|
Falstaff posted:Rats aren't hamsters, they don't really need a ball when they're out playing and they have a lot more fun exploring without one. Okay, cool. I let them out as much as I can just to run around, I figured they'd get even more time with one, but eh. No big loss then!
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2015 10:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 17:03 |
|
|
I always limited my rats to a couch or bed, and they never figured out the floor was even there. They were fine running around as long as they wanted, and couldn't get lost or eat things they shouldn't. They were boys though, females might be more wily.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2015 12:35
|
|
|
Girls know the floor is there and they believe it is a wonderland.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2015 16:19
|
|
|
Rats can be cuties, I guess. Long live the rat!
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2015 17:17
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2015 22:08
|
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:I always limited my rats to a couch or bed, and they never figured out the floor was even there. They were fine running around as long as they wanted, and couldn't get lost or eat things they shouldn't. They were boys though, females might be more wily. Yeah, we have a lot of places to get lost in and a hole that's letting mice in the kitchen. And a dog. She behaves with them around us, but I don't trust her by herself. I wanted to get the rats some balls, but my fiancee pointed out that our dog would think that was the best thing to chase around ever. I want to give them more freedom, but it just isn't safe.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2015 23:55
|
|
|
Not many rats take to balls anyway. On the upside, I think rats can be content with supervised play wherever they're put - stick 'em on your desk, sit with them on the couch or carry them around in your hoodie. Especially if they have a big cage, they don't seem to care about much more.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2015 00:56
|
|
|
My wallpapers agrees on this picture being quite accurate.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2015 01:31
|
|
|
I've always given my rats the full run of at least one room during playtime - whether that's an office, a bedroom, or the living room. If you give them a treat whenever they go back into the cage after playtime, they'll tend not to make themselves scarce when playtime is over. Right now, my girls get about a third of the house - the living room, entryway, and a couple of hallways, all of which are either rat proofed or don't really have anyplace they can get lost in. I block off rat unfriendly rooms (like the kitchen) with a baby gate in the door frame leading to the rest of the house.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2015 02:17
|
|
|
The worst thing about living in an old flat (Glasgow) is that it's impossible to fully rat-proof  I mean, this has the side-effect of also letting mice in, but I hate not being able to let the Smaslug Family (they have been fully named Smaslug Smaslug and Dyna Smaslug) free-roam as they like. They love us and run back to us whenever they're on the couch, but they're dumb as hell and I feel like they'd fall down a hole and get lost forever.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2015 03:02
|
|
|
So, the new arrivals are here! We have never seen these multi-colored bald apes before so we're keeping the cage closed for now. https://theta360.com/s/byr4m7RI0HjgBHwo6XVGbj6x6
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2015 22:07
|
|
|
aerique posted:So, the new arrivals are here! We have never seen these multi-colored bald apes before so we're keeping the cage closed for now. That image is really cool. What did you use to take it? PS. cute rats!
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2015 04:58
|
|
|
Big Bug Hug posted:That image is really cool. What did you use to take it? A Ricoh Theta camera. The site the image is hosted on is part of it (I have no affiliation). You can also watch the pictures as photospheres so you're not tied to the Ricoh site or the app that's part of it (although it works better than photospheres on Android). It's a fun camera but a little expensive for that it does. Especially the resolution is a little low when zooming in. I could buy it at a discount though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2015 08:27
|
|
|
I have the rat that was chewing on its own tail. We got new rats, we've been acclimating them to each other by keeping their cages next to each other and playing with them together. But now, after not chewing on her tail the whole time we were acclimating them to each other, she's started doing it again the day before we were going to put them in together. The vet said that the other rats would see it as a sign of weakness. Does anyone have an idea for how to stop her doing it? We're stopping her every time we notice it, but I'm at work full time, and my fiancee works some of the time and runs errands, so we can't catch it all the time.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2015 03:17
|
|
|
Not sure about the tail, but as far as putting them in together, I would give it a try. That thing the vet said sounds bogus to me. I mean sure, some rats might pick on a weak one, but I've never seen it. And you're introducing babies right? I think it'll be fine. Just obviously keep an eye on them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2015 12:24
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:I have the rat that was chewing on its own tail. We got new rats, we've been acclimating them to each other by keeping their cages next to each other and playing with them together. But now, after not chewing on her tail the whole time we were acclimating them to each other, she's started doing it again the day before we were going to put them in together. The vet said that the other rats would see it as a sign of weakness. Does anyone have an idea for how to stop her doing it? We're stopping her every time we notice it, but I'm at work full time, and my fiancee works some of the time and runs errands, so we can't catch it all the time. Is she chewing on it hard enough to break the skin?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2015 17:12
|
|
|
Yeah, hard enough to leave bloody patches. The other rats are 8 months old.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2015 03:26
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:Yeah, hard enough to leave bloody patches. The other rats are 8 months old. Is it possible she has mites or lice?
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2015 03:58
|
|
|
Would that be something I could inspect her for, or are they too small? She's not biting anywhere other than the tail, and she had stopped for a while. She started again the day we were going to deep-clean the cage and put them all in together. We did take her to the vet shortly before we got the new ones and he prescribed some painkillers and an antibiotic to avoid infection, I'm not sure if that's something he would have checked for. Or maybe she can chew on her fur without hurting herself if there are mites or lice, but there's no layer like that over her tail?
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2015 18:03
|
|
|
Is it ok for rats to have olive oil? I'm looking it up and getting pretty mixed results.
|
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2015 02:57
|
|
|
My old PEW Ben (he's about a year-and-a-half) has started not being able to grip with his front paws. Actually most of the time they're curled up. His eyes are half-closed most of the time and his muzzle's brownish. He's still eating -by shoving his face into the bowl. Realistically, how does long he have? He's been like this for at least two days now (we had a vet visit yesterday to check out a blister on his foot).
|
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2015 04:34
|
|
|
dovetaile posted:
Gonna call the vet and make an appointment to have hum euth'd. His blister's better but he's not. Gonna miss my little buddy so m,uch
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2015 04:26
|
|
|
I'm sorry It is always a hard decision to make. I have heard (don't know from experience) loss of use of the front limbs is an indicator of a brain issue like a pituitary tumor. Either way, it doesn't seem like something they can recover from. You're giving him a gift by letting him go before he's in pain or has an emergency. I hope that's some comfort.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2015 16:54
|
|
|
Yeah, you're making the right call. I'm sorry for you loss.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2015 04:39
|
|
|
Well, we introduced the two 8 month old rats to the older rat. They are getting along great, aside from the older one having to tell the younger ones to gently caress off when they try to eat her food. They eat faster than her, and try to take some of her food once they're done. They have already all curled up together a few times, so that's a good sign. Pretty early on, one of them started grooming the older one, and she was so happy she started Bruning, or however you spell it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2015 20:28
|
|
|
Invalid Octopus posted:Yeah, you're making the right call. I'm sorry for you loss. Big Bug Hug posted:I'm sorry Thank you all for your kind words. He's resting easy now. (Although they wrapped him in a dish towel for me to take home and now I'm not sure what to do with it.)
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2015 23:30
|
|
|
 I'm a bad photographer, and they are not too keen on pictures, so this is the best I can do of Boop and Alice. I got the two sisters a little over a month ago as my first rats, and everything has been going awesome. They are always pumped to eat, learn, and explore. Sometimes at night I eventually just have to go to bed, but they have extra energy when I put them back in the cage. I got the saucer type wheel since it seemed like the safest, and more suitable for two. They are interested in everything, except their wheel. The only time I can get them to use it is by luring them with treats, but even then they don't really seem to piece it all together. Have you guys had any luck with the flying saucer type wheels, or should I get another for them?
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 00:10
|
|
|
sleppy posted:
I think most rats prefer Silent Spinner type wheels (of the right size). But honestly, if your rats didn't start as kits then they probably won't take to one as adults. Worth a shot, though. I'd say maybe 1/3 of my rats have been consistent wheel users.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 00:45
|
|
|
I've had a couple of rats take to the wheel as adults, but they never were as super into it as the ones who were introduced as pups. (Greta, I'm lookin' at you, miss wheels-all-night)
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 06:48
|
|
|
My current and previous pairs have almost exactly the same markings as your ratties. The only way I can tell mine apart is the slightly different black lines on the back and one of of them is a bit chubbier.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 06:54
|
|
|
The one on the left looks just like one of my rats.  Also looks like my cage as well. Is that thsoe 4-level, all metal cages from Petco?
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 18:59
|
|
|
Potato-pic but these are my assholes:
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 20:02
|
|
|
http://imgur.com/a/yhU2x more bad pictures It's easier for me to tell which is which by their movement now. Boop is an oaf who mostly likes to eat on my shoulders, and Alice is obviously a lot smarter and has places to be. The cage is the Merry Manor from Petco. This also shows their hammock that turned into a tent. Boop was lounging in it until Alice chewed the corner and dropped her. Twice.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 20:14
|
|
|
Is there any way to train rats not to pee outside of their cages? The new ones are sweet, but I don't like being peed on.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2015 00:55
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:Is there any way to train rats not to pee outside of their cages? The new ones are sweet, but I don't like being peed on. Not at all. Not that I've heard at least. Get used to rat pee covering everything the little bastards can get their paws on.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2015 01:24
|
|
|
All of my female and neutered male rats seem to avoid peeing outside their cage unless I leave them out so long they cant hold it any longer (then I feel bad), but it takes them a couple months to learn that. The un-neutered males are just little piss balloons.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2015 01:28
|
|
|
Oh. Our last two never peed, but these two new ones just leave little trails of dots behind them. I figured the original owners had to have trained the last two or something.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2015 07:08
|
|
|
I find they do it more when they're younger, it improves a bit when they get older. I think the little spots are like marking, and they msy never stop that. Mine always stopped leaving big puddles unless thry couldn't get back to their cage in time. Edit: I've only had males, for clarity. Big Bug Hug fucked around with this message at 07:59 on Jul 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2015 07:49
|
|
|
yeah, but even the best girls will occasionally pee on your neck. it comes with the territory.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2015 07:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 17:03 |
|
|
Hey are there any London/SE England goons here who want a rat cage? Had the last of our rats put down a couple of weeks ago. We have a Furplast Jenny cage (we used it as a holiday cage) and a big metal Aventura cage available. http://www.ferplast.com/en/shop/jenny http://www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/products/metal-aventura-huge-metal-rat-ferret-chinchilla-cage.html Seems like new the Jenny is over £100 and the Aventura now over £200. They're both a bit rusty/worn but still very usable. I don't want any money for them, I'll put them on Gumtree otherwise.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2015 12:56
|
|
