Got rats? I do!
 

Yes, my little rat babies are finally home!! No gas chamber for them yesterday!

Please welcome Hector & Paris -- two very sweet (and somewhat bewildered I think) 3-month-old hooded rats!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ectorParis.jpg

Colleen (since I know you'll be checking out the page), I'm a bit worried about Paris. All he does is hide in a corner and he wouldn't take cheese from me this morning (unlike Hector who gulped it down). Do you think maybe he's just freaked out to be in a new environment, or is it possible there's something wrong with him?

Thanks :) .

I dated a guy for two years who had an Albino Rat .. Every time I would tell someone that, they would freak!! I admit, I was terrified of it at first .. but domesticated rats are rather cute and make good pets for the most part!

Congrats on Hector and Paris! They are cute ~ like the names.

They are adorable!

Oh, are they adorable!

Paris might just be more shy than his brother. You could put a few pieces of a food in the cage that will stain his paws and face, like a couple canned beet slices, or some soupy oatmeal with red foodcoloring in it, to see if he is eating when you're not around (in which case, he's probably just a little shy, and will gain courage as he sees Hector interact with you and come to no harm).

Also, just like dogs, there tends to be an alpha male, and Hector may just outrank Paris. Paris might be just giving Hector first dibs and will take snacks from you only when Hector isn't around or has lost interest. (That Hector is sitting on top of Paris could support this, as top rat in a ratpile, is quite often literally top rat).

If you suspect Parish might not be feeling well, you might try sitting really close to the cage very quietly, and see if you can hear any wheezing, coughing, or sneezing (since respiratory problems are the big risk).
When I first bought Gussy home, she had a little sniffle and cough. The petstore rat guy told me to put bird antibiotics (which you can buy in the petstore) in his water at twice the concentration for birds. This cleared up her cough and sniffle in a few days (but like human antibiotics you keep giving it to them for 10 - 14 days. Later I read on the internet that a lot of rat owners think bird antibiotics may not be effective for rats and that you shouldn't do this, and should go straight to the vet if you notice any respiratory symptoms. Alot of vets have never even treated rats before, though so if you do decide to see a vet, make sure they've treated rats or at least other small rodents.

Rat colds sound just like people colds, you'll hear tiny sniffles, coughs, and raspy breathing. They even rub their little noses on their front paw and back of their "sleeve" like a little kid, or rub their eyes like they're itchy. You might see red-stained tears and droplets around the nose. Rats might have a tiny bit of this in the corners of their eyes normally, but if it is actually staining the fur like tear stains or around their noses, they probably are sick.

Being black-faced it can be a little hard to see, but in the pic, their noses and eyes seem clear (Gussy being pale powder gray, and Pinky being champagne beige, it would look like their eyes and noses were bleeding a bit). Some rats, I think, just produce more of this than others, as Gussy normally had virtually no sign of it unless she was sick, and Pinky had a little red gunk in the corners of her eyes and nose all the time, so you learn what is normal for your rat.

Again, they're little dolls!
Colleen


Colleen

Hi Colleen!

Thanks! :)

I kind of suspected that Paris might be more shy and submissive. It's funny that Hector is "in charge" because in The Iliad (where I got their names), Hector was the older brother -- in charge of the army, etc. -- and Paris was the younger brother. And HOW COOL that you picked up on their little rat pile -- I didn't even notice that. It's weird because even though they both look so alike (the only real difference being a black spot on Paris' belly) I can tell which is which just by the way they look at me. Hector is definitely much more confident.

Paris did take a piece of a dog biscuit from me tonight. And (LOL) Hector stole it from him almost immediately. Definite alpha-rat thing going on. :)

Hector has already learned to come straight to the cage door when he sees me -- and that means climbing down 3 sets of ramps to the bottom because he and Paris like to hang out on the top level of their cage (and the door is at the bottom). I've been a real treat-machine today because I want them to be comfortable in their new home (I won't normally give them so much because I know obesity can be a big problem). Hector also spent some time hanging out on my shoulder last night, which is cool. He's such a social little guy!

Thanks for your help and all the health info! I'm sure I'll have tons of questions for you during the next few weeks. I'll take some more pics, too.

:D

How Cool they fit their namesakes! You can't really train alpha behavior out of Hector (it could lead to more "arguments" between them), but if Hector gets too greedy and doesn't let Paris eat, even after he (Hector) is finished, you might try pulling Hector out of the cage for some individual play while leaving Paris to eat in peace. I doubt that will be a problem though, especially as they have been raised together.

I know with dogs they say anytime you give treats the alpha should get his first and then the beta (preferable while alpha is still eating). If you feed beta first, the alpha sometimes sees it as the beta challenging him for top position (even Beta didn't have anything to do with your choice). Which could be why Paris wouldn't accept food from you, if Hector wasn't already eating Paris might have instinctively been avoiding challenging Hector.

Ooh, I am so excited for you!!!!


Colleen

They really are cool :) . I love them already!

Oh, and I forgot to respond to your advice about finding a vet. The funny thing is, I WORK for a vet (I'm a tech). He used to take rats but stopped for various reasons. He says he'll take care of my rats though (if I need him to). :)

I have rats, too! I have been a rat mom for about four years now - My boyfriend and I currently have four does (girl rats), Freya, Snickerdoodle, Fudge and Broccoli. There are some great websites and forums out there for getting rat information and most rat people are really eager to answer any ratty questions you may have as they are fascinating although sometimes somewhat delicate little creatures. Welcome to the world of rat parenthood and good luck on your weight loss journey - feel free to PM me if you have quesitons or would like suggestions on ratty forums/websites, etc!!!

Erin

Erin, you should post their pics here! I'd love to see them! :)

And, as promised, I have another question. Hector LOVES coming out of the cage to hang out with me -- I lie down and he races from my feet to my shoulder and back again. But Paris just seems SO shy. I haven't wanted to "push it" with him and haven't taken him out yet. Should I let him adjust a bit more before I take him out, or is better to sorta "force" the socialization issue? What do you guys think?

They've both been handled A LOT in their short little lives because they were at our lab at school. No experiments were done on them or anything, they were just their so we could learn how to handle, restrain, and care for them.

Any thoughts from you rat veterans would be appreciated!

Thanks :)

I know it's only been a few days, and you might want to give him a little more time, but since he's been handled quite a bit before, I don't think it wouldn't hurt to take him out of the cage, and if he doesn't freak out, but just doesn't seem too into it at first, keep the sessions short and make sure to give him some irresistable little rat treat to associate you with wonderful things. A little smudge of peanut butter, icecream, or jam, something that he is going to be able to smell easily, and merely sniffing is likely to get him a taste.

If he's a little on the passive side, he might enjoy sitting in a pocket of a sweater or sweatshirt (something nice and soft, if you have something like that), or even a fold of a nice tery towel. Gussy was a little on the shy side when I got her, and I think the pocket of my sweatshirt felt like hiding to her, but she also was able to get used to my scent this way, and I would put my hand in the pocket and pet her once in a while. Eventually when she got used to this, if I didn't put my hand in the pocket to pet her, she'd keep sticking her head out of the pocket and look around nose twitching and even nudge me (to remind me to come pet her?)

Colleen

I was always told never to feed rats cheese? makes them really smell? Anyone have any ideas on this.

I give my daughters rat nuts (in and out of shell, gives them something to chew), pumpkin seeds, veges, frozen corn (in summer), dry dog food, grapes, in summer when it is hot i was told to put a terracotta plant pot in the freezer then put it in the cage to give the rat somewhere cool to lay.
The rat(DD's) now wonders about the house, loves checking things out, we should have named her amelia (after amelia airhart the explorer/aviator). They really are amazing pets...
I am sure you will grow to love them Kate

You're probably right, milk and milk problems probably shouldn't be given to any adult mammal (the ability to digest milk is a "use it or lose it" thing). I didn't notice any problems with my rats with the tiny quantities I would give them of cheese spread or ice cream (the rat-sized equivalent of a finger-dip) once in a while.

Colleen

Rats are often lactose intolerant, but they do often like a bit of soy milk. As for socializing your shy boy, a trick I have heard praised and have used with some success myself is the 'down the shirt' approach to socialization - put on two shirts (or just one if you're really brave) - one form fitting and one a bit baggy - tuck them both in to your pants, and drop the fella between them, then go about your business for about 20 min or so - this provides a safe warm and dark place but gets him used to your presence and smell and used to being handled. I haven't tried it with adult males before, but I have done it with some success with young females.

another thing you can do is to just put both boys out on the bed or couch with you and let them hang out - it may help the shy one to see how the other one interacts with you. My three babies were quite skittish and then when I put them in with my adult girl who is a cuddlebug suddenly they seemed to understand that "hey, the giant hairless rat isn't so scary after all!".

Yet another thing you can do is just sit next to the cage - talk softly to them and blow gently into the cage - this is another way to help them get used to your smell and sound. And, of course, no matter what TREATS are always welcome. Yogie drops (or yoggie drops or yogurt drops) are almost universally loved by rats, although if they haven't had them before they may be wary at first. Rats can't vomit and so are very careful about new foods. Nuts are fattening, so I wouldn't give too many, but just about anythign you can eat they can have a tiny bit of - a great website to check out for general questions as well as a wonderful forum for posting questions, pics, discussions, etc. is http://ratzrus.co.uk

Keep on Truckin!
Erin :carrot:

Oooh I want a ratty now! They sound like such fun! :D

Ratties make great pets, especially if you are in an apartment type situation - some tips if you're thinking seriuosly of getting them, though - make sure you get at least two and make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that they are the same sex and that the shop you get them from hasn't been keeping them in mixed sex groups, otherwise you may end up with far more rats than you bargained for!!

Keep on Truckin!
Erin :carrot:

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.

Colleen

Oops again that would be "milk products" what a dork I am

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 :o .

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).

Colleen

Aww...."ratsick" :( !!!

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! :D

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!

Hi Stacy :)

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...:o

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.

Colleen

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" :D

Keep on Truckin!
Erin :carrot:

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.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...bert/girls.jpg

I love rats! I used to have one. Her name was Pixie. They are so cute and smart, you can teach them tricks, always fun!

Stacy, she's "adoradoodle"

Colleen

Stacy, Snickerdoodle is SO cute!! I love her colors! :)

And I have yet another a question for you ratty ladies :D ...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 :D .

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?

Thanks :) !

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.

Colleen

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.

Hope this helps!
Keep on Truckin!
Erin :carrot:

What Erin says does remind me that Pinky never really liked the picking up process (I didn't have to "chase her around," but she would wriggle and slip through my hands if given a chance). Once I picked her up, though she was fine with it (but she did have to be supported very close to my body, as she seemed more sensitive to heights than Gussy, but Pinky's eyesight was very poor (even for a rat) and it seemed to make her especially fearful of sudden movement and heights.

Colleen

Thanks!! :)

"Once he makes friends with the hand..." that is so cute -- plus it really kinda shows me what the world looks like from his perspective with a big scary hand swooping in :o .

I'll try to food on my palm thing today and see what happens. Thanks for the advice! And I also think tonight I'm going to totally rat-proof my bedroom and bring them both out together for playtime. I forget who mentioned this earlier, but having Hector around may really help Paris be more comfortable outside the cage.

You know what else I love? They are so gentle when they take food from me...no grabbing or anything. Very polite little boys :) .

Thanks again!

It is funny how gently they take the food isn't it? Pinky's eyesight was so bad, that the first few times we gave her treats from the outside of the cage, she would nip a bit, because she couldn't see where food ended and finger started. She seemed to realize the "faux pas" though and learned to be more careful when taking a bit between the bars (unless the treat was something so irresistable that she'd get over excited). She didn't have any problems if she could see your fingers clearly though. It's so funny how they do seem so polite, isn't it?

Rats really don't see all that well, and I have heard that pink-eyed and red-eyed rats tend to have more vision problems than dark-eyed rats. Pinky was a ruby-eyed champagne, and she would weave her head back and forth and crane her neck to try to see better. So she was forgiven for the occasional lapse, though when she bit finger, even if lightly, we'd say "ow," even if it didn't hurt, and not give her another treat right afterward (didn't want to teach her that we didn't care if she bit).

Such sweeties! Aren't rats great?

Colleen




Colleen

Kate - they are sooo cute!! How are your dogs tolerating them? Do you have any cats? My son is home sick today and say your rat picture and fell in love. So we're off to th elibrary to get some books to learn more. But we do have two cats who love to watch the squirrels come eat on my balcony and I definitely wouldn't want one pet to feel "hunted" all the time.... Again so cute, and I'm so glad you saved them from an untimely death!

I saw a really funny clip on America's Funniest Home Videos once of a cat who was staring at a rat through the cage bars - the cat got too close to the bars and the tiny little rat reached through the bars and got her teeth around the cats nose, chomped down and hung on for dear life! The cat was howling and struggling but the rat wasn't letting go. It wasn't very pleaseant for the cat (she got away and wasn't really hurt, just a sore nose), but I bet that little rat felt like king of the mountain!

My girls do the weavy-head trick almost all the time - it helps them to detect motion b/c by human standards a rat with fantastic rat-eyesight is pretty close to blind.

Another humorous note - my boyfriend has a rather scruffity beard and last night during playtime the little alpha rat suddenly scampered up his chest and started power grooming his face! She was quite determined to show him who was in charge. I thought it was funny - he mostly thought "OW!". :D

Keep on Truckin!
Erin :carrot:

The picking up thing - I know they aren't rats but the pigs do the same thing. They'll actually "wheek" for attention but then when I go to pick them up they run away. I usually "herd" them slowly into a chube (like a giant paper towel roll from the petsore) then pick them up in that and slip them right out the end into my hand. I think it makes them feel more secure in the picking up process because they go in easy every time.

THAT is SUCH A GOOD IDEA!! I actually have a chube already, so that's cool. I did take them both out today to clean their cage -- and I had to do a little chasing, but I figured it's better for them to be scared for a few seconds than have a dirty cage :) .

And we had a big breakthrough today! I left the cage door open and just sat in front of it. Hector came out, ran around the table a bit and then jumped back in the cage. He did it about 8 times :) . He's a brave little guy. Paris is getting better and better. He actually came to the open cage door and kinda peeped out at me a bit.

They really ARE such fun!! :)

My dogs and cats (I have 3) aren't allowed in that room yet! I think my Basset will fall in love with them -- she was best buddies with my turtle
:) . I'm not sure what the cats will do. My professor insists her cat just sits on the cage and watches the rats and that the rats don't mind...I dunno, though, two of mine are outstanding mousers...:o

I think a rat is a great pet for your son! And actually, you're usually encouraged to get TWO rats because they're such social animals. It never would have occured to me to get rats, but I'm so glad I did!

I have something totally funny to say about my DD's rat!

i open its cage door for a few hours in the morning and it runs around the house and explores, but it really likes people, so mostly it will pick someone and just follow them around for a while,

today it was CHASING! (hopping and running) my younger DD (6) around the kitchen island, around and around and around! It was so funny!! the rat was so enjoying the game, if it could of had the cheesiest of grins on its face it would have.

THEN
the rat found my christmas tree and hijacked some of the lower baubbles and snuck them into its cage (would have been quite a struggle dragging them across the house!) I had to confiscate some that might have been bad for it (with glitter) but i let it keep a few, my oldest DD (9) thinks that it wants to decorate its house for christmas

This rat is such a clown!!!!!!!!! life is just a game to it, if it can find some fun, it will be there! it likes chasing the dog (golden retriever) and the dog just does not know what to do! so sometimes the dog will move to its bed (the rat will chase it) then the dog comes out to the lounge room (rat running after it) back and forth until i let the dog outside!

this rat must be related to Jim Carey! life is all fun and games.....
(maybe it has "the mask" it really is a devil of a thing!)

I was always amazed at how the cage is so much their home, I always assumed that if the rats got out of the cage, they'd keep running and never look back, but once Gussy got out of her cage and I didn't know how I would find her. I sat on my bed and listened very carefully and heard her grinding her teeth, so I knew she was still in the room. I closed the bedroom door, and finally followed the sound to the dresser underneath her cage. The dresser was long, but she was hiding in the corner (same corner where her cage was on top of the dresser). She had obviously chosen the corner purposefully as she had created quite a little stash of objects in the corner (some pretty scary). An ibuprofen caplet (apparently untasted, luckily), a chunk of rat chow, a small Merle Norman lipgoss sample, a piece of what appeared to mummified sausage (don't know where that came from, especially if she never left the bedroom - a prior tenant maybe, Ewwww).

It took a bit to get her out from under there - she was so frightened she wouldn't come out of the corner, which was just out of arms reach.

What an adventure!


Colleen