Possible New Rat Friends

If it's a non-human, non-Pit Bull, family member, post it here!

Postby luvmyangels » June 17th, 2006, 3:04 pm

call2arms wrote:Cages... Martin's cages:http://www.martinscages.com/
Their cages are amazing! If I didn't inherit a grotto cage, I would have bought one in september.


Thank you so much for the info on Martin's Cages. Do you have rats too? Please share your experience.
I am "The Rat Queen".

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Postby call2arms » June 17th, 2006, 10:52 pm

I have 5 rats of mine and 2 rescues... And I'm currently keeping 2 rats and a mouse because our rescue coordinator is in Ireland (lucky gal...). Unfortunately one of her rats died in the first week of june, Sprite had a big cancerous tumor, was on several meds and well, personnally I think she should have been euthed before her owner left, but hey... And another one of hers, Lily, has respiratory problems as well as head tilt.

It often comes sooner than you think- 2, 3 years old. My oldest rat has lived to be 4, and some people seem to be impressed with that...

Rats are lovely pets, I adore them but it's so heartbreaking because they don't live long... And they get sick easily. Be prepared for lots of good times, and lots of attentioned care. IMO a yearly exam at the vet is needed.
Oh, useful info here:http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm
http://www.ratsrule.com/ Check out Suebee's rat diet!
http://www.ratfanclub.org/ You should get the Rat Care guide, it's a must, and you can bring it to the vet's too...
http://www.petratscanada.com/
http://www.rmca.org/ Lots of rescue and health info!

Have fun!
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Postby luvmyangels » June 17th, 2006, 11:42 pm

call2arms wrote:I have 5 rats of mine and 2 rescues... And I'm currently keeping 2 rats and a mouse because our rescue coordinator is in Ireland (lucky gal...). Unfortunately one of her rats died in the first week of june, Sprite had a big cancerous tumor, was on several meds and well, personnally I think she should have been euthed before her owner left, but hey... And another one of hers, Lily, has respiratory problems as well as head tilt.

It often comes sooner than you think- 2, 3 years old. My oldest rat has lived to be 4, and some people seem to be impressed with that...

Rats are lovely pets, I adore them but it's so heartbreaking because they don't live long... And they get sick easily. Be prepared for lots of good times, and lots of attentioned care. IMO a yearly exam at the vet is needed.
Oh, useful info here:http://www.dapper.com.au/index.htm
http://www.ratsrule.com/ Check out Suebee's rat diet!
http://www.ratfanclub.org/ You should get the Rat Care guide, it's a must, and you can bring it to the vet's too...
http://www.petratscanada.com/
http://www.rmca.org/ Lots of rescue and health info!

Have fun!


Wow that is great that you have so many rats. Sorry to hear about your rescue coordinators rat.

Thank you for the great links.

What do you feed your rats?
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
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Postby pocketpit » June 18th, 2006, 2:08 am

Rats are lovely pets, I adore them but it's so heartbreaking because they don't live long... And they get sick easily. Be prepared for lots of good times, and lots of attentioned care. IMO a yearly exam at the vet is needed.


So true! My first rats were a pair of hooded brothers I took home from my science class one year in junior high. I loved them dearly. Ben made it to 5 1/2 yrs and Willard made it to 6. Sadly since then no one has made it beyond 3 1/2yrs before some malady took them :(
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Postby luvmyangels » June 18th, 2006, 7:48 am

I have to find the article but I know I just read one about rats that live in a dirty environment live longer than there clean cousins who live in labs.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

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Postby luvmyangels » June 18th, 2006, 8:00 am

I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
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Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
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Postby SisMorphine » June 18th, 2006, 8:48 am

pocketpit wrote:
Rats are lovely pets, I adore them but it's so heartbreaking because they don't live long... And they get sick easily. Be prepared for lots of good times, and lots of attentioned care. IMO a yearly exam at the vet is needed.


So true! My first rats were a pair of hooded brothers I took home from my science class one year in junior high. I loved them dearly. Ben made it to 5 1/2 yrs and Willard made it to 6. Sadly since then no one has made it beyond 3 1/2yrs before some malady took them :(

Jeez! Those are some crazy ages!

With myco running rampant amongst all pet stores and many breeders, you're lucky to get a rat to live past 2. Not to mention the tumors. Which is why I would DEFINITELY save up the dough to get the ladies spayed. It cuts down drastically on the amount of tumors that the females can get (ironically, neither of my females had tumors, but every other female rat I've ever met has). They're still in debates as to wether neutering affects males and cancer. Personally I'd rather be safe than sorry.
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
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Postby luvmyangels » June 21st, 2006, 12:14 pm

My new friends are now home. We just picked them up 2 hours ago. I do have a question and wanted to get everyone's opinion. 2 of the rats are from the same litter and one is from a different. The one that is from a different litter seems to be getting into fights with the one of the other one's. The one from the different litter is bigger than the two that are older. What should I do?

I already have 2 degus that fought to the point of blood and I had to separate them. I just don't want to have to do it again.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
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Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
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Postby call2arms » June 21st, 2006, 3:03 pm

If the rats from the different litters don't seem to get along right now, that's ok. Just leave them in separate cages, and let them play out together (rats need exercise, and it's a good thing for them to have a safe room that they can roam around) in neutral territory. Neutral erritory can be your tub- they've probablu never been there, and it's small enough that it a fight happens, you can separate easily.
Eventually you can switch cages for a few hours, because the rats get used to the strange smell. More play, and at one point what I ususlly do is I leave both cages open. At that point, I supervise like a hawk, since fights can still happen in the cages, the live-in rat(s) may not tolerats the other ones so well. If that happens, wait some more, more play together.
Of course if the rats just never get along at playtime, well... Just like pit bulls and your degus they may have to live separated.


I feed my rats lab blocks -Harlan Teklad is a good brand, or any of the lab blocks that are NOT corn based... Also Suebee's mix (see the ratsrule.com link) and a Red River cereal along witl oatmeal. Add tons of fruits and veggies, too many treats... lol
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Postby luvmyangels » June 21st, 2006, 4:42 pm

call2arms wrote:If the rats from the different litters don't seem to get along right now, that's ok. Just leave them in separate cages, and let them play out together (rats need exercise, and it's a good thing for them to have a safe room that they can roam around) in neutral territory. Neutral erritory can be your tub- they've probablu never been there, and it's small enough that it a fight happens, you can separate easily.
Eventually you can switch cages for a few hours, because the rats get used to the strange smell. More play, and at one point what I ususlly do is I leave both cages open. At that point, I supervise like a hawk, since fights can still happen in the cages, the live-in rat(s) may not tolerats the other ones so well. If that happens, wait some more, more play together.
Of course if the rats just never get along at playtime, well... Just like pit bulls and your degus they may have to live separated.


I feed my rats lab blocks -Harlan Teklad is a good brand, or any of the lab blocks that are NOT corn based... Also Suebee's mix (see the ratsrule.com link) and a Red River cereal along witl oatmeal. Add tons of fruits and veggies, too many treats... lol


Thank you so much for taking the time to give me advice. I did e-mail the rescue and the girl I got them from to see if maybe I should get one from the litter the other two are from. They do seem to have calmed down a little bit though. One of them is so stressed that every time I take her out she pee's and poops on me. She happens to be the one that is battling with the baby from the other litter. It is actually interesting that the one from the other litter is a week younger but seems to be bigger than the other two. She also seems to be very curious and quite active.

Thanks again.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
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Postby luvmyangels » June 21st, 2006, 4:44 pm

Here is another question. I found this at my local store. Any thoughts on this product??

SUN SEED COMPANY, INC - CRITTER CUBES 50 lb. bulk bag

Manufacturer: SUN SEED COMPANY, INC
Originally formulated for the laboratory, a nutritious diet for mice, rats, gerbils and hamsters.

Protein (Min. 23%), Fat (Min. 4.5%), Fiber (Max. 6%).
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
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Postby luvmyangels » June 21st, 2006, 6:02 pm

I am wondering if they are working through there spats because now they are all huddled up together on the top shelf of the cage.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
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Postby call2arms » June 21st, 2006, 7:52 pm

Well, if they're snuggling, that's a good sign!

I have no idea if the cubes are good or not, the internet site does not say anything about the ingredients. Here is a link for good lab-blocks:
http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/STORE/food.html

The Sun Seeds company also sells Pine and Cedar beddings- DO NOT use that, it will make your rats sick. Most companies that do it don't care, but the oils that smell so good from the woods are toxic to the critters and cause respiratory infections.

What genders are your little guys?
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Postby luvmyangels » June 21st, 2006, 8:15 pm

call2arms wrote:Well, if they're snuggling, that's a good sign!

I have no idea if the cubes are good or not, the internet site does not say anything about the ingredients. Here is a link for good lab-blocks:
http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/STORE/food.html

The Sun Seeds company also sells Pine and Cedar beddings- DO NOT use that, it will make your rats sick. Most companies that do it don't care, but the oils that smell so good from the woods are toxic to the critters and cause respiratory infections.

What genders are your little guys?


Kim's Ark is actually the rescue I got them from. I had e-mailed them already about the Harlan lab blocks. They had three different one's and I was not sure which one would be best for them. So I am awaiting a response. I noticed one had higher protein than the other. Any thoughts?

I am using CareFresh bedding.

I have 3 females. They have officially been named Jingle is the beige, Violet is the black hooded and Tulip is the black one. I will put a pic of the cage set up when I get home. I am at work from 5-9.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
luvmyangels
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Postby Maryellen » June 21st, 2006, 10:38 pm

um pictures??????????????????????????????????
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Postby luvmyangels » June 22nd, 2006, 9:22 am

Image

What does everyone think of the cage set up?

Image

Above is Violet who was originally named Belle. She is really sweet.

Image

Tulip is completely freaked out. Hopefully she will be a little better today. She looks almost exactly like her mom.

Image

This is Jingle who has been starting trouble. But I think everything has settled down.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
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Postby call2arms » June 22nd, 2006, 3:15 pm

I love your cage setup, but they just need a little house (Kleenex box, plastic igloo) to hide in. Rats looove to hide.

I would go with the 2018 from Harlan Teklad.

So how are they today?
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Postby luvmyangels » June 22nd, 2006, 4:26 pm

They seem to be getting along much better. Last night I handled them again for a little over an hour. They liked hanging out in my hair (I guess it resembles a nest). I let them run around the bath tub. This morning we took them out and they were doing better. Although they pooped and peed all over the place again. They are a little scared of the kids because they move too quick so I have told them they need to slow down. We were feeding them treats and they were warming up.

I have two small shoe boxes put to the side for them and I was planning on putting them in there but I didn't want to add something else because I think they are overwhelmed. But I will probably put it in soon.
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
luvmyangels
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Location: NY

Postby call2arms » June 23rd, 2006, 6:07 pm

They'll feel much more secure with a place to hide. Though they may be harder to go get in the cage if they're really shy.

I think all rats like to hide in people's long hair.

They'll come along... On some of the links I gave you, they have info on how to litter train rats. It works, mine rarely poop out of their cage, and they have a litter in there.
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Postby luvmyangels » June 25th, 2006, 1:22 pm

call2arms wrote:They'll feel much more secure with a place to hide. Though they may be harder to go get in the cage if they're really shy.

I think all rats like to hide in people's long hair.

They'll come along... On some of the links I gave you, they have info on how to litter train rats. It works, mine rarely poop out of their cage, and they have a litter in there.


Thank you so much for your help!!! :D
I am "The Rat Queen".

Have a great day!! :)

Mary Ann & The Furry Bunch:
Cookie & Knuckles
Rabbit: Butterscotch
The Rattie Bunch: Girls: Noodle & Raisin Boys: Gus, Melvin, Oliver, & Toby
luvmyangels
I live here
 
Posts: 3449
Location: NY

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