Travels of a rat in heat

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perigrine - 24 Aug 2007 03:57 GMT

How do?

I just went to give the boys out time playing on top of thier house,
and to see if they like Nutri Grains. Being the nice considerate
person I am I gave Chrissy one too, only this time she didn't come out
of her box. I figured she was being insociable. So then I got brave
and chopped up the avocado I bought (I don't eat it, so its a new
thing for me), divided half of it into boys and girls, put one bowl on
top of the boys house, put Chrissys in the cage...and heard 'meep'
from the boys. Wondering what was going on, coz they aren't usually so
vocal, I investigated.

Chrissy was on thier roof.

Now I could have sworn that before I went next door last night I put
her in her cage (which was originally Barkleys, and which she can
squeeze through the bars of). What are the chances that I really DID
put her in the cage - which she then got out of...jumped down off the
dryer or top of the cage (unused dryer is on the floor, cage on top of
that), crossed some 10 metres of floor, bypassing my cats, stray/feral
visitors, and climbed up 5 feet of wire on the front of the boys cage,
just to er..get a bit or make friends?

Or am I going insane and didn't really put her in her cage?

cheers,
one very confuzzled M (&m)

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msjdoolittle - 24 Aug 2007 04:33 GMT

Don't know how tall the dryer is... BUT... Assuming Chrissy CAN squeeze out
of her cage....not a bit surprised she ended up on top of the boys cage.

Letting Daisy out of her cage, on top of a 2 ft stand... she crosses the
floor with dogs and cats sleeping, scales the side of a 5 ft ferret cage,
jumps 2 ft to the top of the boys cage, then climbs to the top of a hospital
cage. Then she comes down and goes up a 14 step flight of stairs, chases a
rabbit down the steps to run amok betwixt and between said dogs and cats.
Repeating the course a few times in the hour or so she has out... several
other of the girls scale the ferret cage, but don't do the jump and climb to
the top of the hospital cage.

Yes, I think Chrissy could well be an adventurer... girls are always the
busy mischevious ones.

Julia and The Mischief Makers

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perigrine - 24 Aug 2007 04:56 GMT

> Don't know how tall the dryer is... BUT... Assuming Chrissy CAN squeeze out
> of her cage....not a bit surprised she ended up on top of the boys cage.

> Yes, I think Chrissy could well be an adventurer... girls are always the
> busy mischevious ones.
>
> Julia and The Mischief Makers

I reckon the dryer would be about 3 feet, give or take.

Maybe I should step up my efforts to find her a friend. I might also
try to keep the cats out of the loungeroom tonight to see where she
ends up...or put her in her own cage which she cant get out of...part
of me is of a mind that "if she isn't hurting anything..." Right now
she is asleep on the kitchen bench, which she seems to like. Company
maybe? (I have been putting her there to watch me do the dishes and
stuff the last few days)

It also makes me wonder how often she has gotten out of the cage, and
off the dryer over night and managed to get back up. Scary thoughts.

cheers,
M&m

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Joanne - 25 Aug 2007 22:05 GMT

>>Don't know how tall the dryer is... BUT... Assuming Chrissy CAN squeeze out
>>of her cage....not a bit surprised she ended up on top of the boys cage.
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> cheers,
> M&m

Rats will go to great length to find the opposite sex. ;)
But... getting her a same sex buddy is a really good idea!!

Signature

Joanne
The Rat Shack
www.jorats.com

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perigrine - 26 Aug 2007 01:17 GMT

> > Maybe I should step up my efforts to find her a friend. I might also
> > try to keep the cats out of the loungeroom tonight to see where she
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> Joanne
> The Rat Shackwww.jorats.com

Problem is, rats are as scarce as hen's teeth where I live, and I
don't want a young female. If that happens I'll have the same problem
when Christmas passes on. Two young ones might work...but well...I
prefer boys :s

I did think about getting one of the boys desexed, but taking him away
from the rest to live with just one other rat seems cruel.

You may remember Dunca, the male pet shop rat who had babies...well, I
mentioned to her owner that Christmas needed a friend, and the owner
said "she can visit Dunca" - like hell. Chrissy likes to be fed and
played with...I shall have to try harder to find one without wasting
untold amounts of money.

cheers,
M&m

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Joanne - 27 Aug 2007 03:41 GMT

>>>Maybe I should step up my efforts to find her a friend. I might also
>>>try to keep the cats out of the loungeroom tonight to see where she
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> cheers,
> M&m

Yikes... no visiting with that rattie owner.
Have you checked your local classifieds?
Good luck!

Signature

Joanne
The Rat Shack
www.jorats.com

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Marlo - 28 Aug 2007 23:28 GMT

What about getting your girl fixed and letting her live with the boys?
We've had two girls fixed and two boys fixed. We have two girls left
that have not been fixed. But the one girl, Chuckles, who is not fixed,
is in with the two fixed boys and they all get along swimmingly.
Chuckles and Buster have developed a special bond.

On the subject of traveling rats.... the boy we lost last year, Chip,
had been sick for awhile. We had him in bed with us when he had what
must have been a heart attack, but we didn't recognize it at the time.
He made noise and ran around the bed like crazy, then he went to sleep
in the bed. In the morning, he was not in the bed. He had made it out of
the bed, down the hall and up onto the couch, where we found him resting
the next morning. He died two days later from what appeared to be
another heart attack. Poor boy. I still really miss him. So anyway, they
seem to get around.

>>>> Maybe I should step up my efforts to find her a friend. I might also
>>>> try to keep the cats out of the loungeroom tonight to see where she
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> Have you checked your local classifieds?
> Good luck!

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perigrine - 29 Aug 2007 00:28 GMT

> What about getting your girl fixed and letting her live with the boys?
> We've had two girls fixed and two boys fixed. We have two girls left
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> another heart attack. Poor boy. I still really miss him. So anyway, they
> seem to get around.

I thought about it, but with Chrissy being almost two years old, the
risks of surgery are a little bit too high. I'll keep my eyes out for
another girl or two, or I could take the risk of putting her with the
boys and hope she isn't fertile anymore. :s

as a side note/question...if your rat [animal] goes in to get desexed,
and dies on the table, do you still have to pay for the surgery?

M&m

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perigrine - 29 Aug 2007 00:35 GMT

> > You may remember Dunca, the male pet shop rat who had babies...well, I
> > mentioned to her owner that Christmas needed a friend, and the owner
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> Joanne
> The Rat Shackwww.jorats.com

Ah..quite so. I have enough of an idea of what would happen that there
is no way I'll let that happen.

Classifieds, Trading Post, Freecycle, lady who rescues rats down
south, looked into importing some from the Mainland (80$+) - the pet
shop and RSPCA are the only places I haven't tried. RSPCA isn't likely
to have any, simply coz there isn't that many rats in Tasmania. Pet
shop..well..I don't really want to buy a young one, or add to the
breeding market. I am wondering if the Launceston Show will have a rat
exhibit in October, with ratties that have come over, but I wouldn't
have the slightest idea how to find that out.

cheers,
M&m

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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / August 2007

Travels of a rat in heat