I of course meant "mike products", Geesh brain spasm!
Kate, I love vicariously living through you and other rattie owners right now. Our apartment has an absolutely no pets rule (except for fish, not a particularly interactive pet).
It's a shame that more people don't realize what great pets they are.
What amazes me is that I can tell who is who based entirely on how they look at me. I mean, they are practically IDENTICAL, except for the little black patch on Paris' belly. And when they're sitting in their little upside-down box "house" peeping out at me, it's really just two black faces with black eyes. But I CAN TELL. Hector has a "Hiya!!" look on his face, and Paris is kinda like "Uh-oh...what's she gonna do?" It's really weird.
I'm definitely going to try that idea about putting on two shirts and carrying Paris around with me for a bit. I also like the idea of bringing them both out together so Paris can see what fun it is by watching Hector. I just have to lock the three of us in the bedroom to do it so my cats and dogs don't join the party, too .
I gave them some carrot this morning, which they really enjoyed . They're so darn CUTE.
Oh, you're making me ratsick. I'm so tempted to buy some ratties and sneak them into the apartment. It's not like the neigbors would guess and complain. No, no, must not think like that. In a couple years we will be buying a house and we can have rats, dogs, cats, fancy chickens (the kind that look like they're wearing bad wigs), and fainting goats.
Ok, not really, just something my husband and I joke about. But the rats and the dog or two will be ok.
May make my husband take me to the petstore for another visit to the rats (he doesn't understand why I want to go, when we're not buying, but I tell him to think of it as the budget zoo).
They really do seem like they'll be awesome pets once they get used to me. Paris has been a lot bolder tonight, coming out of his little house to check me out, etc. Pretty cool .
I'm sure I'll have more and more questions, so stay tuned!
Oh, and I just love how SOFT their little coats are!! And I love watching them wash their faces -- too cute. They have little human hands almost!
chairgirl: that's so funny! my one guinea pig's name is snickerdoodle. I though I was the only one eveil enough to tack such a huge name to such a small animal!
LovesBassets: I love your new little boys! They are so cute! When you said where you were getting them ( I hope you're the one I'm thinking of) I figured they'd just be white. Have fun with the little buggers!
Half of the rats at school were white -- and they'd all come from actual labs and were older, etc. But the other half was (were?) a litter of the hooded rats who came straight from the breeder (bypassing life in a lab, thankfully). So my little guys are only about 3 months old.
The white ones creep me out a bit with those red eyes...
The first rat I worked with in college was a white rat, I named Warren. His fur was so soft, because he was just a pup, but became sort of terrier like (Hector and Paris might keep their coat, or it might get a little coarser, females stay soft).
Well, I enjoyed working with Warren, but I wasn't really all that rat-happy yet. One day, he crawled into my tucked-in blouse through the gaps between buttons and started running around (I did NOT do this on purpose to make him comfy, and it sure didn't make me comfy). I didn't know what to do, but there was no way I was calling to the cute lab assistant to help me get a rat out of my blouse!
Once I got a hold of the rat, I pulled him up through the top of my blouse, and he tried to grasp onto my chest for support. For a couple days, I had this tiny little red "handprint" on my chest.
I'm glad Paris is getting comfy. I bet he'll be snuggly in no time.
She's snickerdoodle because she's a fawn berkshire (fawn colored on top, creamy white tummy) and I thought she looked a little like the snickerdoodle cookies my mom taught me to make when I was little. Glad to know I'm not the only one who saddled such a tiny creature with such a big name...although we mostly call her "doodle" or "dooglebug"
Here's my snickerdoodle (in the front). She's perfectly round and although the color doesn't come through well in this picture it just reminds me of cinnamon and sugar and her belly is also all white.
Stacy, Snickerdoodle is SO cute!! I love her colors!
And I have yet another a question for you ratty ladies ...like I said before, Paris is really shy. He's gotten a little bit braver -- I get the sense that he knows who I am now and doesn't see me as a threat or anything. But I still haven't taken him out of the cage (even though Hector has been out a bunch of times).
Here's the problem: I've read all over the internet about how you should be sure to take your rats out every day to spend time with you for socialization, bonding, fun, etc. But I ALSO read everywhere that you shouldn't chase a rat around his/her cage with your hand to pick them up. So...ah...exactly HOW am I supposed to get Paris out of the cage for social time with me? He kind of huddles in a corner all the time and really shies away when I move in slowly just to pet him (gently). I don't want to freak him out by nabbing him and dragging him out of the cage, but he doesn't come right to the cage door when I open it like Hector does -- even when I DO have yogurt drops .
What do you suggest I do? How do I build a bond with him by cuddling/playing if I can't get him out of the cage without horrifying him?
You have to play with him daily, but it doesn't really have to be outside the cage. Use your hand like another rat. Come up to him and stroke him, and put your hand beside him, pet and stroke him. Start at his back, and move closer to his head as he'll tolerate. The back of the neck, behind the ears, and of course the hand brings treats too.
Once he makes friends with your hand, even if he squirms a bit when you take him out of the cage, he still has good memories of the hand, so if he's frightened a bit at first, it shouldn't traumatize him.
I have heard conflicting theories on the rat-grabbing issue. If you want to go for the more gradual approach Colleen's suggestion is the accepted wisdom - also you can get him to (slowly but surely) come up to your hand by putting a treat on the palm of your hand and keeping it in the cage so he is forced to sort of climb on your hand in order to get the treat. this is another way to teach him that your hand isn't bad.
I generally choose the go ahead and scoop them up approach, but my rats were much younger than your boys and quickly acclimated to being handled. The important thing to remember is when you do pick him up make sure to always support his belly and feet and NEVER pick up by the tail unless you are separating a really nasty rat fight and have no other choice. Some rats never particularly enjoy actually being picked up, but the benefits of tolerating it generally outweigh most ratty fears, so after a few scoops and then associating that with lots of treats/play time out of the cage, he will learn that it is ok.
.
. They're so darn CUTE.
!!!
