medicine and it's always been a struggle to get her (and even Pau, when she had her own surgeries) to take it. We've mixed them with every food you can think of. They just won't take it. I've been forcing it on her, but she still spits it out. Her tumor is already showing some signs of sepsis, and she still has energy and has normal behavior, but I'm not ready to put her down just because she doesn't want her medicines. I don't know what else to do but to force it down, and I feel so awful about it 
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Dec 7, 2012 18:58
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RoboRodent posted:Re: insect eating. When I was housesitting, I had my rats out on my dad's lawn, and Molly found a slug and tried to eat it. Judging from her reaction, it tasted pretty nasty. I've never tried to give them bugs on purpose, though.  Slugs make your tongue go numb. I actually know this from personal experience.
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Dec 7, 2012 23:50
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Mongoloid Joe posted:How have you guys had success with giving medication to your rats? Kobe might also be going pretty soon, as she has an ulcerated tumor, and the vet gave us antibiotics to make her more comfortable for the time being. Problem is, she's always HATED medicines. Every time we've been given medication for the girls, the vet always says with such delight, "This one tastes like apples, this one tastes like honey, rats just LOVE these Thats a tough one. I've always mixed medicine with sweet foods or even just put it in bread cause my rats are dumb and greedy. Have you tried forcing it down then immediately giving a treat? It may not work out as badly as you think. I have to hold Finn to put ointment in his eyes but as long as I stick food in his mouth right after he literally forgets all about it. Pew! Pew! posted:Rat pictures for the rat thread: Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Dec 8, 2012 |
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Dec 8, 2012 00:06
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I gave the girls some ~5in long wooden skewers that had had salmon with a sweet glaze on them, and they are all furiously chewing away. The best part is watching them try to carry them around and bring them into places they won't fit. This is apparently the Most Exciting because they're all going a bit nutty and running around the cage.
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Dec 8, 2012 06:52
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Springly posted:What's worked for me if it's more curiosity-chomping than aggression is getting some treat for them to lick off your finger like yogurt, and giving it to them on a spoon first. They'll quickly get the idea that licking is the most effective way to eat it, and that biting is unpleasant because metal is underneath and it doesn't yield any extra yogurt. This is a fantastic idea, definitely going to try this immediately. Thank you so much for the suggestion!
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Dec 9, 2012 03:34
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Pile of Kittens posted:
That would explain the frantic mouth-wiping, then. No wonder she didn't like it.
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Dec 9, 2012 06:46
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Well, my girls are doing great! It looks like Maeby (the biter) only seems to bite when she is inside her cage, and the yogurt on a spoon trick worked pretty well! My husband got them both out of the cage (they were not very happy about that) and a couple minutes later they were exploring his sweatshirt happily and there was zero biting :3 They're getting much more used to us now, they are actually coming over to the door of the cage when we walk by rather than run and hide (probably starting to associate us with treats ahaha). I tried to get some pictures but they won't hold still!
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Dec 9, 2012 16:23
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I just got to the end of this thread and my wife and I have just become proud rat owners. This is not my first time owning a rat I had a black hooded rat when I was about 9 years old, this time I am setting out to do it right. As part of an early Christmas present my wife bought the rats themselves and the cage. This time we bought a 3 tiered cage with fresh hard foods and a few treats. We also have a hammock and two female rats about 5 months old. I want to do this right. My rate whom I have named "Hecuba" is really shy and quite easily scared she also likes to nip. I do not mean aggression bite but she puts her teeth on everything, she also has not broken skin, drawn blood, or done real damage but I am concerned. I have had the rats for about a day and half now so far I've done a little interaction but I don't want to over do it and frighten them particularly Hecuba. I did read about the yogurt and spoon method to keep her from nipping at people. I also have noticed that Hecuba will reach up to nip at clothes or skin that has moved close to her. Should I be alarmed by this? Or am I simply making a mountain from a molehill? I have read a lot of information on bonding with rats and my wife's rat which is yet unnamed is much more out going and eager to interact with things she too also nips but not as hard as Hecuba does. My fear is this with all I am reading and the sheer dizzying amount of information on the subjects I find myself a bit overloaded with ideas, recommendations, and suggestions but I am not sure how best to start and build the best relationship with our new rats.
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Dec 9, 2012 19:18
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Big Bug Hug posted:Thats a tough one. I've always mixed medicine with sweet foods or even just put it in bread cause my rats are dumb and greedy. I've also tried the bread, tried yogurt, pudding, cereal (hot and cold), soups, mixing with honey and peanut butter, frostings, pasta, jam, you name it. The girls would sniff it or take a nibble and sense the meds and leave and bury, never to be seen again. With the force feeding, I try to give Kobe some chocolate immediately after, but she ignores it and just wants to go back in the cage. Poor baby. The ulcer in the tumor is so terrifying to look at. I had a scary dream last night that it ulcerated so much, you could see her inner organs. 
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Dec 9, 2012 23:21
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Saberjackal posted:I just got to the end of this thread and my wife and I have just become proud rat owners. This is not my first time owning a rat I had a black hooded rat when I was about 9 years old, this time I am setting out to do it right. As part of an early Christmas present my wife bought the rats themselves and the cage. This time we bought a 3 tiered cage with fresh hard foods and a few treats. We also have a hammock and two female rats about 5 months old. You've barely had the rats for any time. They are exploring everything with their teeth - as rats do. I think you're just being an overcautious owner, which I totally get. I rushed my rats into the vets because they coughed a couple of times when I first got them The best way to build a relationship is to start forced socialisation*, as well as offering treats basically all the time. Forced socialisation will teach them that coming out of their cage is not the end of the world, and giving them treats will help them associate you with good things. * Grab a rat. Grab all the rats. Grab all the rats all day every day!  Mongoloid Joe posted:I've also tried the bread, tried yogurt, pudding, cereal (hot and cold), soups, mixing with honey and peanut butter, frostings, pasta, jam, you name it. The girls would sniff it or take a nibble and sense the meds and leave and bury, never to be seen again. With the force feeding, I try to give Kobe some chocolate immediately after, but she ignores it and just wants to go back in the cage. Poor baby. Try using the treat paste meant for ferrets (ferretone?). Apparently that is absolute rat crack. If she is being a wuss about it, then tough, she'll have to deal with it. Force feeding meds isn't nice for anyone, but it's for her benefit so she can all she wants. 
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Dec 9, 2012 23:34
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Mongoloid Joe posted:I've also tried the bread, tried yogurt, pudding, cereal (hot and cold), soups, mixing with honey and peanut butter, frostings, pasta, jam, you name it. The girls would sniff it or take a nibble and sense the meds and leave and bury, never to be seen again. With the force feeding, I try to give Kobe some chocolate immediately after, but she ignores it and just wants to go back in the cage. Poor baby. Oh I know. I had a boy with an ulcerated tumor on his belly. He was 2, and it was slow growing so I didn't operate. He lived with it for 8 months, taking antibiotics to stop infection. It was gross and ugly, but I just checked on it all the time to make sure it wasn't interfering with things or becoming too much. Honestly it was a long time before it affected him. He ate, groomed and did everything like a normal (aging) rat and I never saw any indication it bothered him. Just look out for anything like self-mutilation of the area, which would tell you she's possibly in pain, and if its in an area like the belly just keep an eye out for things like making sure she's urinating. I spoiled that rat for 8 months thinking he wouldn't be long for the world, and he ended up outliving his brother. In the end he was still waddling around, eating and chewing his favorite rawhide, but had no energy and the tumor was quite large. I chose what I believed to be the right moment to PTS as I didn't want the end to be painful or stressful. He lived with his cagemates right up till the end  So what I'm saying is, yes it looks bad but so long as your girl is having good quality of life its OK. Just be vigilant with her Of course if you think she's suffering and choose to have her put to sleep, thats OK too. I'm sorry I can't be much help in the medicine department, hopefully someone else has some ideas.
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Dec 9, 2012 23:36
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Fraction posted:Try using the treat paste meant for ferrets (ferretone?). Apparently that is absolute rat crack. Ferretone is a liquid, kind of like olive oil in consistency. Do you mean NutriCal, the sugary paste? Because that is crack for all animals.
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Dec 10, 2012 01:12
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Fraction posted:You've barely had the rats for any time. They are exploring everything with their teeth - as rats do. I think you're just being an overcautious owner, which I totally get. I rushed my rats into the vets because they coughed a couple of times when I first got them Thank you for the insight but I do have a slight reservation about the forced method. I do see the logic in this but I am curious if this can backfire with a particular rat? I am asking as my first rat Anna that I had almost decade ago was totally socialized by the time I got her. Hecuba clearly is semi-socialized and I don't want to completely shell shock her, so far Hecuba has spent the entire time burrowed under the bedding and seldom comes out. This does not worry me as she's clearly more sensitive to her new home and new people. I am not so much worried about being bitten I am more concerned about causing this rat to hole up completely again. EDIT: Also a point of clarity on this I've heard "Forced socialization" to mean grab a hold of the rats and holding onto them for 20 minutes at a time by force if needed. Effectively chasing and catching the rat and forcing it into your arms as it were. That is why I am cautious to take THAT approach to socialization. So far we've let them come to us and been treating them each time we can get them to come towards us. Saberjackal fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Dec 10, 2012 |
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Dec 10, 2012 03:13
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My dumbo, Amelia, has been sneezing since we brought the two of them home ten days ago. She's not showing any other symptoms -- she is playful, curious and active, no poryphrin on her eyes or nose, eats well, not hearing any wheezes or other respiratory difficulty. Faye is doing fine and has no sneeziness at all. Could it still be new home sneezes? Or could she just be a sneezy rat? We don't have any sort of air freshener or incense around and neither of us wears perfume or cologne.
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Dec 10, 2012 03:57
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Saberjackal posted:Thank you for the insight but I do have a slight reservation about the forced method. I do see the logic in this but I am curious if this can backfire with a particular rat? I am asking as my first rat Anna that I had almost decade ago was totally socialized by the time I got her. Hecuba clearly is semi-socialized and I don't want to completely shell shock her, so far Hecuba has spent the entire time burrowed under the bedding and seldom comes out. This does not worry me as she's clearly more sensitive to her new home and new people. Forced socialization works, and it isn't cruel. But there isn't really any need to use it yet. You haven't had them for long. What you can do, is stick them in your shirt and let them run around in there for about half an hour at a time. They'll have contact with your skin which helps them trust you and they will feel secure there. I have never met a baby rat that didn't enjoy this. I do it with all of my new rats. Let them settle in and earn their love through treats. And don't be scared to pick them up, even if they squirm and whatnot. The more you handle them the better. Like the others said: grab every rat! Take it from us: more handling, not less, is the answer. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Dec 10, 2012 |
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Dec 10, 2012 05:03
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Not The Platypus posted:My dumbo, Amelia, has been sneezing since we brought the two of them home ten days ago. She's not showing any other symptoms -- she is playful, curious and active, no poryphrin on her eyes or nose, eats well, not hearing any wheezes or other respiratory difficulty. Faye is doing fine and has no sneeziness at all. Could it still be new home sneezes? Or could she just be a sneezy rat? We don't have any sort of air freshener or incense around and neither of us wears perfume or cologne. I would bet on adjusting to the new home. Don't worry yet
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Dec 10, 2012 05:04
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Serella posted:Ferretone is a liquid, kind of like olive oil in consistency. Do you mean NutriCal, the sugary paste? Because that is crack for all animals. Welp. Yeah I meant NutriCal Big Bug Hug posted:Forced socialization works, and it isn't cruel. But there isn't really any need to use it yet. You haven't had them for long. What you can do, is stick them in your shirt and let them run around in there for about half an hour at a time. They'll have contact with your skin which helps them trust you and they will feel secure there. I have never met a baby rat that didn't enjoy this. I do it with all of my new rats. Isn't grabbing a rat and sticking it in your shirt or in a pocket, etc. forced socialisation too? It's still 'forcing' them to hang out with you. That's what I'm referring to as opposed to tentatively letting rat come to you/never grabbing rat.
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Dec 10, 2012 08:07
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Fraction posted:Welp. Yeah I meant NutriCal Yep, you're right it is, I should have been clearer. I think sometimes people just get the wrong idea about it from reading things on the internet, and shirt work is the first thing I suggest. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 10:29 on Dec 10, 2012 |
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Dec 10, 2012 10:26
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Oh my gosh guys. I met the cutest little beige-and-white baby rat. So tiny. I had to doubletake to make sure she wasn't a mouse. Five weeks, maybe? She peed on me but was really chill about being handled otherwise. It's a bad idea to suddenly bring home a little baby to a pair of year-and-a-half females, isn't it? Tell me it is. I want the baby girl but probably shouldn't.
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Dec 10, 2012 18:44
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Get two babies, give them another week or two before introductions (for quarantine and so they can get a little bigger) and then carefully intro. Females take pretty well to other females, particularly to babies. ps get the rat
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Dec 10, 2012 18:47
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 Cubone's not my favorite rat ever, nope.  Never. not in a million years (Excuse the girly voice, it raises like 3 octaves when around cute.)
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Dec 10, 2012 23:50
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I lost the battle. I now have four rats.  This is Ada:   And this is Tali:   They're basically in furry blur stage right now and are impossible to photograph because everything is so exciting! Everyone's settled in nicely. Tali basically chose me. I picked her up and she crawled up against my neck and started playing in my hair. They are... waaaay less skittish than Molly and Amelia were when I got them. Speaking of Molly and Amelia, they have been very friendly and curious about the new arrivals. I suspect proper introductions will go very smoothly.
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Dec 11, 2012 06:42
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I am a bad influence and your new rats are adorable Protip: lots of fun can be had from the cheapest of toys. My friend bought two kinder eggs and I stole and washed the little plastic capsules that come inside of them, popped some dog treats in, cut a small hole in each one and gave them to the rats. They justdestroyed them and had lots of fun doing it eta: My mum just asked me when 'our' new rat, Pandora, is arriving. I am slowly converting my mother into a ratlady. Fraction fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Dec 11, 2012 |
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Dec 11, 2012 23:44
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I picked up some stuff at Home Depot last night and wound up wandering through the plumbing aisle. The boys now have a 1' elbow of 4"-diameter PVC pipe. Cost me about $6. They have proceeded to stuff it full of the fleece strips I gave them because I was worried they might get cold.
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Dec 12, 2012 00:08
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Just a quick update and thanks to everyone for the advice. My wife has named her rat Cara Noëli and so far we've been following the advice given here and so far so good. Hecuba is still really nervous about leaving the cage and is still nipping much harder than I'd like her to, but I am not as concerned as I was before. Perhaps one more question about Hecuba's behavior her nipping is not consistent sometimes she will simply walk up and give bite then run and hide. I treat her every time I open the cage sometimes she will take the treat, nip then hide. Once she's out of the cage she will start running around before finding a spot and going to sleep. Cara Noëli on the other hand is an entirely different rat she loves to explore and loves to get out of the cage. Cara Noëli also has taken to bating the Toy Poodle we have into playing with her in the cage. We have not yet introduced dog and rats together beyond short periods of time and only with the rats in their cage. As for the dog her response to Hecuba and Cara Noëli its mostly playful and a little jealousy. (the other day the dog looked at my wife and I, then the dog peed on the carpet.)Cara Noëli on the other hand seems to take a shine to the dog in her own way. She will stick her nose out and bait the dog into coming in close and get the dog to lick her. Hecuba just ignores the dog and goes on about rat business strange bouncy thing unimportant to her. Saberjackal fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Dec 12, 2012 |
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Dec 12, 2012 03:42
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I've dealt with rats that were "nippy" in that they bit the gently caress out of me repeatedly, except for one who had a medical problem I have had a lot of success with forced socialization, it's not nearly as mean as it sounds. Had I not done that with my viscous killers then they would have just gotten worse over time. If they learn that you aren't scary it really chills them out. When you hold them or stick them in your shirt make sure to not put them back if they urinate or poop, it will just show them that hey, this behavior will get them to leave me alone! Just do it every day for a week or two and honestly it should work everything out. If I remember correctly there should be more information on forced socialization in the OP. Don't worry, some rats just need a little more love to open up.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:06
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Ok, I don't get the forced socialisation thing. How are you supposed to keep hold of the rat?! I can't keep my hand on any of ours for more than 10s before she squirms out of the way. We just got 2 more rats (4 in total now), I'll put some pictures once I get them off my phone. They're little females, one champagne one ivory. The adults have now got over their terrible betrayal in the form of babies in THEIR house and they're all snuggling and rampaging together, so cute.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:35
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Shoulders work. Pockets. Hoods on jackets if you can get them to stay there. I went for my first walk around the house with Ada and Tali. The kitchen didn't get me peed on in fright. They haven't fear-peed on me once. I'm honestly pleasantly surprised.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:51
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Joker got to tour the kitchen today too. I was serving up some breakfast for them and he ran down my arm and onto the counter, and wandered around a bit before I picked him back up. The dish sponge was apparently fascinating.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:58
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RoboRodent posted:Shoulders work. Pockets. Hoods on jackets if you can get them to stay there. Moxxi didn't poo/pee on me for like a fortnight. It all went downhill from there 
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Dec 12, 2012 18:03
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Olive Bar posted:I've dealt with rats that were "nippy" in that they bit the gently caress out of me repeatedly, except for one who had a medical problem I have had a lot of success with forced socialization, it's not nearly as mean as it sounds. Had I not done that with my viscous killers then they would have just gotten worse over time. If they learn that you aren't scary it really chills them out. When you hold them or stick them in your shirt make sure to not put them back if they urinate or poop, it will just show them that hey, this behavior will get them to leave me alone! Just do it every day for a week or two and honestly it should work everything out. If I remember correctly there should be more information on forced socialization in the OP. Don't worry, some rats just need a little more love to open up. Thankfully Hecuba is not that nippy she is just easily frightened last night my wife was adding a hammock to the cage and Hecuba came right up gave her a nip then zipped away. Hecuba then jumped ontop of Cara and nipped her until she squealed then Hecuba hid. I think she's over stimulated or simply scared, after hiding for a bit she took to the wheel and ran for a bit. She loves my pockets and my overcoat and so far neither Cara nor Hecuba has fear urinated or pooped so that's a good thing I'd say. Also the hardest I've ever been bitten by Hecuba is just hard enough to leave an impression not break skin nor draw blood. Overall I can say that the forced Socialization method is highly effective and with a little time, results are swift and clear. One question my wife wanted me to ask about was minor skin irritation with rat claws. Small itchy bumps and small lines that I have seen with Cara but Hecuba does not cause this to happen. Is there a good way to avoid or care for the skin irritation? I will have some photos soon of the pair shortly I have to recharge my camera and load the images to the net.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:09
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Saberjackal posted:One question my wife wanted me to ask about was minor skin irritation with rat claws. Small itchy bumps and small lines that I have seen with Cara but Hecuba does not cause this to happen. Is there a good way to avoid or care for the skin irritation? I will have some photos soon of the pair shortly I have to recharge my camera and load the images to the net. Rat claws are pretty sharp. That's something you have to deal with as an owner, unless you want to/are able to grab a rat and pin it down to trim its nails (good luck with that). One suggestion we've had banded about here is to put a brick in front of the rats' water bottle, so that they naturally grind the tips down when they drink. Try not to let the rats run on bare skin. I'm an idiot for letting mine claw all over me while I've just got a tshirt on, and for days later I look like I've been cutting myself. If she's getting itchy bumps, she could be allergic. I'm not an expert on that though.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:16
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Saberjackal posted:One question my wife wanted me to ask about was minor skin irritation with rat claws. Small itchy bumps and small lines that I have seen with Cara but Hecuba does not cause this to happen. Is there a good way to avoid or care for the skin irritation? I will have some photos soon of the pair shortly I have to recharge my camera and load the images to the net. Not like hives, but itchy irritated scratches? My experience is that Amelia gives me those (mostly when she's been in my shirt) but Molly mostly doesn't, but Molly also trims her claws quite blunt (nailbiting rat!) and I think that's the major difference. I've never felt up for trying to trim their claws myself. Usually I just put some cream on the scratches to soothe it. In other news, Molly stormed the babycage when I wasn't looking:  There was a lot of licking.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:23
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My daughter gets the itchy skin and sniffles and their scratches come up really irritated on her - I luckily do not have that problem. I get her to take claratyne if it gets bad.
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Dec 12, 2012 18:32
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I have a cardboard box, full of those foam packing peanuts. If I give this box to the rats, which scenario will happen: 1) They'll have hours of fun digging through them to get at food I've hidden in there; or 2) They'll try and eat the peanuts and choke to death or something. I can see the potential for fun in this but I'm not sure if my rats would be dumb and try to eat the peanuts.
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Dec 12, 2012 20:43
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Fraction posted:I have a cardboard box, full of those foam packing peanuts. If I give this box to the rats, which scenario will happen: They'll totally eat the peanuts. I don't know if they'll choke on them, but ingesting styrofoam is probably not a good idea.
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Dec 12, 2012 21:15
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They will probably not actually ingest the peanuts. They are really good at knowing what's food and what's not. Supervision is key.
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Dec 12, 2012 22:02
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