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Invalid Octopus posted:Omg just get the lil baby boy rats already. YEAH I'm GONNA DO IT Big Bug Hug posted:I am guessing they'd be fine as long as they are never forced to be in close proximity to the ferrets. I think if you get them as babies they adjust pretty well to anything. Maybe you can move them further apart? Oh, she's in a different room altogether. She's very eager to be in my room because my boyfriend leaves glasses of water next to the bed and for some reason she likes drinking his old water, but other than that, it's very easy to lock her out. I will keep you guys updated. I will call the shelter tomorrow.
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Apr 10, 2015 05:15
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Big Bug Hug posted:Good question. A lot of people say they get stressed by cats being around, but mine never cared. I think mine get freaked out when I come in after petting a cat but they've never actually shown signs of distress.
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Apr 10, 2015 06:23
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cash crab posted:YEAH I'm GONNA DO IT Don't get 2 rats, having only 2 is boring. 3 or 4 is much better so you can watch them all interacting and sleeping in a pile together.
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Apr 10, 2015 07:58
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The bigger a sleeping ratty pile is the better. EDIT: Not mine but I wanted to share:  Life is great when your best friend is also your sleepy blanket. Jack Trades fucked around with this message at 09:13 on Apr 10, 2015 |
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Apr 10, 2015 09:05
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There's something about a rat pile. It's about the happiest looking thing I've ever seen. They look so comfy 
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Apr 10, 2015 18:23
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Especially when they pile into what essentially is garbage and ignore their expensive/hand-made sleeping options (Yes, that is seven rats in one half-destroyed cakebox)
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Apr 10, 2015 20:22
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Rats and cats have that in common, if presented with the choice of an expensive cloth bed and a cardboard box they'll hit up the box every time. A friend of mine has one of these trussed up in the cage with zip ties and the rats favor the bucket over any of the fancy hammocks in cute shapes 
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Apr 10, 2015 20:30
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My rats destroy whatever they sleep in anyways so I just toss an old soda/kleenex box in their cage every week. They love cardboard.
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Apr 10, 2015 21:29
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Mine go nuts for paper bags too. I have a hard time getting one fully in the cage before they pile into it.
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Apr 11, 2015 00:01
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What can we do about these rats? About a year ago, my friend got convinced that taking care of pets would be good for her responsibility, so she got a couple rat sisters. She quickly discovered that she's terribly allergic to them, which means they've spent most of their time under her care sitting in their outside cage on her balcony. They do get the basic necessities (water, kibble, fresh bedding) but very little love or human interaction. They're really sweet rats, and I sit and talk to them when I can (and they usually come out and listen politely while clinging desperately to the bars of their cage), but it's a tough situation because she knows she can't really be a good rat mama, and it also seems unlikely that we'd be able to find a suitable home for a couple of adult rats that are totally unused to being handled. Do you guys have any good ideas on what I can do to help in this situation?
A Wry Smile fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Apr 11, 2015 |
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Apr 11, 2015 00:53
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God, I am allergic to my rats as well.  Like super bad. One scratch and I break out, plus the fact that I can't breath out my nose in my own house. But I don't care. Their life is far shorter than mine so I can tough it out for another year or two. I probably wont ever get more rats but I'm giving these two the best I can give. I give them baths every other week or so to keep their dander down and let them crawl on my bed and play with toys. They kinda don't like leaving their cage anyways, which is weird, but a plus I guess. I get scratches and they swell but they go away after an hour or so so they don't bother me too much. And I just taught them to go from one cage to the other when it's cage cleaning day so I don't have to get scratched trying to pick them up. One rat's fine with me picking him up and carrying him, but his brother hate hate hates being picked up. Plus the fucker keeps his claws extra sharp so he can royally gently caress up my arms and hands. But I wouldn't give up that feeling I get when I wake up in the morning and see them running about.  My condolences about your friend's situation though. My situation may or may not be as bad as her's so I can't really give any advice aside from what my own experience is like. Hopefully her rats are happy at least.
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Apr 11, 2015 04:17
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Hitlers Gay Secret posted:God, I am allergic to my rats as well. It's not too difficult to trim rat nails, which might make things a little easier for you.
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Apr 11, 2015 18:14
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Hi there folks! First time rat owner here. Bought two cute female rats at the pet store yesterday and a ferret cage (woman working there said it was perfect size for two rats) along with the regular food etc!  So far they both seem really lovely and pretty different in their behaviors. One of them is a bit slower and loves to come and say hi and get out of the cage and play etc, while the other one seems a bit more cautious and jittery(?) in her movements. She takes a bit more time to warm up, but eventually joins the fun. Had a playtime in my bed with both of them @ 6AM this morning (ended up with a couple of :poop: 's in my bed, so probably not gonna do that again!) and I think I'm in love.Took a few (bad) videos earlier if anyone's interested: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6247443/misc/ratvid1.mov https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6247443/misc/ratvid2.mov https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6247443/misc/ratvid3.mov I think the woman in the shop said they were about 1 month old, does that look right? Here's a pic of the cage and a lil' rat sleepin' in a hammock.    Later!
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Apr 12, 2015 16:05
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They're adorable! Do you have names yet?
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Apr 12, 2015 18:57
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Falstaff posted:They're adorable! Do you have names yet? I agree! :3 Still working on the names...
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Apr 12, 2015 23:40
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Granbar posted:I agree! :3 The Marquis de Squeak and Princess Pinktoes. *slides back into lurking*
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Apr 13, 2015 02:32
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Big Bug Hug posted:There's something about a rat pile. It's about the happiest looking thing I've ever seen. They look so comfy Most of them anyway - clearly we approve ;-)
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Apr 13, 2015 02:56
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Freakbox posted:The Marquis de Squeak and Princess Pinktoes. Hahah... Actually, a 10 year-old named the black 'n white one 'Oreo'! Think I'm gonna go with that. :] EDIT: Here's a pic of Oreo trying to chill, only to be smushed by [UNNAMED TERROR RAT] as soon as I got my camera out: 
Zam Wesell fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Apr 13, 2015 |
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Apr 13, 2015 07:32
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RIP Chimay Went downhill a lot over the last couple of weeks. Lost weight, struggled with her back legs, horrible breathing issues all the time, massive tumour got massiver. 2 years and 10 months, not bad for a little rat at all. It was definitely expected, but still very sad. Stupid short-lived things.
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Apr 21, 2015 20:05
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Because I killed this thread like I killed my beloved rat and because rodent owners are capricious and forgetful, two more rats are on their way at the weekend. Pictures will be delivered.
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May 13, 2015 14:56
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Granbar posted:EDIT: Here's a pic of Oreo trying to chill, only to be smushed by [UNNAMED TERROR RAT] as soon as I got my camera out: If there's one thing that's certain about rats is that the concept of personal space is absolutely inconceivable to them.
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May 13, 2015 15:38
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Jack Trades posted:If there's one thing that's certain about rats is that the concept of personal space is absolutely inconceivable to them. Your personal bubble is where they like to pee.
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May 15, 2015 00:20
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Here are Lucy and Taco, they're a few months over two years old and generally very happy, active female rats.  Lucy is a black eyed white blessed with excellent health and a calm, if slightly timid disposition. Taco has more of a hooded/mottled coat, and she's a great deal more active and exploratory than Lucy. The two of them make a very happy pair. Taco, however, has had skin problems for quite a while now, and we have tried nearly everything to get rid of them. We know that mites are the most common cause of these sorts of things, and we've treated both rats with Revolution (twice) and Ivermectin (currently on the third round of treatment), as well as antibiotics, and just about everything else. All this time Lucy has shown no signs of irritation or itchiness. We've also looked at diet, and now the only food we give them is Oxbow Regal Rat, plus I give Taco 5 ml of Ensure daily with meloxicam from time to time to keep her strength up and hopefully relieve some of the irritation. Taco's skin problems come and go, and sometimes for no obvious reason she'll very nearly get completely better, then decline again. Right now it's very bad. I just took this picture today:  Can anyone think of anything we've missed? Or maybe some kind of way to at least ease her itchiness? She's such a happy rat otherwise, but this is really depressing.
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May 15, 2015 13:57
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Might be a bit obvious, but we're you careful about treating the environment while treating her for mites? Freezing bedding, washing everything, vacuuming, etc. One of my girls has had some signs of mites on the back of her ears for a bit now, and the other doesn't show anything. Speaking of mine. Down to two now. But after some conversations with my BF we've decided to get them spayed and then get a boy or two. 
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May 15, 2015 15:36
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I just bought a new hammock for my boys and they take turns sleeping in it.
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May 16, 2015 06:06
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How do I get my rat to stop biting his brother? One of them has got little scabs all over his back and I think its because his brother is biting him but I have no idea how to get him to quit, I want to avoid separating them since they're littermates that have literally never spent a day apart.
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May 17, 2015 01:21
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It's more likely to be lice or mites.
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May 17, 2015 02:28
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Patchouli Patrol posted:It's more likely to be lice or mites. If only one of them has it? I've checked for bugs and havent noticed anything.
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May 17, 2015 02:34
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Bismuth posted:If only one of them has it? I've checked for bugs and havent noticed anything. Yeah she's right. If you're not seeing the one attacking and doing damage to the other, then parasites are much more likely. One of mine (couple posts up) just had some scabbing on the backs of her ears, but couldn't see bugs on either of them (and the other had no scabbing or anything). Dosed them both up with ivermectin on Tuesday and her ears are already nearly clear. Keep in mind, if you ever suspect parasites you need to treat the rats AND their cage – wash everything, freeze what you can't wash.
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May 17, 2015 02:40
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Invalid Octopus posted:Yeah she's right. If you're not seeing the one attacking and doing damage to the other, then parasites are much more likely. One of mine (couple posts up) just had some scabbing on the backs of her ears, but couldn't see bugs on either of them (and the other had no scabbing or anything). Dosed them both up with ivermectin on Tuesday and her ears are already nearly clear. Keep in mind, if you ever suspect parasites you need to treat the rats AND their cage – wash everything, freeze what you can't wash. Alright, will-do. Only had rats get fleas once before and it kind of came out of nowhere so wasnt really thinking about it
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May 17, 2015 02:56
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Yep, totally possible for one rat out of a cage full to have mites. They sometimes pick on the ones with low immune systems, but not always.
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May 17, 2015 10:01
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eggburger fucked around with this message at 10:59 on Oct 26, 2022 |
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May 19, 2015 20:47
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I'm sure this thread would have been fine to ask questions in. Big posts aren't that big a deal, there have been plenty of them from the start of the thread. So, have any of you fellow rat lovers ever seen this video? Some scientists wanted to find out how close the domesticated variety of rat is to their wild cousins, instinct-wise, so they released 50 lab rats into an enclosed outdoor area and followed their progress as they established a colony. It's pretty interesting! I've noticed a lot of rat lovers frequently make excuses for their pets, along the lines of "Oh, well, they're domesticated - it's very different than wild rats." I've been guilty of this myself, in the past. Since seeing this, though, I can't really do that anymore since they're much closer than I'd thought.
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May 20, 2015 17:31
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Falstaff posted:I'm sure this thread would have been fine to ask questions in. Big posts aren't that big a deal, there have been plenty of them from the start of the thread. To be fair you dont see many dumbo rexes running around New York alleyways
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May 20, 2015 18:30
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It's unfortunate how all rat communities are naturally filled with so many sad stories. Ratties get sick so easily. C'mon, science! We need genetically engineered super-rats the size of a Labrador that would live forever...and err...maybe make them not go for my electronics first when looking for stuff to chew on, while you're at it, science.
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May 21, 2015 23:17
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Hi! My girlfriend has 2 adults rats (females, sisters). Considering: To have a cat. Thinking: About having an adult male house cat (about 2 years old). We think it should be less inclined to hunt than a female and should be less playfull than a kitten. Setup: The cage will be in a closed room when we're leaving the apartment and in plain sight (living room) when we're at home, the door shut with extra binder clips. When we will let the rats out on the couch, it will be on tight supervision. Questionning: How can we introduce the cat with the rats? Extra information: We bought the baby rats from a breeder who owned many dogs/cats in her house. So, the mother was in contact with cats (I dunno if it changes something). Thanks alot!  EDIT: Don't know if I should post this in the cat thread too.
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May 25, 2015 13:50
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I introduced kittens to my rats easily - the rats were big enough in relation to the kittens, they quickly taught them respect. I've had zero problems in the 6 years I've owned both. Personally I would be more worried about introducing an adult cat, especially if you don't know its hunting habits. Sone cats are obsessed with hunting, others couldn't give a drat. That said, I'm sure under those arrangements you can make it work. They might not ever play nicely together, but the rats should be safe in the cage . Any kitty paws coming too close will regret it. I would only introduce them outside the cage once you know the cat is relatively chill with the rats, and if the rats don't freak out when kitty comes near. Just let them out on the coucb together and make sure the rats have hidey places. Be careful if they run, it can trigger a cat to swat at them. I remember that much, and even though my kittens were playing, an adult cat might be more serious. Thats just my experience, others might disagree! Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 16:08 on May 25, 2015 |
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May 25, 2015 15:57
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I just felt a small bump on one of my rat's backs. It's right on top of his spine so I might just be feeling that but it felt different. God I hope it's not a tumor. 
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May 26, 2015 09:00
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Hitlers Gay Secret posted:I just felt a small bump on one of my rat's backs. It's right on top of his spine so I might just be feeling that but it felt different. God I hope it's not a tumor. Could be a cyst or something. I bought a couple rats last night. Picking them up tonight from the breeder (Atlantis Rattery/Exquisite Exotics). Since people kept asking, the gems are to indicate sex. So they'll be separate from the girls til we can get them in for a ball chop.  
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May 26, 2015 14:04
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God I hope it's a cyst. Also, you should just tell people those gems are rat eggs.
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May 26, 2015 17:27
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