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!
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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!
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?)
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.
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
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!!
Got rats? I do!
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