We adopted again-
 

Rose and Ian are now rat parents-:snap:

Rose's is black and white- named Annabelle-Ian's is cream and white and is named Sugar (and she has a shack- yes, the Sugar Shack)

Sweet little girls!

-any tips fellow rat parents? It's been a while since I had rats in my life-

So that tops us out-2 dogs, 4 cats, 1 fish, 2 ferrets and 2 rats.

Yeah- all done.

pictures please

About all I know about rats is that they make good food for snakes and other reptiles.

I been Lol-ing them-

link

another-Ian is taking her wherever he goes-link

"Sorry, this lol has been deleted by the user who created it. "

But I dig the first one. :)

odd- I did not delete them-try again

I see the problem. There's a broken line break tag in the hyperlink. Specifically the <br /> bit at the end.

Mousey Girl is your expert here at the LoT, I believe.

CongRats on your new babies! (Sorry, couldn't resist....)

I've had ratties ever since college. They are one of my favorite little animals (MUCH better for kids than gerbils or hamsters). Right now we have 4 ratties: 1 blue hooded, 1 buff hooded and 2 hairless. The buff (Timon...his brother Pumba died about 1 1/2 years ago) is about 3, the others range from 1-2 years old).

These rats don't get as much individual attention as past ratties have, but all of them are very sweet and friendly. If you interact with them enough, you can teach them tricks just like little dogs. I had one in college that would come when you called him, sit up...all sort of cute things.

Interestingly, the cats have never seemed to have much interest in them. the rats aren't afraid of the cats and will actually approach them (under supervision, of course)...we think the cats think that the rats are some kind of sociopathic freaks who might go crazy all over them (I mean, aren't they supposed to run in fear, or something?!?!)

Oh, and they looooooooove almost any human food, especially McDonald's cheeseburgers.

Why is that? I have no experience with rodents, so I honestly don't know.

Rats has brains.

(And are much more social.)

I used to have a gray rat named "Percival".

My friend in high school had a rat - very smart, very cute and loving.

Anyone here have/had hamsters? I was wondering what they're like. Are they really dumb? I think they're the cutest of the little guys (rabbits are in a whole other class ;) )

Rats (generally) don't bite, they actually like to be held and played with (when I go to their cage they all run over and want attention), they are active during the day, they are sturdy and tend to be fairly healthy (the hairless ones seem to, in my experience, be an exception...they tend to have more health issues and have a weird tendency to get hair impacted under their eyelids), they are calm, they are trainable, they aren't squirmy to hold...

Hamsters...I've had a few. Very cute but IMO kind of nasty little animals. They don't like to be held, they bite, they are active at night...mostly they just want you to leave them alone. I've known a couple of sweet hamsters, but even then, they just don't have much interest in interacting. The dwarf hamsters are even worse, they are just this side of their wild ancestors and show it (albeit extremely cute). I don't know that they are dumb, per se, just extremely disinterested.

**Oh, and FYI to Nephy and anyone else getting a rodent...DO NOT keep them on cedar or pine shavings. The aromatic oils can cause severe respiratory problems and significantly reduce life span.

It's also not good for their skin.

Yup- they live on paper pulp.

Last night was fun- we have learned that Sugar is happiest perched on Ian's shoulder. She will just sit there forever it seems. She also fell asleep in my hands.

Annabelle is more outgoing- but she made a hammock for herself out of Rose's sleeve and slept there for quite a while.

The cats stay clear-they watch but do not engage-my chihuahua is interested but shies away from them- Raylie on the other hand is a large black ball of determined fur. Her giant tail wagging a mile a minute she tried to get near them over and over-poor Annabelle was in her ball when Raylie came in- poor thing! Raylie stuck her face near the ball and followed her everywhere until we realized and rescued poor Annabelle.

So you all know about the Sugar Shack-well Annabelle has a log- which Rose calls the Anna-log. Heehee:p

I am sitting at 6 girls. Blinky is, by far, the most outgoing. They enjoy a wide variety of food. Mine get table scraps, rice, potatos, vegies, ect... Just avoid giving them meat, especially red meat. I have done so by accident and phew!

When they outgrow their shack & log, milk cartons work really well. When I only had 2 (growing up) I would cut it in half and push it together to keep it small emough for them to stay warm.

A hammock seems to be the bed of choice. I have it strung at the top of the cage, and it is normal to have all 6 in there at once. Ferret toys and cage accessories work well for rats.

Make sure they have stuff to chew on. There are a lot of neat treats and chew sticks out there.

ummm... that is all for now.

They sound like such fun pets. But I get a bit grossed out when I see them in person with their little wiggle noses and long tails.

When there is a mouse at work running around (it's pretty rural and happens a few times a year in our office area and/or showroom) I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to hop on a chair and dance like some woman in an old cartoon.

But with all your talk about them, they seem like such sweet little animals that want to be part of a family.

How could this gross you out? ;)
(They are probably a couple of weeks old here.)






:D

So cute!

So cute. I got my rat Gina a year ago as a Xmas present from a former coworker. :) She's grey and white and i love her. She is smart and will go near the cage whenever i go near the doorway. She sits up and waits for her daily treat yogurt drop. If she doesn't get one she will act out/act up. Kind of like a kid who has a temper tantrum. She loves to sit on my shoulder and curl up there. I don't really take her out of her cage much due to all the other animals but she is the sweetest most loving rodent i've ever had. Yup no cedar chips either. It's paper.

As for hamsters i've had two really mean ones. The first one not too mean but still and i got her from PetSmart. She died and then i went to replace her with a very smaller meaner one and somehow she or the cats got her out of her cage and she was toast 2 weeks into having her. So i went to a pet store by our house and picked randomly. The hamster i have now is super duper sweet. He's a black long haired teddy bear hamster. I can actually pick him up bare handed. I can't do that with any other hamster. He has tried to bite me but somehow never has broken the skin. He loves to be held and will just sit in my hands letting me pet him for minutes. He loves his ball which i put him in while cleaning out his cage. If i were to get a hamster as a pet do not get one from PetSmart or PetCo i'd go to a petstore where they use hands on with the small animals and really do some investigation.

Rats the ones we sell at PetSmart are ok considering where Gina came from.

So last night we had a horrible scare.

The girls were in their cages- they had gotten their Christmas toys and were safely tucked away. In the afternoon we all left save for Davis and his GF. We left the dogs out, the cats- and the rats and ferrets safely (we thought) in their cages.

We screwed up.

Our big dog Raylie- she’s 65 pounds of german shepherd and lab and she has been TOO interested in Annabelle…..

We got home around 6pm. Braden went downstairs to the basement-and came booking back up-

“Ian, PLEASE tell me the girls were in one cage?!”

“what?”

“Ian, PLEASE!! Tell me the girls were in one cage!!!”

“No….”

“One is missing!”

Braden Ian and Rose bolt downstairs- I came slower- dreading what we would find. Rose comes running back to me in tears- Annabelle is missing.

I went downstairs- and it was a nightmare. Cage bashed open- litter everywhere. Looks like a war went down. I sent Rose upstairs because I was steeling myself to find Annabelle dead.

I started tiptoeing through the mess and she must have heard me- must have heard our voices- because THANKFULLY- right away her little black head popped out from under the TV stand. Ian got her out and she was put through a round of cuddles and kisses.

After examining the scene of the attack it would appear that Raylie bashed in the side of the cage- and in doing so knocked the whole thing loose. Annabelle must have escaped in the chaos- she did scrape her leg but the scrape is so tiny as to be almost not there-and hidden under the TV stand- and Raylie could not get to her.

We, and I especially- feel horrible. Their cages were on the ground- I just assumed they were ok when we left. I never should have left them down-add to that the fact that Annabelles cage had a defect so the hooks don’t line up quite right so we bent it out and hooked it ourselves-that was the side she bashed in. Plus the basement door has not been fixed- if it had been there neither of the other two problems would have mattered.

So I am going to buy some small padlocks- lock each corner of each cage and one for the door. They will be off the floor and I have told my parents I need my Dad’s help putting up the new door.

It was awful- and wonderful at the same time- Annabelle is certainly our little Christmas miracle.

Whew!!! I'm glad she was safe!

This has nothing to do with the problem you have but you really might want to consider putting both rats in one cage. Rats are very social and love to be with buddies. They almost always accept newcomers and generally don't need their own "territory" (my 4 boys sleep heaped in one big pile in their hammock). And since you have 2 girls, no worries about baby ratties. :)

:)

The problem is that the rat parents live in two rooms and want their girls with them- we are likely going to add a second rat to each at some point-or as a middle road solution- let the girls hang out together during the day and then let them go to their rooms with their people at night.

The girls now have cagemates-

Ian adopted a Rex rat- named her Zim. She a black hooded rat- very sweet and curious.

I just happened to contact a lady at the petstore who has a young Dumbo rat who needs a home for free- so Rose will be adopting her and right now plans to name her Isabelle. She is white with black spots. We will be picking her up today-

-and I fell for a sweet little Dumbo rat whom I have named Nani. Right now she is rooming with Annabelle-I will be moving her into my room soon.

So we have 5 girls.

Annabelle is totally back to normal- no more limp at all. Raylie is being much better behaved-thankfully!

You simply cannot post something about pets and not post photos.

So cute!

been having trouble with my photo bucket- will try to get a collection uploaded tonight when they are all home.

Dumbo rats are totally great. They are known for their loving, sweet dispositions.

I miss my Hollywog.

O tried to get me to hold a dumbo rat this weekend which is a total attempt to take advantage of poor Mommy. She knows if she can get me to hold one, her chances of taking it home go up exponentially. 4 dogs, 3 cats, 4 rats, 2 hermit crabs and 3 (soon to be 4) fish tanks is way past any sane person's animal limit.:rolleyes:

He WAS rather cute though...:D

5 rats
4 cats
2 dogs
2 ferrets
1 fish

I just love being surrounded by furry (and finny) life.

10 cats
1 dog
11 fish

LOL-this is what did me in on Nani. We were in the habitat and the lady was telling Rose about the rat she has that we are adopting from her-and she handed me Nani. Poor little dear is very young and was freaked out unless you held her against your chest and then she just nuzzled in-I had to have her.

She's gray and white- very different from her pack of sisters.

Someone stop me before I decide she needs a cagemate too- she can just go bunk with the others...right? Heh!:D

I think we need to stage an intervention.

Would you like a cat?

Yes, but our landord wouldn't be pleased.

2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 rat at the moment, 1 hamster, 2 guinea pigs and 1 beta fish. And the other day i almost adopted another hamster by a customer who didn't want the one they had just gotten (not from PetSmart) but i can't handle another hamster. A rat maybe since they can be housed together but probablly won't get another one til Gina goes onto rat heaven. Then i might get 2 at the same time.

No more cats. We had an outside cat adopt us and he or she roams the outside at times in the evening. Sweetest grey cat ever and pretty markings. I think the cat belongs behind us but not sure.
I fostered a cat way back in July but found a home for him the only time i'd take another one in for now lol...

Not to mention when it's time to clean out the cages and tank. I usually do them all at one time same day. The guinea pigs i'm finding are very messy and smelly. CM was right sorry CM. But Gina is the cleanest animal i've had to take care of even cleaner than the kitties.

1 Me
1 boyfriend
1 roommate
1 his boyfriend
2 bedrooms
1 bath

I'm with Rose, I usually take care of the cages and tanks on the same day.

People must see a furry critter sucker when they see me. A co-worker just asked me if I want their guinea Pig- it never gets attention and needs a new home.

My husband said ok-heehee

LOL guinea pigs are cute. Mine never seem to get enough attention but then again i hardly have the time for them so i feel guilty of sorts.

I'm the same way though i think i have this "hidden sign on my forehead" that says i'll take in anything. :)

Congrats. :) Make sure you put Vitamin C drops in their water cuz they need the Vitamin C. And that they have a daily supply of Timothy Hay. Mine don't seem to go thru the hay as fast as their food lately. I'm finding i go thru a 5 lb bag of food in 2 weeks.

I have been a guinea pig mom before-Nutmeg drank Tang. :) That was how the vet suggested we handle the vitamin C need.

Now I wanna rename the guinea pigs "Armstrong" and "Aldrin" for some reason :D

-and in the ever evolving "as the rat turns" saga-

We have decided to get a penthouse cage and put all 5 girls in together. I am returning the unopened cage I bought for Nani-and we will keep or sell the other two.

I picked up a "playpen" for small animals-yeah-only small animals with NO climbing ability. It was a whack a mole game- pluck off the escaping rat and plunk her back in the pen. Yeah- that's going back too.

They will love being together. Ours are in an extra large free-standing rabbit hutch decorated with ferret hammocks and hanging fabric tubes (again, from the ferret section), ramps, observation posts, etc. Really, most any plaything that is appropriate for a ferret or guinea pig is rattie safe. They also seem to enjoy when I move all of their stuff around. It's like a new adventure!

hmm, we bought two ferret hammocks-Sugar and Annabelle ate through two of the straps and chewed holes in it.

Advice?

My girls have a rat condo. Last night their hammock fell apart. They were all very interested in the replacement hammock this morning. It is a plush one instead of nylon. I see bodies in it, so they finally accepted it.

I just wish I could have seen them when it broke. :evil:

we bought a rat penthouse today-

the log is on the top shelf-with a hammock hanging out above the next level. second level has snacks and water-
bottom level has a wheel (which we bought tonight- Nani and Isabelle love it) a clay flower pot with a pile of bedding for them to nest in-another food bowl and water- as well as the remains of the sugar shack.

Throw in some wood sticks to chew on and a couple toilet paper tubes and you have happy rats.

Will work on pictures- still having trouble.

Tomorrow the guniea pig comes home-so....
5 rats- Annabelle, Sugar, Zim, Nani and Isabelle
4 cats- Sera, Tumbles, Belle and Jojo
2 ferrets- Karma and Puck
2 dogs- Raylie and Comet
1 fish- Oooze
1 Guinea Pig- Clover (unless Braden changes her name)

Would like more fish- but I keep ending up with bettas. Will have a tank someday-

Ok now you make me want to get a rat condo or something like that. But i will wait til i can get another rat or two when the time comes to replace Gina. :)

I got my condo at PetCo. It has 3 partial levels, 1 full level and the bottom of the cage. It has a built in wheel.

Here a pic of it:



Here it is after a night where the girls got bored (I line the tray with newspaper and put the litter over it):

That's really cute. I do not go to Petco actually all the ones out here are closing. But that gives me ideas for looking elsewhere. :) I know Gina would have been happier with bunkmates and a bigger home.

A stern talking to? :D

LOL

Raylie is fascinated by them- she keeps trying to lick them through the bars. Tail wagging-but I question her motives. The cage is a rat Fort Knox-we have small padlocks- two on each corner at the top and lower levels-a lock on each of the two doors-and then we used floral wire to "sew" gaps shut where the cage walls meet- three on each corner- top, middle and bottom.

Clover is on her way home right now-she's adorable!