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Fraction posted: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 I keep ready pretty often that fixing female rats will drastically reduce the chance of tumors, but I cant confirm how true this is. I have two rats and one of them is itching too often, the other one doesnt seem to have any problem. Is it really possible for only one rat to have mites if they're both always cuddled together? That doesnt seem likely. My follow up question is, if it isnt mites what else could cause flaky skin and itching? Is vit E safe to put on their skin, or will they get sick from licking it off?
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Jun 25, 2013 18:35
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Sojin posted:I keep ready pretty often that fixing female rats will drastically reduce the chance of tumors, but I cant confirm how true this is. It is true, but spaying rats can be very expensive, and surgery's always a risk. If one rat has mites, the other has mites. But one rat can show much worse symptoms than the other, due to stress or whatever. Check the OP, but you're going to want to buy some oral horse ivermectin, treat them with it every 10 days, and be absolutely anal about cleaning.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:56
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Invalid Octopus posted:It is true, but spaying rats can be very expensive, and surgery's always a risk. My vet charges the same for rat spays as they do for dogs. Ain't no way I could pay £130/rat to spay them.
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Jun 25, 2013 19:00
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Fraction posted:My vet charges the same for rat spays as they do for dogs. Ain't no way I could pay £130/rat to spay them. The cost of removing tumors could be way worse, and they can get multiple tumors, again this is just from what ive read. I had no idea fixing them would cost so drat much though.
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Jun 25, 2013 19:02
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Sojin posted:The cost of removing tumors could be way worse, and they can get multiple tumors, again this is just from what ive read. I had no idea fixing them would cost so drat much though. It's even more where I am (at least $300). And yeah, but it's up to the discretion of the owner if they want to bother getting tumors removed. Typically, female rats don't start getting mammary tumors til they're about a year and a half. Surgery's risky on an older rat. And if you cut off one tumor, more likely than not, another one will pop up. Personally, I don't think it's worth it. If one of mine gets a mammary tumor, they get euthanized when I make a quality of life decision, and they can normally live with a tumor for quite a while, it's not that much of an inconvenience. With pituitary tumors, I opt to euthanize immediately (with the last rat that had one, it was within 12 hours of determining that she had one).
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Jun 25, 2013 19:32
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It has been a while since ratpix so here        
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Jun 25, 2013 19:49
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New owner here with a couple of questions. First of all I picked up at a nice sized 25x25x18 cage that I can customize to have 2 or 3 levels. The insertable levels are wire unfortunately but the bottom is solid. Is this enough to keep the likelihood of bumble foot down or should I just cover the top levels as well? Secondly, I have a dome that they used to sleep in when they were in the first cage but since moving them to the bigger cage they rarely use it. They'll sleep in the tissue box forts I make for them but since those get soiled pretty quick I can't always have one in there and I feel bad seeing them sleep curled in the corner instead of somewhere snugly. Should I look into getting something darker (the dome is a slightly clear blue) or are they possibly preferring to sleep outside now with the warmer summer weather? Finally, since the cage is in our bedroom the ball bearing water bottle was making too much noise for my girlfriend so I bought this vacuum seal type bottle but I'm worried that it may be a little too complicated and they aren't drinking enough. It may just be my imagination since I'm not hearing them drink. I can't really compare the amount they drank from memory since the sizes of the bottles are completely different but is there any quick way to tell if they're hydrated/dehydrated? Should I measure how much they're drinking daily? And here's a close up of one of our girls Penelope with little Chloe barely seen on the left: 
punch drunk fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Jun 27, 2013 |
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Jun 27, 2013 11:37
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- Bumblefoot is caused by dirty floors, not wire floors - that said, too much walking on wire might not be comfortable. You could put some corflute cut to size, or plastic, wood or anything really if you wanted to. My levels are plastic and I cover them with newspaper and fleece. - They will probably sleep out when its warmer: mine do. In winter they rip up all their newspaper and drag all their bedding into their boxes to make snuggly nests  - As long as you see them drink from it they are probably fine. They get some moisture from food too so take that into account. If they're dehydrated, you can tell: gather/pinch up the skin on the scruff of their necks and it doesn't spring right back but settles slowly they might be dehydrated. The amount my boys drink varies greatly day to day but maybe someone else has a ballpark measurement to compare.
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Jun 27, 2013 12:53
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If you're worried about the water bottle you could put in a water bowl as well. We have one that attaches to the side of the cage so they don't knock it over. The water bowl is great because they wash their hands (and sometimes put their whole face in there) in the water, which is very cute.
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Jun 27, 2013 13:28
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I have a bird waterer like this. I would recommend always having more than one water bottle in the cage. Don't stress about where they're sleeping – I have a huge cage, with a bunch of hammocks, hideaways, etc... and they still sleep out in the open regularly.
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Jun 27, 2013 17:24
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aw yiss posted:Secondly, I have a dome that they used to sleep in when they were in the first cage but since moving them to the bigger cage they rarely use it. They'll sleep in the tissue box forts I make for them but since those get soiled pretty quick I can't always have one in there and I feel bad seeing them sleep curled in the corner instead of somewhere snugly. Should I look into getting something darker (the dome is a slightly clear blue) or are they possibly preferring to sleep outside now with the warmer summer weather? Rats will sleep:  In houses you provide for them  In the food bowl  Next to the food bowl  In hammocks atop other rats  In hammocks with their tl;dr: rats will sleep any drat place they want.
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Jun 27, 2013 17:49
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This is Oscar (possible name change pending). Oscar was surrendered to the same Petco where I got my other three boys. He came with a cage, water bottle, bowls, and a little hut, but I think the bar spacing on the cage is a little too big (he can get his whole head out, which tells me if he's determined enough he can get his whole body out) so I may move him over to one of my other small cages. I figure I need to quarantine him for at least a little while, then work on introductions. He's so curious and friendly I hope he gets along with the big boys. They've been having some tussles since Mordin died, I think it changed up the dynamic in the group a lot.
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Jun 27, 2013 20:05
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Oh my days  Baby rats are the cutest thing, ever.
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Jun 27, 2013 21:36
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What would you call his markings? Capped? He has one tiny brownish spot on the top of his tail that might be dirt, but other than that his only markings are on his head. Edit: Definitely need to put him in a different cage - my husband went to say hi this morning and found him crawling around on the outside of the cage... RazorBunny fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Jun 28, 2013 |
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Jun 27, 2013 22:49
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Here's Minky and Mary in their digging bucket planted with wheatgrass: And this is Minky's brown nose after digging: 
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Jun 29, 2013 00:31
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Holy moly that is the cutest poo poo I have ever seen in my whole life
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Jun 29, 2013 03:08
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I posted in this thread a while ago asking for some help. I got it, and was able to help my girlfriends rats til she improved. She hounded stores and breeders for a while, and she has a new addition. Thanks rat goons, for all the help. They're super happy now, and are starting y get less skittish around me too. It's been warm these past few days, but that hasn't stopped the baby rat from cuddling up to her sisters Meet Goldberry, Rosie Cotton, and Primrose 
Quantumfate fucked around with this message at 10:01 on Jun 29, 2013 |
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Jun 29, 2013 09:56
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I know that resigned older rat look 
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Jun 29, 2013 10:37
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How long should I keep the baby separate for quarantine reasons? He's by himself, so I hate to make it too long, but I don't want anybody getting sick either. Also, I've never had a rat who wanted to play with me, and it's He will kind of pounce on my hand and run away, and wrestle with my fingers. The older boys are probably going to find him so tedious...
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Jun 29, 2013 14:28
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RazorBunny posted:How long should I keep the baby separate for quarantine reasons? He's by himself, so I hate to make it too long, but I don't want anybody getting sick either. Honestly, quarantine doesn't matter much unless they're being kept in separate air spaces. I usually just do a couple days to watch for major stuff and then chuck-em together. The super-serious stuff like SDA can be transmitted by them just being in the same house, so it doesn't really matter.
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Jun 29, 2013 14:51
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Superconsndar posted:Honestly, quarantine doesn't matter much unless they're being kept in separate air spaces. I usually just do a couple days to watch for major stuff and then chuck-em together. The super-serious stuff like SDA can be transmitted by them just being in the same house, so it doesn't really matter. Makes sense. I was seeing "OMG three weeks!" which seemed ludicrous if you aren't maintaining a sterile environment. I'm due to clean the big guys' cage in another day or two, maybe I'll do introductions while everyone is out of their cage for that and, if it goes well, dump them all back in the big cage once it's clean.
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Jun 29, 2013 15:51
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Welp Finn has pneumonia. He's never been that healthy in regards to respiratory illness, and today he's suddenly quite bad. Earlier in the day he was looking normal and now he's struggling to breathe. He used his last strength to climb into my shirt before I realized anything was wrong, so there he'll stay for now. Its Sunday night and I've done everything I can at home so if he's still here in the morning I'll go to the vet. 
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Jun 30, 2013 09:39
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How can you tell when your rats are sick? Lately two of my rats are breathing very loudly but otherwise seems fine, and they don't do it all the time. I put a humidifier in my room (I don't know it works when I'm sick so I assume it goes for rats, too?) and have been religious about making things clean and changing their water daily. Also, I hope your rat gets better, Big Bug Hug!
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Jun 30, 2013 15:30
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I'm done with rats, guys. My favorite rat passed away this morning. Rest in peace, Cubone. There wasn't anything wrong, as far as I could tell. She's just been really sleepy the past few days. I went to wake her up this morning and she was cold.
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Jun 30, 2013 19:37
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Pew! Pew! posted:I'm done with rats, guys. My favorite rat passed away this morning. Rest in peace, Cubone. 
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Jun 30, 2013 19:49
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IO's friend here, dumping some pics I took while rat-sitting for her:             
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Jun 30, 2013 20:26
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Oh those sure are some cute rats Pewpew, I'm so sorry for your loss
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Jun 30, 2013 20:52
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Finn made it through the night, was more alert this morning (its 8am here) and he ate some rice by himself. I gave him baby food for fluids and had to stuff his medicine in his mouth because he was fighting it. If you feel better you don't have to eat that stuff right? His breathing is still a bit rapid but stuffy noises are improved. At least he seems comfortable now. Pew Pew, sorry about Cubone. It sounds like she went very peacefully. That's what I always hope for. Not that it makes it much easier. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Jun 30, 2013 |
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Jun 30, 2013 22:52
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Pew! Pew! posted:I'm done with rats, guys. My favorite rat passed away this morning. Rest in peace, Cubone. I'm sorry, Pew Invalid Octopus posted:Oh those sure are some cute rats Seconded
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Jun 30, 2013 22:57
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Everybody's in the same cage as of five minutes ago. The plan to do introductions in the bathtub was thwarted - I gave the big boys a bath because they were pretty stinky, and Garrus is able to leap over the edge of our tub with no trouble! Oops. My husband remembered that I had an old wire x-pen down in the basement, so we tossed a couple blankets on the floor and did intros there. Everybody got a good dab of vanilla on the back. Neither of the older boys seemed interested in the new guy at all, actually. He sniffed them a bit, and then everyone crawled under a blanket and hid in a big huddle. I rearranged and cleaned the big cage, and they're all still exploring right now. So, yay! I think an uneventful intro is a pretty good outcome. Hopefully they will be friends soon enough. I put the plastic house that the new rat came with in the cage so he has a place to hide if they pick on him, and Joker tried to cram his fat rear end in there but doesn't fit 
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Jul 1, 2013 18:09
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Okay update. Getting Cubone cremated and probably some memorial jewelry because she was my favorite rat. It's probably cheesy and rescue-guy weird but eh. Vets are saying just "old age". I'm really appreciative of that. She had no tumors. At all. A female rat dies suddenly and there's no cancer involved.  I got really pissed off at one of my friends though. I told them my favorite rat passed away and they asked if it was going to be snake food. What the gently caress? Who asks poo poo like that?
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Jul 1, 2013 18:50
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After one of my original pair passed away, my father-in-law treated me to a long story about poisoning rats. Some people are just assholes.
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Jul 1, 2013 19:08
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That's pretty common with snakes, too. "Oh your corn snake just died? Let me tell you about the snake I beheaded with a shovel once." I just. Don't get it.
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Jul 1, 2013 20:21
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I took my girl to the vet because she was having raspy breathing, sneezing and the vet put her on doxy with probiotics. Now, 6mo later it's happening again but (this month) I can't afford the $70 exam fee plus the ridiculous Canadian prices on doxycyline. I know how to suspend the 20% powder myself, but can't buy it in Canada and all the pigeon supply places charge $29.99 plus $20-$30 shipping just for a 100g sachet of doxy powder. Can an Amerigoon ship one to me if I Paypal you? Is this a crazy request?
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Jul 1, 2013 20:28
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About a month ago I purchased a new female rat to be a companion for my old rat, who's original companion died. I purchased the new girl from a pet store, and being a completely naive and ignorant fool I didn't think much of how plump she was. I just thought she was fat (you know where this is going). Anyway, the old rat seemed to do the typical alpha domination type stuff to the new rat. Forced grooming, but nothing serious. Then the new rat had her surprise (for me) litter. For the first week everything seemed to be fine. I wasn't sure how the old rat would react to a litter of baby rats in her cage, but she pretty much left them alone, and didn't bother the mother much either. But recently the old rat seems to have adopted the litter, which would be kind of cool if not for the fact that she's starting to be a real loving rear end in a top hat to the new rat. She'll bite the new rat's ear and attempt to pull her towards the litter, and I've noticed that when I come to the cage the new rat is usually outside. I have the cage on a large shelf, so the rats can crawl around on the outside without needing to be supervised. It shouldn't be a big deal for a rat to be outside, but the new rat is almost always outside when I walk up, while the old rat is sitting inside with the new rat's litter as if she were the mom. This is some seriously disconcerting poo poo and I don't know what to think or how to respond. Help? Typical Pubbie fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Jul 3, 2013 |
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Jul 3, 2013 05:44
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Breeders usually separate new moms with babies out from the other rats for a while to prevent interference, stress or damage to the babies. Its fine to let them play together outside the cage for a little while but you might want to give new mom and babies a cage or tub of their own for a while. Also you should read up on raising baby rats because there are many things you should know. For example, you'll need to keep the male babies separate from the girls (and their mom) in a couple of weeks because rats breed VERY young and you will have an out of control population going on.
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Jul 3, 2013 08:29
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Oh man, that really sucks. Rats have huge litters, too. They're so cute when they're babies but then they grow up and you have ten big rats running around. Do you know what you're going to do with them?
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Jul 3, 2013 10:47
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Yeah you need to separate the mom and babies from your old rat. Feed the mom foods that are high in protein while she is nursing. Start handling the babies right now so they'll be friendly. Separate the males from the females (including their mom) when they are 5 weeks old.
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Jul 3, 2013 13:34
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll get a tub to separate the new mom and litter from the old rat. I think I'll keep one of the litter, and I'm trying to find homes for the other 8. The pet store said they'd take them after 4 weeks, but I think I know what they plan on using them for...
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Jul 3, 2013 14:10
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Meanwhile, take some pictures. Because BABY RATS!
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Jul 3, 2013 15:13
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