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Ahaha big fat rat  But drat, I'm in emergency mode. The only breeder in my city closes his doors. I won't be able to get my 2 baby girls  And I don't have any breeder around here, I would need to do a ride of 3+ hours for the closest breeder. drat I guess I'll be forced to buy some rats at the petshop... I don't like that Any idea fellow goons?
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Sep 9, 2014 16:33
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Is there a rat rescue somewhere decent?
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Sep 9, 2014 16:35
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Is that 3 hours total or each way? Is that prohibitive because of the distance or are you worried about traveling with rats? Because just so you know, rats usually don't give a drat about a couple of hours in a car so long as they have a secure travel cage and water. Just throwing that out there, in case it was your concern. Hell, I've even taken mine on public transport... haha
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Sep 9, 2014 16:44
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Chin Strap posted:Is there a rat rescue somewhere decent? No It sucks...Big Bug Hug posted:Is that 3 hours total or each way? 3 hours each way so it's a 6 hours drive. And that it's IF the breeder in the next city is still open, no answer for now. Any tips of things to look at with rats in petshops?
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Sep 9, 2014 17:08
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ShiroTheSniper posted:Any tips of things to look at with rats in petshops? My first two rats were from a pet shop, and one of them lived a year longer than either of the two rats I got later from a breeder. He was a wonderful little guy. Put your hand in the cage and choose the rats who come up to investigate, not the ones who cower away in terror. You can of course socialize fearful rats to come out of their shell and be just as lovely and affectionate as any other rat, but it can be hard work that sometimes doesn't pay off.
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Sep 9, 2014 23:18
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There are bad pet shops and there are good ones. I've had pet shop rats that were just fine as well. Pick a store where the rats are kept in good conditions and like the previous poster says, choose friendly rats
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Sep 10, 2014 02:57
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Oh my god good news! I finally found a breeder in the classified ads. I spoke to her and she seems to know what she's doing! Look at them! (pictured around their birth, september 2nd)   The father (Himalayan Dumbo Rex):  The mother (Siamese Dumbo):  I'll have more picture later when they grow up so that I can select which ones I want!
ShiroTheSniper fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Sep 15, 2014 |
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Sep 10, 2014 17:05
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Cute rats. Make sure you post pictures of the babies once they grow fur! I wanted to add also that you could consider getting a water bowl as well as a water bottle. Mine prefer it for drinking and also spend a lot of time washing there, using the water to wet their hands, which is cute. 
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Sep 10, 2014 20:56
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Ooh Shiro they are gonna be cuuute
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Sep 11, 2014 12:37
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Can my rats please stop GETTING MAMMARY TUMORS?! I anticipated spending more than expected to keep these fuzzballs healthy, but not at barely a year old and not this frequently. At what point do I cut my losses here? I feel almost as bad constantly having them cut open as I do leaving everything be.
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Sep 11, 2014 13:42
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IMO at a certain point you have to weigh quality of life vs. length of life. That's why we opted just to make Luna comfortable when we found a big ovarian tumor -- we felt the surgery would have been more unpleasant for her than just riding it out.
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Sep 11, 2014 15:48
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Not my ratty but so adorable I wanted to share:
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Sep 11, 2014 20:36
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Misc posted:Can my rats please stop GETTING MAMMARY TUMORS?! I anticipated spending more than expected to keep these fuzzballs healthy, but not at barely a year old and not this frequently. At what point do I cut my losses here? I feel almost as bad constantly having them cut open as I do leaving everything be. TBH I just don't bother getting tumors removed. I euth immediately for pituitary, and and just let mammary tumours grow until it's time to euth. They're your rats and money, so it's whatever is worth to you, but don't think you're a bad owner if you opt out of paying for tumour removal.
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Sep 11, 2014 23:03
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How long does it usually take to socialize rats? I couldn't find a breeder and opted for a pet store but they seem pretty skittish so far. I'm trying not to rush things. They've been eating treats out of my hand but they're reluctant to let me pet them or pick them up. Lots of fear pooping the one time I picked one up.
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Sep 14, 2014 20:19
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Grab them, stick them in a hoodie or dressing gown you don't mind getting sloppy crap on/in, keep them on you for 20 minutes. Do it a couple of times a day (basically as often as you can). With rats, the best way to socialise is to show them nothing bad happens when ~~scary thing~~ occurs.
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Sep 14, 2014 20:46
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More pictures from the breeder! They opened their eyes that day. I'll have more photos soon took individually, with the sex. Can't wait! Looooook at theeeeeeeeem!    EDIT:  OH GOD! I'M MELTING! ShiroTheSniper fucked around with this message at 12:54 on Sep 16, 2014 |
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Sep 16, 2014 12:52
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Aw, that's adorable. Something I just learned today? Rats can be really disgusting. Not in the conventional sense, I mean, but it turns out that one of my guys really loves the taste of earwax. As in, the stuff from my ears. I often use earplugs to sleep and had some lying around today when getting the ratties out. One of my guys got hold of one and went loving wild. He started licking the thing over and over and over and wouldn't let go until he had it chewed completely to bits. He screamed at me when I tried to take it away. Ew. 
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Sep 16, 2014 20:32
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Here's the choice I had for the baby girls!        It was tough to choose only two. My choices: #4 and #10
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Sep 17, 2014 11:47
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It's probably best to go by personality, because those are not the markings they will have as adults. From the look of those parents, those cute tan hoods will probably disappear and they'll get cute Himalayan nose stripes when they get bigger.
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Sep 17, 2014 14:33
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Cardiovorax posted:Aw, that's adorable. Yeah! Mine have done this with my earplugs too. And my nice earbuds, grrr. Though they don't scream when I take them away, just look mournful.  My cat though, obsesses over the ear plugs, will actively sniff them out, dig them from under my pillow in order to try to eat them. She has also dug q-tips from the bathroom trash. Gross.
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Sep 17, 2014 15:21
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Oops sorry I'm an ignorant offensive rear end in a top hat
CompactFanny fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Sep 17, 2014 |
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Sep 17, 2014 15:49
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CompactFanny posted:Breeders that can't spell female Well... Because it's in french?
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Sep 17, 2014 15:56
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Patchouli Patrol posted:It's probably best to go by personality, because those are not the markings they will have as adults. From the look of those parents, those cute tan hoods will probably disappear and they'll get cute Himalayan nose stripes when they get bigger. Agreed. If your breeder will let you reserve two based on personality that'd be best. Might not be an option if everyone is reserving tho.
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Sep 17, 2014 16:06
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CompactFanny posted:Breeders that can't spell female Yeah, because only English is spoken on planet earth. *roll eyes*. ShiroTheSniper posted:Here's the choice I had for the baby girls! They are pretty cute. Even if they do change colour over time, it's interesting to see what they change into. I former rat use to be this lovely silver fur, than she turned orange.
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Sep 17, 2014 16:06
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Invalid Octopus posted:Agreed. If your breeder will let you reserve two based on personality that'd be best. Might not be an option if everyone is reserving tho. Yeah, wasn't an option. And I wasn't the first to choose. Anyway, can't go wrong with a lazy or hyperactive rat! And the breeder is socializing them already so I guess they won't be scared of the "big magical godly hand". When you go rat, you never go back!
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Sep 17, 2014 16:15
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CompactFanny posted:Oops sorry I'm an ignorant offensive rear end in a top hat I thought the same thing  Probably because 'Dumbo, Rex' is in all the images too.
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Sep 17, 2014 20:00
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ShiroTheSniper posted:Yeah, wasn't an option. And I wasn't the first to choose. Anyway, can't go wrong with a lazy or hyperactive rat! And the breeder is socializing them already so I guess they won't be scared of the "big magical godly hand". 4 and 10 are a good choice, though. One is a rex and the other isn't, so you'll be able to tell them apart easily.
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Sep 18, 2014 01:01
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I. Just. Can't. Wait!!!  If you you don't find them cute, you're a soulless puny human!
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Sep 19, 2014 12:38
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ShiroTheSniper posted:I. Just. Can't. Wait!!! omg those are adorable
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Sep 19, 2014 12:39
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Hehe beady eyes
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Sep 19, 2014 13:16
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Cardiovorax posted:Aw, that's adorable. Haha, yeah rats can be gross little creatures. One of my boys just loves burying his little nose inside my ear to get at the sweet ear juices. And one of my first rats used to try and shove his head inside my nostrils. Also, Shiro, those pictures are adorable. I wanna just snuggle their little faces and pawsies.
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Sep 19, 2014 19:19
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Here's more Ratty Babies news! The Dumbo, named Nezumi (was #4 before):  And the Dumbo Rex, named Yuki (was #10 before):   On October the 4th, I'll bring them home!
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Sep 25, 2014 17:04
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As much as I love watching my rats drag a sheet through the bars of their cage to make a burrow, one of my rats has gotten very territorial over his burrow. He rarely leaves it and will hide his treats in it. If I try to pet him while he's in his burrow he'll try to bite me, which is something he's never done before. Should I just put a stop to the burrow making?
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Sep 29, 2014 18:50
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Hitlers Gay Secret posted:As much as I love watching my rats drag a sheet through the bars of their cage to make a burrow, one of my rats has gotten very territorial over his burrow. He rarely leaves it and will hide his treats in it. If I try to pet him while he's in his burrow he'll try to bite me, which is something he's never done before. Should I just put a stop to the burrow making?
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Sep 29, 2014 19:05
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Cardiovorax posted:Sudden shifts in behaviour might be an indication of illness. Has he changed in any other way? Does he seem to be getting along well with his cage mates? He's fine and dandy when he's out of the burrow. But when he's in there he looks like he's glaring at me. I know dogs get territorial sometimes which is why I'm wondering if it's just a territory issue. I'll set up an appointment with a vet either way.
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Sep 29, 2014 19:55
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What bedding do you guys recommend for good odor control? I tried Carefresh and it seemed inadequate.
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Sep 30, 2014 16:35
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Urgh, Carefresh. The smell of the stuff itself turns my stomach. I like using hemp or miscanthus. I can get a bale of it nearby for like a tenner, so it's cost effective as well as adequate at covering rat smell.
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Sep 30, 2014 21:00
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Similarly, I have friends who use chaff and its very effective. It has a nice smell of its own and cuts odor way down.
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Oct 1, 2014 06:46
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So I'm feeding Suebee's Rat diet some days and on others I'm feeding Oxbow Regal Rat except the regal rat seems to not get eaten very much at all. If it's the only thing in their bowl it's covered up. Any help? Edit: I might as well ask this too while I'm at it. The rat that is seemingly the alpha is super skinny and seems to not at all eat the regal rat. I'm concerned but he's been this way since I got him in May. Should I be worried? Xeras fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Oct 1, 2014 |
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Oct 1, 2014 07:53
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Xeras posted:I might as well ask this too while I'm at it. The rat that is seemingly the alpha is super skinny and seems to not at all eat the regal rat. I'm concerned but he's been this way since I got him in May. Should I be worried? I might be wrong but I think some rats just stay skinny no matter what.
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Oct 1, 2014 16:09
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