It was the big boys 2nd Birthday today.
My daughters helped me make pine nut sponge cakes for them.
We also gave them rat treats and bought them a feather stick cat toy which Pip chased round the room like a kitten!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!!!
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating birthday cake and rat doughnuts.
About a month ago I lifted Dublin out of his cage for his free range time and had a horrible shock - the skin on the tip of his tail was ripped almost right off and red raw. The skin had pulled off in a perfectly circular pattern, so I was quite certain that it had been “de-gloved”. De-gloving happens when a rat catches his tail or his tail is pulled to hard and the skin pulls of in one clean go. I wasn’t sure what caused it, but one of the rats in the cage below may have bitten him if his tail was dangling over, so I cordoned off the cage in such a way that it couldn’t happen again.
Poor Dublin was obviously in pain because his squeaked whenever anything went near his tail and he wanted to sit and rest more than normal. It was out of vet hours, so I gave him a tiny amount (0.3ml) of Calpol (liquid paracetamol for little kids). I wouldn’t advise anyone else doing that - but he suffered no ill effects, and I couldn’t leave him to suffer.
The following day I took Dublin to the vets and they booked him in for a small operation to nip off the end of his tail (wince!). The skin never grows back after de-gloving so it is best to remove the bone - which could catch or become infected and would take longer to heal. Dublin had to have an anaesthetic -which always carries a small risk with tiny animals. I was annoyed to discover that the vet viewed his injury so minor that “it wouldn’t bother him” when it obviously did. After a tense hour or so wait we returned to pick Dublin up and he was fine - a little groggy but okay. I wasn’t given any painkillers for Dublin, so I gave him a tiny amounts of Calpol for the next two days. Again, I wouldn’t advise this - too much paracetamol could be dangerous or fatal - always ask your vet first!
Dublin recovered remarkably quickly, and his tail has now completely healed! Yeah!
Dublin post-operation
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating cereal and grapes.
I’ve had several comments in the discussion areas about how to tame shy rats, so here are my replies, and a couple of useful links about the subject:
For Nervous Rats
Why not try putting your rats on a bed (with you on it) or a table or kitchen top so that they can’t hide from you. They don’t normally try jumping off. Have a blanket or box they can return to if they feel nervous. Let them sniff your hands and get used to your hands being near to them before picking them up. Some ratties are more shy than others, so try to be patient - they will come around. My older rats prefer to run up on to me rather than me picking them up, but they tolerate it and will keep still for me now, when they were babies they would wriggle and try to run off too. It just takes time, and keep trying - the more contact you have with your rats, the more they will learn to trust you.
How to Approach New Shy Rats
My advice is to offer them treats and try and handle them as much as possible. A way to trust-train them is to keep them on your person for at least 20 minutes a day - I mean don’t let them on the floor or anywhere but where you are. Even if you just keep your hand near them at first - not to pick up - offer treats till they associate you with good things. I used a box with Jinx & Dublin - they could play in the box and I put my hand in the box near them all the time - they were soon running up my arm to explore! Try not to move to fast towards them if you can. I had to put some of my boys (one at a time) in a pouch where they felt secure and let my hand rest near them.
If they don’t like you picking them up out of their cage or don’t come out by themselves - don’t chase them - this will only make them more scared of your hands - either offer food to encourage or get a pouch or bag and get them used to it - then you can use it to get them out (they will run into the safety of the pouch). Dublin and Jinx used to step from their bed to the pouch and I would carry them in it to the box. It was a secure place to explore from while they were getting used to me. I didn’t let them on the floor (main play area) until they were used to me.
The best treat for trust-training is yoghurt on a spoon - rats love it and they have to stay to lick the spoon - they can’t just run off with it!!
Useful Links
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating coconut pieces.
Dublin and Jinx feigning innocence
Yes, it’s true - rats can have hormonal mood swings and teenage angst too!
My youngest two rats have been doing a lot of posturing and having increasing skirmishes.
Jinx has been a complete bully to poor laid back Dublin, by chasing him off the fresh food I put in the cage. I’m not intervening, because Dublin certainly doesn’t look underfed - in fact he’s the bigger of the two rats. It doesn’t help that Stripe has found a way to climb up their cage and agitates them both to distraction, if I don’t get there fast enough!
I’ve had to improvise a makeshift wall to seal off the cage from climbing rats, especially after Jinx discovered he could scale the cage too.
Last week, Jinx attacked Dublin for a dog biscuit, and chased him across the room. Half way along, Dublin changed direction, and ran straight up to my shoulder for protection!!
Stripe, Shy-Shy and Pip are still the best of mates. Pip tells them off if they get out of line, but he’s a fair boss. It still seems strange without their brother Rocky - the cage seems quieter with only the three of them.
Here’s some recent shots of them:
is my cheesy wedge!
it tickles
hi!
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating sunflower seeds
Merry Christmas from the Ratties!!
My clever mum made these xmas mice, although they look more like rats to me!
The boys have a brand new home: A glorious Explorer cage from Pet World Direct. It’s fabulous. It’s well built and sturdy, with plenty of room, while having a much smaller “footprint” than my previous Furet XL. The bar spacing is great - it would suit young rats from 6 weeks old. The price was fantastic. So easy to clean! The only draw back with the cage that I can see is that it’s very heavy, so it’s not so easy to transport - but you can unscrew it all and flat pack it. I’ve thrown these cage furnishings together, so it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as it could be, but here it is:
The rats are extremely comfortable in their new abode, as you can see here:
Stripe taking it easy
Jinx and Dublin live in the top portion, and Shy-Shy, Stripe and Pip live in the bottom.
Jinx peeps out of his new house
Today my lovely rats are mostly dreaming of eating Christmas dinner!
Rocky took ill with a tumour only a short time ago, and began to lose weight rapidly. I fed him soft food twice a day for as long as I could, but last night he didn’t even attempt to come out of his bed. He was panting with every small movement, so I decided it was time to let him go.
We took him to the vet this morning, wrapped in a fleece, and he gave me one last feeble brux when I scritched his neck. He very rarely bruxed, so this was a lovely last memory of him to treasure.
Here’s some pictures of him through his too short life:
Here he is when we first took him home, at 6 weeks old. All the boys were very nervous, but Rocky was the first to venture out and explore the big wide world that was our dining room floor!
“Hi!”
Sleepyhead
This picture was taken when Rocky was still a youngster, full of vigour and mischief. He always gave me a cheeky nibble on my ankle in the same place, whenever it was free range time! He did that all through his life, right up until he got sick. When he was little, he was always the first one to find a place I didn’t want him to go, and was very good at evading detection, by hiding in the most unreachable places!
Rocky soon filled out and became a big bruiser of a rat!
Peepo!
Rocky looking his adorable self. He was such a handsome rat! He was very poor sighted and used to rock his head from side to side (like Stevie Wonder!) as if he was dancing.
One of the very last pictures of Rocky. He was enjoying his baby porridge, only stopping to rest briefly. He loved his food, possibly more than any rat should!
Goodbye Rocky, go run free at the Rainbow Bridge. You will be forever in our memories and hearts.
Today my lovely rats are mostly eating a little less in their dish.
I found these photos the other day of our first rats which we used to keep about ten years ago.
Ratty
Ratty was my boyfriend’s favourite (before his allergy to rats got worse), and although he was very shy, Ratty felt happy being held by him, especially near the end of his life. Poor Ratty, his story is quite sad.
My other half found him in a local pet shop, being bullied by his siblings. He was the runt of the litter, and on several visits to the pet shop, it seemed that he was being chased away from the food dish. So my boyfriend took pity on him, and took him home.
I remember how scared Ratty was at first, and I held him in my jumper for a long time, until he fell asleep. I guess I was feeling particularly maternal because I was pregnant on my first daughter Hannah, only I didn’t know it at the time!
We didn’t know much about rats, only a friend of ours kept a lone male rat who continually scampered across the cupboards and bookshelves in his flat. I know we had a book about rats, but didn’t have access to the extensive information you can find now, via the internet.
After a couple of weeks of Ratty continuing to be very nervous of us and I was scared of him biting (he kept putting his teeth round my finger), we decided he might be happier if he had a friend. So we went back to the pet shop and bought one of his brothers, Ruby.
They were 11 weeks old when we tried to introduce them, and knowing nothing about the correct procedures of rat intros, it all went terribly wrong. Ratty was horrified that there was another rat in his territory and fluffed right up, making the most horrendous noise. In the end we didn’t know what else to do but to separate them and buy another cage for Ruby.
Ratty never got over his shyness and after a couple of years succumbed to the terrible Mycoplasmosis, his breathing got very rattly, and in the end he had to be put to sleep. I think he was about two and a half years.
Ruby
Here’s Ruby, my dizzy boy. He was content in his own funny way. What he lacked in intelligence he made up for in his gentle quirkiness! He was given the name Ruby because of his ruby coloured eyes, and because of his effeminate nature. Ratty was the big butch boy rat, and Ruby was such a contrast - he was slight and fast, and ran about everywhere, right up until his later months, rather like female rats are inclined to do. He followed his brother to the rainbow bridge within a few short months of old age.
Today my lovely rats are eating cheese wedges.
I took Rocky to the vets yesterday, because over the last few days he appeared to be losing condition. His fur looked odd (kind of fluffed up and messy) and three days ago I noticed he was an odd pear shape. When I picked him up he felt really bloated around his abdomin and he was dirty under his tail (he had had diarrhoea). Also, the most worrying aspect of all - he felt bony around his upper body and that’s unusual for Rocky - he’s normally quite rounded.
I thought it might be that he was constipated or something, but the vet’s diagnosis was much worse - he felt around Rocky’s body and said that he could feel a hard mass which was most probably a tumour, connected to his bowel (the reason for the diarrhoea). It was such a shock.
It was only a week or so ago that he appeared completely fine. The vet said that he could do an exploratory operation, but that it would be risky and stressful for Rocky, and that if the tumour was attached to an organ there would be little they could do, as it would grow back.
He advised me to let him be for now, and to make him as comfortable as possible and give him his favourite treats etc. He said the fact that he’s lost weight so quickly is not a good sign, and that I should take him back when he stops eating or appears to be suffering. I don’t want to put him through an operation if it’s unlikely to work, but he’s not even two yet. It’s so upsetting.
On the upside Rocky has still got a healthy appetite, and is still doing all his normal ratty things, and cuddling up with his brothers!
Sighhh.
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating humble pie.
Here’s a few more great mugshots of my six handsome bucks!
Rocky, 19 months old
Jinx, 5 months old
Shy-Shy, 19 months old
Stripe, 19 months old
Dublin, 5 months old
Pip, 19 months old
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating apple slices
I made another attempt to reintroduce all the rats on neutral ground with the following results.
Shy-Shy accepted both the younger two rats, and even groomed Dublin affectionately. Pip wasn’t so sure but seemed to tolerate the new boys for the whole duration, and he actually sniffed them a few times, rather than completely ignoring them like he normally does. Rocky lasted a whole 10 minutes before getting agitated, and I put him in his box before he got aggressive. Stripe was the first to go in the “naughty box” because he fluffed right up and began to chase the younger two. Jinx got in a flap and when Pip ventured too near him he yelped in a squealy voice. I will continue to repeat this, but I’m afraid I will have to consider keeping the new bucks separate for now.
Stripe & Pip sniff Dublin
“Fluffed up” Stripe calms down with mashed banana
Jinx freaks out as Pip approaches
Today my lovely rats have been mostly eating mashed banana