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Jack Trades posted:Those are some good rat jelly beans. It's funny to watch her nurse the pile of tiny cows, then see someone walk in, expect a treat, get excited, and literally run around the cage dragging like 4-5 stubborn fuzzies who refuse to unlatch from her nipples.
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Nov 7, 2017 01:57
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we figured out that there are giant gaps where the floor and wall meet everywhere and that explains why the rats would dig at it during floor time! because the mice are in there! oh boy!!! Paladine_PSoT posted:Nursing mama  oh no
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Nov 7, 2017 02:02
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Paladine_PSoT posted:It's funny to watch her nurse the pile of tiny cows, then see someone walk in, expect a treat, get excited, and literally run around the cage dragging like 4-5 stubborn fuzzies who refuse to unlatch from her nipples. That sounds amazing.
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Nov 7, 2017 21:58
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GUYS THERES A RUNT If anyone is in the seattle area and wants some fuzzies, let me know...
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Nov 12, 2017 12:03
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Skutter posted:That sounds amazing. Ronnie rat has provided endless entertainment, and for that she has a special place in our home.
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Nov 12, 2017 12:07
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this site doesn't deserve my cute pet pics
Guy Mann fucked around with this message at 13:33 on Feb 24, 2019 |
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Nov 12, 2017 17:26
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Where do y'all get your hammocks? Assholes just ate their last rat tube.
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Nov 16, 2017 01:53
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I make them >:3 I use tutorials from this huge pdf for most of my stuff.
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Nov 16, 2017 02:01
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RainbowCake posted:Where do y'all get your hammocks? Making or repairing them is the correct answer, but I usually buy mine from amazon.
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Nov 16, 2017 02:07
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The Snoo posted:I make them >:3 Haha. I can barely sew a button. Sounds fun 
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Nov 16, 2017 02:27
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Not mine but I really wanted to share a photo of this chubby assed wonder I saw.
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Nov 18, 2017 15:20
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Someone rub that belly stat!
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Nov 19, 2017 08:12
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Despite all my rage I will soon keep rats in this cage
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Nov 19, 2017 18:39
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My neurotic, 10-month-old rat, who hates humans and has already cost over $500 in vet bills, has a lump.
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Nov 19, 2017 21:14
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this site doesn't deserve my cute pet pics
Guy Mann fucked around with this message at 13:33 on Feb 24, 2019 |
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Nov 19, 2017 23:35
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Guy Mann posted:...I don't know why I never thought of fastening the corners of my cage considering the biggest hassle of cleaning it is having all the hooks that hold it together undo while I'm trying to mount it back onto the pan. If they’re anything like my lot the fasteners will be gone in days anyway.
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Nov 19, 2017 23:42
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RainbowCake posted:My neurotic, 10-month-old rat, who hates humans and has already cost over $500 in vet bills, has a lump. I feel your pain.
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Nov 20, 2017 00:08
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i'm estimating my girls' ages at around 8 months and one who was sick when we got her now has a lump on her chest  it's right above her arm, not in the armpit. it's soft and moveable at this time. about the size of a penny or nickel, i guess. i noticed something yesterday but thought she was just chufty, today i noticed it was bigger. i'm going to keep an eye on it, really hoping it's an abscess but i'm gonna call to see if a nearby vet that takes pretty much every other small pet/exotic will take her. seems like a pretty bad spot considering how close to the throat it is. this will demolish our savings lol  the other rat is still gaining weight (20g in a week? what the gently caress she's fat) and this girl only gained 5g. they were both going up about equal amounts between weigh-ins before this. e: 365g (fat) and 339g (lumpy) they've always been about 20g-25g apart in weight, so that's not a big surprise. lumpy IS eating/drinking normally and is as active as ever, but of course the lump is still small. i've noticed they've been going through their oxbow triangles a lot faster than before. snoo fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Nov 30, 2017 |
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Nov 30, 2017 05:56
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Given its placement, it's almost certainly a benign growth - they're very common with females. Amoxicillin shouldn't be necessary, but if you can afford it I'd definitely get it removed. You might also consider getting her fixed, since that can reduce chances of future growths coming up. I'd be surprised if the lump was responsible for the difference in weight. Some rats just weigh more than other rats. (Very sorry for your savings, btw. I know your pain.)
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Nov 30, 2017 15:58
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i managed to get an appointment later this week with a vet, i mentioned that she had some kind of mammary growth and needed it removed but idk if they're going to do it on the same day or not. it might just be an exam. $$$$$$$$$$$ i don't have a credit card  regardless: recovery after surgery like that? i would imagine separating the rats would be stressful, but i worry that they might get too rough with each other and the lumpy one will get hurt. the cage can be sectioned off into two separate floors and i have enough water bottles/food dishes/etc., and their cage is lined with fleece so that's less dusty and chunky than litter. i want to avoid infection and making it worse, so if anyone has any advice, feel free to give it to me  i asked about spaying and the receptionist said 'it's up to the doctor' so i'll have to see about getting them both spayed. i assume that would help with the whole 'going into heat every three days and humping, forever' i'll get a picture of her lil lump when i can. it's in such an awkward place, i hope there won't be complications from removing it... e: my mystery avatar is so cute aww snoo fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Dec 4, 2017 |
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Dec 4, 2017 19:56
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The Snoo posted:regardless: recovery after surgery like that? My vets have always told me to keep my rats separated for a week after a surgery. I've never actually done so - one or two days in seclusion is usually enough in my mind to get through the dangerous part; after that, I think being with his/her family is important for recovery. I've never encountered a problem from doing it this way, over ~12+ surgeries. That said, I've heard of people who have had problems (e.g., overzealous grooming leading to a reopened wound), so it comes down to your judgement I guess.
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Dec 4, 2017 20:05
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Falstaff posted:My vets have always told me to keep my rats separated for a week after a surgery. I've never actually done so - one or two days in seclusion is usually enough in my mind to get through the dangerous part; after that, I think being with his/her family is important for recovery. I've never encountered a problem from doing it this way, over ~12+ surgeries. i wonder how easily she'll be able to groom the area (probably not with direct licks) because of its location:  you can see a lump here between her arms. that white stripe in the middle of the brown is the mid point of her chest/neck, she's just twisted around a bit. but it's just on one side, her left (for now). it's not actually situated under her arm, but rather above, this position just kinda moved her skin all around. you can kind of see it bulging below her arm here, again not a good indication of where it actually is......:  sorry they're blurry. she is a fast rat her weight seems stable this week, the other rat is down 15g (i'm hoping both are because i've restricted treats/people food A LOT) i will separate them for a couple of days and go from there! (if they actually remove it!) i'll have to see how she does with floor time as well, which involves a lot of climbing. i'll be putting her in the part of the cage with shorter climbing areas and stuff so she won't have to struggle a lot.
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Dec 5, 2017 04:24
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lol does anyone have any experience with carecredit? I don't know if we can even qualify for one but lumpy's spay + tumor removal is estimated to be $800 at the highest without a biopsy :shepicide I'm going to die we can't afford this lmao we don't have any credit cards we have enough in savings to pay for at least half up front but they don't do payment plans except with carecredit. and if they have like a 6 month plan then we can pay it off over time with no interest but if it's like 3 months we're hosed I'll edit in a picture of the estimate later. holy hell I did not think it would be this much the exam was like $60 and the spay is only $150 total, the tumor removal is the expensive part. she's scheduled to have it done on the 21st, I hope we have time to get some kind of credit card!! I'm worried about it being nearly two weeks away though. she's already noticeably thinner despite being the same weight cos the tumor is larger. not dangerously thin yet and she's eating just fine but aauuughhhh snoo fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Dec 8, 2017 |
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Dec 8, 2017 17:05
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Holy hell that's expensive. What part of the world do you live in?
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Dec 8, 2017 17:26
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I'm in the US in maryland. they're the closest vet we can get to that deals with exotics. neither myself nor my husband has enough credit to deal with carecredit or pretty much any credit card. we're trying to apply for a credit card through our bank which might give us a chance... though I doubt he'll get approved. it has no interest for a year and we only need like 3-4 months to pay this off so idk. a loan is another option but I don't think I can convince anyone who loves me to co-sign. the estimate on the high end is what I'm expecting even though they say they think it'd be in the middle closer to maybe $600. I really don't loving understand and also why the gently caress are bandages $40 gently caress  they ~recommend~ the biopsy and like i get it but we can barely afford the rest of it e: i'm contacting another vet close by that says they work with exotics but their website is lacking in information. no idea what they do and they're probably expensive as well. snoo fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Dec 8, 2017 |
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Dec 8, 2017 18:49
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Honestly, that's a well over twice what I'm used to paying. Granted, my local vets deal with rats a lot, but I also pay in Soviet Canuckistani funbucks, so... It just seems very wildly out of whack with my expectations. If you're on Facebook, there's a Facebook group called Rats Make Me Happy where people share rat pics and stories, ask advice, etc. I've seen people ask for help there to pay with medical bills via gofundme or the like - I don't know how comfortable you'll be with that idea, but it's an option. At the very least, if you go forward with this, I probably wouldn't bother with the biopsy. I've never seen the point of it - it's a growth, it's best removed, why pay extra just to confirm this? If you can't find an option to pay that you're comfortable with - I mean, I'm not exactly the deity of rat owners who stands in judgement or anything, but just understand that like with any pets there are limits to what kind of costs owners should be reasonably expected to pay. You're in a bad situation here, so if you decide this really isn't something you can afford, no one's going to judge you for it. Most rats only live two years - just try to keep her comfortable while you can, and when the growth gets to such a size that it starts affecting her quality of life, then it may be time to have her put down. (Hopefully that procedure won't cost you an arm and a leg.) I don't really know what other advice I can give you, but I hope I've been at least some help. Sorry that you're facing this dilemma, it really sucks.
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Dec 8, 2017 19:41
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I definitely think the price is ridiculous based on what I've seen people in this thread and elsewhere discuss. if the other animal hospital nearby will do, say, the tumor removal for a lot less but not the spay, I'm fine getting the spay done at the $150 place and the tumor removal done at the other. but at different times, and the tumor > spay at this point. I interned at the one closer to me and I had my guinea pigs there a couple of times, so at least I know they take some smaller animals and they have a good practice. they also have a sort-of payment plan through 'vetbilling.com' so that would be 100% manageable regardless of credit poo poo. I just feel extremely guilty because we had savings built up before we got the rats exactly for stuff like this, but never expected it to be $1000 including the loving exam.  I'm also terrified of leaving the other rat alone if we have to put this girl down, so not treating it isn't an option for us, I would think. we have the ability to do it in some way, even if we have to eat plain-rear end pasta for a month, but it's so depressing.I agree that the biopsy really isn't worth it and I'd prefer if they didn't try to push it on us (they did) but I'll make sure that they don't do it. and if they do it and try to charge us for it, I'll probably just die? we can cover ~$500 comfortably but good lord. I've applied for some pet $$ help already and if that doesn't go through, and the bank denies the credit card application, aaand the other animal hospital sucks just as much, then I'll try to set up a fund for the last $200-$300. "i'm gonna cost you a LOT of money!!!" _____________________________________ \  you can kinda see the lump on her chest there. and thanks for the advice <3 also she did really well at the vet and during the car ride, too, I'm very proud of her
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Dec 8, 2017 21:44
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!!!!!!!!!!!! the closer animal hospital treats rats and their exam is $70 but they have a coupon for first-timers and it'd only be $ snoo fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Dec 9, 2017 |
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Dec 9, 2017 02:31
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I really hope it works out!
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Dec 9, 2017 04:17
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The Snoo, what part of MD? The exotics vet I used for my rats is in Laurel (Lakeside Veterinary Center) has reasonable prices! And IIRC they have a payment plan.
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Dec 9, 2017 05:18
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Falstaff posted:I really hope it works out! thank you! I felt a wave of relief when the other vet responded to my email and I hope she'll have a better chance of being okay now. dovetaile posted:The Snoo, what part of MD? The exotics vet I used for my rats is in Laurel (Lakeside Veterinary Center) has reasonable prices! And IIRC they have a payment plan. I'm a little north of baltimore, and unfortunately I'm car-less and still getting hours in for my permit  so pathetically my parents have been helping me with these vet visits. so I'm a bit limited in vets. most of the ones around here are just dog/cat. luckily this other one is a 5 minute drive from our apartment and I interned there during my animal studies course at 'college'. I know someone in southern MD who had a bunch of rats and she had a good vet down that way. the DC/surrounding area seems to have a lot more options in general. (I went to falls road animal hospital earlier. I really should've known better but I was anxious to get her treatment.)
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Dec 9, 2017 05:32
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  well this was a good sign (it's finky) a good rat dad  a good rat in a dad hat this place is doing everything for $400 and then the cost of the office visit, including preventative antibiotics since she has a history of respiratory problems early in her life. i liked this vet a lot more and she was really really really good. finky's getting her surgery done today and we should have her back this evening, we hope. fingers crossed. the price is still like, yikes, but we can at least afford this.
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Dec 12, 2017 17:14
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That's a good ratto right there.
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Dec 12, 2017 17:17
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Ah yes. The traditional blurry rat picture! She's adorable and I'm glad y'all found a good vet!
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Dec 13, 2017 02:16
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Jack Trades posted:That's a good ratto right there. she is lovely and she made it through surgery with no complications!!!!  but she fuckin hates me right now, i'm sure i gave her the meds (metacam, doxycycline and baytril) but as you can see behind her in the picture she didn't quite finish them. the yoghurt she left was the baytril. her fur is still pretty fluffed up and i'm sure she's in a lot of pain. i'm not comfortable handling her to make her take meds just yet, but she is eating fine and didn't mind the yoghurt. not sure if she didn't like the baytril or if she got full. the post surgery wooziness was funny/sad. poor lil baby snoo fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Dec 13, 2017 |
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Dec 13, 2017 02:18
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I usually mixed liquid medicines with fruit juices. Works fine most of the time. Glad she made it through surgery fine!
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Dec 13, 2017 03:01
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finky's wound has healed up extremely well (I can barely see the mark anymore) and we've been switching up what we mix her meds into, right now it's choco yoghurt. a couple of days ago it was eggnog. she's silly and I'm proud of her! since she had her surgery and meds and stuff, though, suddenly she's become a big chewer of paper. any kind of paper we have around, she chews. they do have plenty of chew blocks/sticks and dry pasta, etc. for their teeth, and her teeth are fine, so idk. but this led to her chewing my phone cord as it was charging a little while ago. she isn't acting differently but now I'm super worried about her and if she got shocked. they've never been interested in cords, when they get on the end tables they're supervised, and the other one isn't chewing anything abnormally. I had them out for floor time by myself bc it was her meds time, and my husband was still at work, so I was trying to keep an eye on both of them... I don't know if she's hurt but is there anything I should look out for? I put them up and she's eating and drinking just fine.when I had guinea pigs they chewed quite a few cords. I got shocked from one of them years later, after they were gone. but I assume they must've gotten shocked if I did. it would be so loving stupid if I lost her because of my drat phone, after all this. gently caress me snoo fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Dec 24, 2017 |
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Dec 24, 2017 03:47
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this site doesn't deserve my cute pet pics
Guy Mann fucked around with this message at 13:33 on Feb 24, 2019 |
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Dec 24, 2017 03:51
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Dec 24, 2017 03:52
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The Snoo posted:it would be so loving stupid if I lost her because of my drat phone, after all this. gently caress me I've lost a lot of various kinds of cords over the years, I've never had a rat hurt by it. I dunno why or how, but rats seem to know how to avoid dangerous wires in their quest to destroy useful electronics. Really, if she did get an shock capable of hurting her, it would be really obvious (she'd either be dead or have burns). She'll be fine. Just enjoy the holidays and try not to let her make you worry so much.
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Dec 24, 2017 04:08
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