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My Vanilli started showing signs of a respiratory infection, so I took her to the vet. Since I'm still extremely new at owning rats, she's staying there for a bit while they fix her up. Is there anything I can do to keep Milli from getting too lonely? I've been taking her out of the cage frequently and letting her nap on me instead of alone, although she does seem to enjoy the hammock I bought her:
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Jun 3, 2013 20:02
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 00:38 |
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Fraction posted:Kool-aid would be safe though, right? We don't have Kool-aid here so I don't know. Mendhi is still the safest option.
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Jun 4, 2013 17:42
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Slidje posted:If it's carbonated, no. Rats cant burp, so if they lick it up, it'll be very painful for them to pass the gas. You can buy "prepared" kool-aid, but the kind you'd use for dying is a powder. It's not carbonated. I think I'd be more worried about the rat ingesting henna than drink powder, but that's just me. I wouldn't say it's definitively the safest option if you're not even aware of what kool-aid is.
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Jun 4, 2013 17:51
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If you're going to use Kool-Aid, buy the regular unsweetened kind in the envelope - the other stuff has a bunch of artificial sweeteners in it.
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Jun 4, 2013 19:20
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Fraction, the rainbow in the mail is perfectly safe to dunk your rats in according to these guidelines.
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Jun 4, 2013 19:22
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Jade is officially using the nebulizer. 10 minutes every 24-48 hours.  After 2 tries with medium-sized boxes and a stressed out rat, I just ended up using a large thick towel to cover up the cage and he did do some stress digging but calmed down as soon as the Gentocin and Albuterol kicked in. He may not be able to get all the medication, but at least he isn't so stressed out. Anyone else have experience with nebulization? I would love to read about them. Baika fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Jun 6, 2013 |
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Jun 6, 2013 19:16
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^^^ Aw, I hope it helps him! sooooo rats and kool aid        My hands are purple. Everything smells of grape.
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Jun 6, 2013 20:15
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I'm really glad my rats are black so I won't be tempted to dye them.
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Jun 6, 2013 20:33
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I was tempted to dunk my black rat in the tub so that she smelled of grape, even if it'd have no effect on her. 
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Jun 6, 2013 20:35
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Baika posted:Anyone else have experience with nebulization? I would love to read about them. As a severe asthmatic, I have my own personal tales of nebulization. Does albuterol make rats as twitchy and shaky as it does humans?
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Jun 7, 2013 14:46
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Not The Platypus posted:As a severe asthmatic, I have my own personal tales of nebulization. Does albuterol make rats as twitchy and shaky as it does humans? Ugh, I hate that. The first time I ever needed it, I was so sick (I'm a frequent flyer for bronchitis) that I didn't even think to read the info sheet, so this side effect completely terrified me. Even now that I know to expect it, I always kind of dread filling an albuterol prescription.
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Jun 8, 2013 13:08
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I have just adopted a trio of rats.  I haven't moved them from their old house yet. They're coming cage and all, is there anything particular to look out for as far as moving them into a new house or will they be cool as long as their cage is intact?
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Jun 8, 2013 20:42
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Javid posted:I have just adopted a trio of rats. Cute rats! They might sneeze a bit, but other than that they should be fine. Fauna was feeling especially photogenic today, it seems.          
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Jun 8, 2013 21:06
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quote:6. Get your rat's favorite small treat, or use a chocolate chip. Stir the ivermectin again. Place a very small amount (the size of an uncooked grain of rice) on the treat. Feed to rat. WARNING DO NOT OVERDOSE ON IVERMECTIN. OVERDOSING CAN CAUSE NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE. Remember, the tube of ivermectin is measured for a 1,500 pound horse, and you're treating a 1-2 pound rat. Take it EASY on the ivermectin - you can always give your rats another week's treatment if necessary, but you can't un-dose a seizing rat. So long story short, we got a baby rat from the local pet store that brought along some friends (lice!). This little guy weighs in at only 49g (0.09 lbs). It seems like Ivermectin would be risky with a rat this small. We really don't want to wait till Monday to go to the vet as we're sure the little one is probably uncomfortable. Are there any decent OTC remedies that we can look at or are we poo poo out of luck until Monday? Russian Dollies fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 22:54
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Russian Dollies posted:So long story short, we got a baby rat from the local pet store that brought along some friends (lice!). This little guy weighs in at only 49g (0.09 lbs). It seems like Ivermectin would be risky with a rat this small. We really don't want to wait till Monday to go to the vet as we're sure the little one is probably uncomfortable. Are there any decent OTC remedies that we can look at or are we poo poo out of luck until Monday? Just dose it, it'll be fine 
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Jun 9, 2013 03:42
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Just was playing with Amelia, my Himalayan dumbo. We call her the Ratbassador because she is so awesome and friendly and chill that we always bring her out first when showing people our girls, especially if they haven't handled rats before. Sure, there's the off chance that she'll try to shove her head up their nose, but it's a calculated risk. So is Amelia's whole "I'm a tolerant lovebucket and you can kiss my belly whenever you want and play me like a ukelele and I'll just look at you with my dumb face" thing attributed to her being a dumbo, or is that just her one-in-a-million personality?
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Jun 9, 2013 05:34
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Individual personality, probably good genetics and socialization  Each of my rats has a completely different personality, even the brothers who were socialized exact the same. You'd think they would be pretty alike, but nope. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Jun 9, 2013 |
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Jun 9, 2013 08:26
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Rat picture spam. Self rats are the best. Blackberry and Apple when they were little  Raspberry and Elderflower as babies           I love that rats can have such different personalities. One of the benefits of owning multiple animals, easier to compare.
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Jun 9, 2013 18:52
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 Is that a black-eyed white rat give it to me right now
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Jun 9, 2013 18:55
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Yep, she's an ivory, from a breeder in Surrey. She has the cutest face, the softest fur and amazing whiskers. Bit of a sperg though!
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Jun 9, 2013 20:10
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I have been mooching off of photos in this thread for too long, time to share (dump) photos of my girls. Tenembaum and Zissou as babies: Zissou on the left, Tenenbaum on the right  Zissou up front, Tenembaum being a fatty in the back  Then, one day, they started to get darker. Tenenbaum:  So cute! Zissou left, Tenembaum right:  Then we got two more girls, Darjeeling and Moonrise. They instantly hit it off with the other two and there was zero issues with introducing them. There was a lot of humping, though. Zissou and Darjeeling (who is a giant cuddly budddy):  The belly you see is Darjeeling's:  They have been snuggling ever since. These two were from this morning:   I want all of the ratties. 
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Jun 9, 2013 20:49
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Superconsndar posted:Just dose it, it'll be fine Thank you for the quick reply. We did take the advice and dose Bagel a very tiny bit. Smaller than even a grain of rice to be safe. Next question is how soon after dosing can I introduce him to our other rat, Nigel? And should I dose Nigel to be on the safe side? I really hate that Bagel's in a tiny quarantine cage. I've been setting him up with a towel and disposable toys in the tub of my spare bathroom and trying to spend lots of time with him in there everyday, but obviously this isn't an ideal set up. Edit: Question about lab blocks: My feed store carries Harlan Teklad at a pretty good price ($20/33lbs). That's obviously a lot of food for just two rats. Would that be okay to store in an air tight container, or would it be better to freeze the excess? Russian Dollies fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Jun 10, 2013 |
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Jun 10, 2013 17:15
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MITES Poor Moomin. He's the only one showing scabs/hair loss, but Oswald is also pretty itchy. I bought some 1.87% Ivermectin, which came today. BF's taking the rats to the vet on Thursday because a bunch have URIs as well. Going to wait to dose til Thursday, since some of the rats are still pretty young, and the smallest weighs about 100g (click for weights of all). So, I guess in the meantime I'll try to trim Moo's nails down. Not thrilled about dealing with mites and URIs at the same time. My wallet 
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Jun 11, 2013 23:43
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Rat adoption trip report: They spent the car ride down here in a little terror-ball in one corner of the cage. When I was stopped they sniffed around and ate, so it must've been the motion.  Radagast, on the left, copes the best. Samwise and Franklin are, respectively, the black and white balls of terror. Now that they're home, they're doing alright and checking out the new room. The current digs:  That cord has since been moved out of teeth distance. Reading through the OP, it sounds like my friend who gave me the rats was doing many things horribly, horribly wrong. -giving them straight city tap water -no toys of any kind in the cage -generic wood shavings for bedding They're not dead from it, so I figure I'm good to use up the food and bedding that was given with them. Aside from that, I went ahead and gave them a kong toy that my dog has never given a poo poo about, as well as a little cardboard box to chill in. A wheel was in the plans already, and maybe some more balconies/levels for the cage. Right now I have well water so that should be fine for them. Something wood for them to teeth on would be handy - aside from pine/cedar, are there any types to avoid? I have all kinds of wood lying around from projects so I can just hand them a chunk of whatever works. Rads, dash chillin at a rest stop:  Frank enjoying some lap time after arrival:  Sam WILL NOT SIT STILL  Rad and Sam are visually identical, but Rad is heftily fatter when you pick them up. I've missed having rodentia in my life, and these guys are gonna be a fun addition to the house. Javid fucked around with this message at 10:06 on Jun 12, 2013 |
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Jun 12, 2013 10:03
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That cage is waaaaaaaaaaaaay too small for 3 male rats, even if you add levels. They need about double that amount of space, at least.
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Jun 12, 2013 12:50
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I have another couple cages I was planning to Borg together in some fashion for them.
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Jun 12, 2013 19:26
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Javid posted:I have another couple cages I was planning to Borg together in some fashion for them. Oh, good. Don't use plastic ties/tubes, though - use metal links of some sort. In unrelated news, Rat kings are creepy, but fascinating.
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Jun 12, 2013 19:44
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Upon further reflection, is it normal for their breathing to ALWAYS be noisy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfkAsy8nLro It's not constant but often enough they will all be oinking away in there. Just expressing their concerns about having moved?
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Jun 13, 2013 09:22
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So, $400 vet visit on Thursday. Exam fees for five rats, plus antibiotics for URIs, suspension for ivermectin (vet insisted, was only $20, and worth the peace of mind to give them correct doses, especially since the youngest is only 110g), and a bronchodilator for Gypsy. Mites AND lice. Several weeks of twice daily meds. And then today we found Gypsy dead in the cage. I'm tired. e: Javid posted:Upon further reflection, is it normal for their breathing to ALWAYS be noisy? They sound really bad, take them to the vet and get them on antibiotics ASAP.
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Jun 15, 2013 18:55
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poo poo, IO, that sucks so much. loving rats 
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Jun 15, 2013 20:00
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One of the rats chewed a hole in the cage last night and is missing. The cage was up high on top of the dryer, so she must've fallen off, but there's no sign of her. Went to 5 stores around here trying to find humane traps, but they all only carry lethal ones (suck my dick plz America) So, any ideas? Homemade traps? Anything?
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Jun 16, 2013 18:35
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Food in the bathtub?
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Jun 16, 2013 20:06
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SlipkPIe posted:One of the rats chewed a hole in the cage last night and is missing. The cage was up high on top of the dryer, so she must've fallen off, but there's no sign of her. Went to 5 stores around here trying to find humane traps, but they all only carry lethal ones (suck my dick plz America) The dryer has a really convenient tube straight to outside. Check it for any holes, if it looks chewed through she might be gone forever, unfortunately. Sometimes animal control or the humane society or a wildlife rehab facility will rent you a humane trap for a small fee.
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Jun 16, 2013 20:12
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Take some bedding from the cage that smells familiar, put it in a little cardboard box with some delicious food and hope she thinks it's a nice place to chill?
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Jun 16, 2013 20:46
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How long after beginning antibiotics for pneumonia would we see improvement? Max is two months old and I'm really worried about him.
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Jun 16, 2013 21:20
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Vanilli has been quarantined for her URI the past couple of weeks and she's just about ready to go back into the normal cage. Will reintroduction cause any problems?
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Jun 19, 2013 04:54
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This sucks. I recently lost my rat Jade to respiratory issues and my other rat Quartz is on his deathbed to a possible fibrosarcoma along the caudal abdominal wall. He was feeling fine last week too. Sucks to be losing two rats in one week. RIP little guys, glad to have given you a home. I am on waitlist for a pair of boy babies that will be ready in September-October. Now I am thinking to get on one sooner so my girl rat would be alone for the 2nd time.
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Jun 25, 2013 06:01
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That sucks Baika. Sorry
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Jun 25, 2013 08:32
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I am so not looking forward to my girls getting up there in age. Right now they're all around or just under a year old, and they've been remarkably healthy so far for random pet shop rats from three different shops. I can't wait until the tumours start popping up
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Jun 25, 2013 08:35
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 00:38 |
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Acorn has been dragging around a golf-ball sized tumor for a while now and doesn't seem any worse for the wear. Poor little sickly rat
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Jun 25, 2013 16:57
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