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I had a similar situation about ten years ago. I was able to find good homes for the babies by posting on various rat-oriented websites.
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Jul 3, 2013 15:44
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| # ? May 15, 2024 11:25 |
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Joker and New Rat were already pretty friendly, and just now I caught Garrus (the grumpy bastard who likes to start poo poo) snuggling with the new guy on top of the hidey-hut. There's hope for a cuddle pile yet! I think Joker is slowing down a lot, sadly. He didn't even budge in the hammock when I was putting in greens. I poked at him a little and he didn't move, so for a moment I was worried he had died  He perked up when I picked him up, though. I think he's fine, just getting old and tired. His appetite is good and he doesn't have any obvious tumors or anything. Also, I'm having an increasingly hard time telling him and Garrus apart at first glance. One's black and one's agouti, but as Joker has gotten older he's gotten a lot more gray hairs and the only easy way to recognize who's who is by size. At least with the new guy I won't have that problem, I guess...
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Jul 3, 2013 22:00
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I bred Belly and Bean (extreme/hairless double rexes) to Hammish (standard merle) about a month ago (I just let them chill with Hammish for like a week, so I can't exactly pinpoint their due dates.) Bean WAS fat, but mysteriously reabsorbed her litter (I have no idea why, the only possibility I can think of is that moving her from her cage to her maternity tank stressed her out a ton, she's a sweet rat but pretty dumb and skittish and doesn't like new things) but Belly is super fat and about to explode. Rat babbies soon. 
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Jul 4, 2013 14:32
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Ok so I just walked in the door from work to find Belly FINALLY sitting on a pile of peeps. She had not started labor when I came home during lunch, but she was laying in odd positions and stretching a lot, so I knew it wouldn't be much longer. It looks like she's not finished, so I just peeked for a second and everyone so far looks big and healthy and FAT. I will pull everyone out later tonight when she's finished. I'll be able to tell sex, coat type (at least 25% of the litter should be rex, the rest standard) ear type (if she is carrying dumbo, 25% should be dumbo, the rest standard with some of them carrying dumbo) and eye color. Looks like a big litter for a first time. fake e; Managed to get a good enough look at one of them through the glass to tell that it is a rex, and also a boy. Couldn't tell his ear type from the angle he was sitting though.
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Jul 8, 2013 22:51
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I'm sorry Super but where are the ugly pinkie pics, huh?  My girls bein' cute:  
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Jul 10, 2013 23:56
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Last week I joined the Ratty Crew! I ended up getting two very sweet rats from a local pet store that only buys from breeders around here and I love them so much already. I'm looking at going to a vet today since there's a guy down the road that takes walk in appointments till 9 PM tonight and I hear he's a great. I have two reasons for this, and i'd appreciate any input before I take off in a couple hours from you more experienced people. #1 is that Ruby (formerly Cream, but her eyes make Ruby more appropriate) has been sneezing off and on since the second night I got her. I was assuming (really really hoping, rather) that she was just having trouble adjusting to the new air in and around her cage, but it doesn't seem like it's getting better so i'm going to go get it checked out. She doesn't have any other symptoms of the respiratory junk that i've read about so i'm hoping it's just mild Myco. She sometimes make a chirping sound when she's playing but i'm assuming that's a happy noise, and she never makes any sounds whatsoever when she's sleeping #2 is that I think Cookie brought some passengers with her because she's getting FAT. If she does end up having rat babies, that's another reason I want to go get both her and Ruby squared away with the possible respiratory stuff.  Balling up in the Tiki they popped the roof off of on the first night they had it.   Fatty Fat Cookie! I'm also a bit worried if she ends up having a litter that she'll get freaked out at me if I try to get around them. I'm not totally bonded with either of them yet, as they're still a bit skittish when I take them out of the cage, but they love playing when I stick my hand out in there and pet them and stuff. Cookie comes right to the door when she hears me come home from work, yet she gets freaked when I take her out. Guess they both just need a bit more time. I, however, already love these little retards enough to take them to the vet and probably end up paying like 20x what I paid for them. Animals suck. 
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Jul 11, 2013 21:42
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Cute rate duo, can't say about if you've brought passengers with Cookie but she looks so similar to one my mine Well photos anyway! Laurel who looks like your Cookie  Rex hiding under the cage Fleece  Snap proceeded to come and try to eat the camera  They then got bored and piled up for their next nap 
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Jul 12, 2013 16:08
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Your rats are awesome! Laurel really does look almost identical to Cookie, too! I took Ruby to a clinic someone recommended and it went great. She was seen by a Vet who had been working with rodents for 25 years as a researcher before she decided to get her license and she's absolutely wonderful. She put her on some antibiotics and ended up cuddling her for 10 mins after the appointment was actually done, too. Just a slight myco issue with the sneezing so the meds should clear it right up! My birthday was yesterday, so Cookie decided to skip the wishes and drop a bunch of peeping presents on me that were waiting when I got home. I'll try and get some pictures tomorrow after she's not so freaked. Ruby is helping keep them warm too, it looks like, and its adorable. Aleg fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Jul 16, 2013 |
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Jul 15, 2013 23:55
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I dropped Alice today (or rather, she scooted back off of my hand, expecting to land in the cage and didn't) and spent an hour feeding her cheesecake and letting her snooze in my hood to make up for it. Silly rat
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Jul 16, 2013 00:06
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^^^ Cookie decided to fake me out and try to climb down the side of the cage instead of going into my hand, except her massive self misjudged or something and just rolled to the floor. This was three days ago and, while it wasn't a huge tumble, it scared the hell out of me because she was so drat pregnant. She ended up getting some Oikos and a couple raspberries for that one, seconded on the . I got some pictures! Cookie's been taking good care of the babies it looks like and Ruby's been being surprisingly awesome. I'm not sure if its where she's still pretty much a baby herself or what, but she's been staying right with the litter to help keep them warm when Cookie steps out and such. I THOUGHT I counted 12 yesterday, but the nest was a jumble and I probably miscounted, but today I got a straight 11 tiny squirmies.  This is yesterday when I got home and i've since cleaned up the area a little and moved the nest to the bottom floor so they don't accidentally roll over the edge or something.  This was about an hour ago when I managed to get Cookie to come out for a little bit so I could count them. They all look lively and full of milk!  Back in the sweater ball! Cookie abandoned the house with the scraps in favor of a big sleeve I cut out of an old fleece sweater. I'm sure it's nice and warm and probably works better anyway. I love hearing all the little peeping while i'm sitting here doing stuff.
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Jul 16, 2013 17:30
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Aww, babies  By the way guys, Scooter is awesome. I've never met a friendlier rat. And he's just so damned enthusiastic about everything - is that a new food? Is that a cat? Is that your iPad? I'm gonna sniff it and be happy about it and run around bruxing like a mad fool! I feel a little bad because I spend so much more time with him than I do with Joker and Garrus, but to be honest I think it just stresses them out when I do stuff with them. They're happy enough getting a treat and a head scritch and then going and taking a nap.
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Jul 16, 2013 18:43
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Sincere lack of rat pix ITT.      Moxxi   Alice      Chell    Valentine    Pandora
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Jul 18, 2013 19:16
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Couple photos of my Milli and Vanilli: 
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Jul 18, 2013 20:09
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My sister snapped this one of me with Scooter: Not the best picture, but it was dark in the room and he kept trying to lean out and sniff her phone.
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Jul 18, 2013 20:16
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My breeder just posted on FB saying she imported some roans – the first in Ontario. I don't need more rats, but, roans...   
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Jul 21, 2013 17:03
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I have seen that many roan rats now that they are just frightfully dull to me. (Sorry Pandora!  )
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Jul 21, 2013 22:08
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Fraction posted:I have seen that many roan rats now that they are just frightfully dull to me. (Sorry Pandora! Yeah but we don't really get them here at all!
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Jul 21, 2013 22:16
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Oh, to be sure! It's funny; even in other parts of the UK, roan rats are pretty rare, but I rarely see rats for sale locally (in a shop or online) that don't have at least one roan in the mix. I do wish they kept the markings they have when they're young and didn't fade out. That'd be cool.
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Jul 21, 2013 22:19
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My boys were getting a bit stinky so I gave them a bath. I don't think they like baths very much, my arms are covered in scratches. But I bundled them up in a towel, gave them treats and let them run around in the bathroom for a while and I think they've forgiven me now. Apologies for lack of pictures, but camera + wet rats seemed like a bad idea.
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Jul 21, 2013 22:37
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Pictures! Babies about 3 days ago  Babies tonight, couple hours shy of one week. I lost one on Wednesday night unfortunately - looked like its little neck was twisted weird and it had bite marks around the same spot, so I don't know if it died naturally or if Cookie yanked it the wrong way just a little too hard.   Cookie STILL not realizing that dashing for food leaves a baby train behind her  Ruby, who I feel like I should have named 'Little poo poo' or 'Speed' climbing up the door like she's been doing for about 15 mins now   Bok Choy and Blackberries! It's also hard to get a clear picture of Ruby because she's always moving like crazy. I've only had these little things since the 3rd and a ton of stuff has already happened. I have taken them both to the vet over the course of the last week and a half(everyone LOVED Ruby and asked about her when I took Cookie in a couple days later) and they're both on antibiotics. The woman that sees them has experience with lab rats for around 20 years and knows them inside and out, so I kind of lucked out to find her. Fair price too - 52$ each visit, with antibiotics. She's got Ruby on Doxy and Cookie is on Trimethoprim Sulfate. When I took Cookie in, I didn't realize that the vet was working and she was seen by another vet who, while a very nice guy and very good with Cookie, didn't know much at all about rats. He tried to tell me that it was probably viral and that we should just wait and see what happens, when I knew better, but luckily the usual woman was there. She spent 20 mins after closing time doing some research and sent me home with the stuff even though Cookie wasn't her patient at the time! Really happy that I found such a great small animal vet! Does anyone have rats that are super irritated by Carefresh Ultra? I tried using it in their cage and it just seems like they have sneezing fits, so I went to the purple fleece. I got 6 pieces that perfectly line the bottom for about 7$, and I cut up one into strips for bedding so cookie could make her nest. So far it seems like the combination of antibiotics and different bedding are working great to get them a little less sneezy. Also, anyone know of a deodorizier or air freshener that wouldn't irritate the little dudes? I've increased the protein in Cookie's diet a little to help with the nursing and her waste is getting a smell to match. I love these little shits so much!
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Jul 22, 2013 02:10
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Holy poo poo, look at those little wiggly baby beans So my boyfriend and I just got our first rat two days ago and we're in love with her. Everyone is telling us to get her a buddy, which we intend to, but is it ok if we just have her by herself for a few weeks while we get used to rat parenthood? Like will she be totally miserable if we don't get her a friend immediately? We're still getting a handle on taking care of one rat so we feel like we might be overwhelmed with having more than one right off the bat. If it makes any difference, my boyfriend and I have opposite work schedules so there is pretty much always someone home to play with her in this interim before we get a second rat. But I'm starting to feel guilty and worry that she's unhappy if we don't immediately get a second one.
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Jul 30, 2013 20:25
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Budget Bears posted:Holy poo poo, look at those little wiggly baby beans Yeah, get a second rat ASAP. Two rats is approximately zero more work than one.
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Jul 30, 2013 21:36
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Yeah, there's really no amount of attention a human can give a rat that will make up for there not being other rats around.
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Jul 30, 2013 21:50
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Does anyone have any experience with using miscanthus grass (elephant grass) as substrate?
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Jul 31, 2013 18:10
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My guys are settling in. Haven't been able to let them outdoors all week; annual firepocalypse has filled the entire valley with thick, nasty smoke, and their breathing is just finally getting better. But at least one of them finally realized the igloo was occupiable.  Is Kaytee food a good brand? Exactly one store near me carries the Oxbow they had before, and of course it's the furthest possible store. They do seem to prefer it, though, so I'll probably keep driving out there.   The other two won't pose for me. Franklin is a camera whore, though.
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Aug 2, 2013 10:44
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Our pet store rat died, after only being with us for a week. My boyfriend and I are really sad, but we also kind of prepared ourselves for this. I had plenty of pet store rodents die on me as a kid. I don't know why I didn't learn from all those experiences, but I guess I thought this one might be an exception or something. Never again. Anyway, last night I emailed like a hundred million breeders and various people on craigslist looking to rehome their ratties, and today I'm going to meet two females whose owner just doesn't have time to give them the attention they need anymore. The owner is absolutely in love with these rats and says they're the sweetest things ever. I can't wait to meet them and cuddle them! 
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Aug 4, 2013 18:15
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Budget Bears posted:Our pet store rat died, after only being with us for a week. Make sure you clean everything really well before bringing new rats home. You don't know why the other rat died and don't want to risk exposing the new guys to anything.
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Aug 4, 2013 19:53
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My roommate and I are in the market for some new ratties. His last pair we found from a woman re-homing on craigslist, they were really aggressive and no amount of handling ever made them friendly. It was weird, I've had 2 sets of 2 before (which were very well behaved, trained, and extremely friendly and never bit) and all of my tips'n'tricks never helped. I suspect maybe it's a gender thing? All of my rats were ever girls, but the two we got were boys. They never wanted to hang out, and while they were younger (we got them around 7mos old) if we forced socialization in a hoodie pocket or on our shoulders, they would bite and do whatever just to get away. For a while we just accepted that we had to wear gloves when handling. So now we're looking at getting a pair of baby girls so that we can socialize them from the get-go and I can show him that all rats aren't jerks. I found a girl on craigslist who's re-homing some dumbo babies. Do you guys have experience from getting babies from craigslist? I've only ever gotten teen/adult rats from CL so I'm not sure if there's any issues I should look out for in the process.
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Aug 5, 2013 00:15
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roads posted:My roommate and I are in the market for some new ratties. His last pair we found from a woman re-homing on craigslist, they were really aggressive and no amount of handling ever made them friendly. It was weird, I've had 2 sets of 2 before (which were very well behaved, trained, and extremely friendly and never bit) and all of my tips'n'tricks never helped. I suspect maybe it's a gender thing? All of my rats were ever girls, but the two we got were boys. They never wanted to hang out, and while they were younger (we got them around 7mos old) if we forced socialization in a hoodie pocket or on our shoulders, they would bite and do whatever just to get away. For a while we just accepted that we had to wear gloves when handling. It was more likely a lovely genetics and not enough handling prior to you getting them thing, male rats are generally considered to be more chill than females. (Mine have never bitten me even when having a much-hated bath).
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Aug 5, 2013 00:34
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Yeah a surprising amount of rat temperament is genetic. Most breeders around here are very strict about weeding out any aggressive rats from their lines. Only one of my boys has bitten me and that's the one that's got very bad eyesight and is very enthusiastic about food 
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Aug 5, 2013 05:32
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Thanks for the reassuring words yall It's nice to know it may have been out of our control. Is there anything I should look for in getting babies, then? I thought I did a thorough job of personality testing them before I got them last time, but I was evidently a bad judge of character haha. I've never handled really young rats, what to look for?  Baby rat I'm gonna go meet!
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Aug 5, 2013 21:27
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If any of you rat-seeking folks are around Milwaukee, WI, I will give you any of the babies( barring 2 I'm keeping and one more that's going to a friend) that I have. They're all 3 weeks now and so adorable my face hurts! All of them are also extremely friendly already and they come running with mom and aunt rat whenever they hear me come home. I will get pics later tonight and edit them in - I can't believe the little shits are growing so fast!
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Aug 5, 2013 22:50
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roads posted:Thanks for the reassuring words yall Their parents and the rest of the line. Their health and temperament, how long they lived and what they died of. Much of it is a crapshoot but a breeder that breeds for health and temperament is always nice. Unfortunately sometimes people breed with rats whose history is unknown. Obviously if the babies are friendly and sociable its good too
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Aug 6, 2013 04:27
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So I got those two rats I posted about earlier, their names are Ethel and Lucy and they are ridiculously cute and friendly. However, stupid newbie question: how the hell do you all get your rats back in their cages when you need to put them away? For some reason last night was a loving nightmare, particularly with Lucy, who is usually the more brave and outgoing one, so it was weird that she was fleeing from us so much. We spent like 30 minutes looking for her and then trying unsuccessfully to pick her up to get her back into her cage. Really it was a pain in the rear end with both of them, but her in particular. Usually they both can be lured with soft treats like baby food on a spoon, but last night neither of them were having it. They had been running around our bedroom for several hours and they were both pretty obviously tired, which I had thought would make them easier to catch. I've only had them for a few days. Do they just feel vulnerable out in the open and don't trust me enough yet? Are they too excited about being out and they just don't wanna go home?
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Aug 7, 2013 02:58
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You should be socializing your rats to like, or want, to be handled. Before I even let my girls run around free range, I would handle each of them for an hour a day the first 3 weeks, only feeding them treats while they stayed on my shoulder or in my hands. Now, they always come running back into my hands or onto my shoulder should I extend my hand out to them.
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Aug 7, 2013 04:50
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Budget Bears posted:So I got those two rats I posted about earlier, their names are Ethel and Lucy and they are ridiculously cute and friendly. I don't let young rats off the couch til they're sufficiently bonded to me (and willing to jump off the couch!). Only the older, well-mannered rats get to go off exploring.
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Aug 7, 2013 04:52
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Nthing what they said - I don't free range Joker at all because he disappears, Garrus has more out of cage privileges because he won't run away from me but will destroy stuff if he's not watched closely, and Scooter has the most freedom because he comes back but still doesn't get full-on wandering access because he's so small and can squeeze into spaces where I can't get him. I was never able to let Atahualpa roam, but van Buren was fine. Mordin never had the slightest interest in exploring outside the cage, so I just didn't bother with him because he would just sit wherever I put him. Some of it's socialization, some of it's inherent temperament, but I'd hold off on letting them have free-range time just yet.
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Aug 7, 2013 05:20
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I'm lucky because I have a pretty big bathroom with no crevices for my boys to hide in, so I can just sit on a beanbag and play games on my laptop while they rampage around looking for delicious moths and new smells. Also I can just sweep up any droppings which is loving brilliant. But yes, you need to socialise your rats a lot first, mine run and hide under my legs if they hear anything scary.
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Aug 7, 2013 09:25
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Invalid Octopus posted:I don't let young rats off the couch til they're sufficiently bonded to me (and willing to jump off the couch!). Only the older, well-mannered rats get to go off exploring. This. And since only one of mine is interested in exploring, but he has no manners, he gets confined to wherever I put him (couch, bed etc).
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Aug 8, 2013 04:13
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| # ? May 15, 2024 11:25 |
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When I let my rats free range in the living room, they get spooked by things easily and are difficult to catch despite being very friendly. When they free range in a different room (that'd make them easier to catch) they pile on my lap and look unhappy. Whatever rats lets play video games together aight
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Aug 8, 2013 08:18
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