Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / February 2008

Hi everyone.  It's been awhile.  We've been very busy with new rats, and
having sadness with one of our older girls, Buttons.

First the fun news.

We adopted Bernard, Nigel, Little Bear and Joe.  All of these boys came
from two different Humane Societies.

Bernard is about a year old, brown and white, and he doesn't play well
with others.  He was being aggressive with the previous owner's other
rat(s) and so she gave him up. We got him neutered and treated for what
we suspect is mites, although skin scrapings didn't reveal that, as
usual.  He is starting to settle down some but can be aggressive.  At
least now, when he bites he doesn't draw blood!  He needs some extra
time and patience.  In a few days, we will try VERY GRADUAL
introductions and see if we can eventually get him into one of the other
cages.  He's very funny and territorial about his own cage, that's his
personal space.  But I believe with enough work he'll come around, or at
least he'll live on his own for the rest of his life in a better
environment.  I'd really like to get him into a colony.  We'll have to
see.  Any advice on this process would be greatly appreciated. (later
Sunday) Well we tried intros between Bernard and Chuckles and Darla.
Chuckles thought she was going to get lucky, not realizing that Bernard
has been fixed, so she spent a good deal of time flirting.  At first
Bernard minded his own business, but when he started sniffing Darla, she
must have moved or something and he attacked her.  So we broke that up.
 Then after flirting and pursuing with Chuckles, Bernard attacked
Chuckles!!!!  Wow, what an aggressive little rat he is.  I wonder what
happened in his childhood.  HERE'S AN INDELICATE QUESTION: His penis
always sticks out.  Always.  I don't think he ever puts it away.  Any
ideas on what could be wrong?  Maybe this is making him cranky.

Nigel, Little Bear and Joe are about 10 weeks for the first two, and Joe
is about 13 weeks.  They are such cute, sweet little boys!  I love it
when they play in the rat room and wrestle, making what we call a "rat
vortex."  Nigel is champagne colored with ruby eyes.  The other boys are
black with white bellies. Nigel is very outgoing and Joe is very
friendly.  Little Bear is the most timid but he's coming around.  We
call these boys the poop factories.  I cannot believe how much they
poop!  And they haven't yet figured out that it's best to poop in the
bottom of the cage so we have poop detail quite often.

(Sunday) Buttons is about 2 1/2. She has a wicked growth above her eye.
 We took her in a week and a half ago and the vet was suspecting/hoping
it was an
infection. We've been doing antibiotics and warm compresses (which she
loves, of course.) It wasn't improving much so I took her back in
yesterday, got a different antibiotic and steroids to take down the
inflammation.  The vet thought it's either cellulitis, an infection of
the tissue, or possibly a cancer of the gland of her third eyelid.
Either way, the swelling needs to come down for surgery if it turns out
to be cancer.  So we're on a strict every-eight-hour schedule for this
new antibiotic, oxytetracycline.  I got up at 4:30 this morning and gave
her the first oral does of the next five days.  At 11:00 am I found her
to be wheezing and struggling to breathe and using accessory muscles to
breathe.  AHHHHHH!!! The vet thinks she reacted to the new antibiotic.
(Monday) I took Buttons in. She was still having breathing problems.
Turns out it looked like cancer that has possibly metastasized to her
lungs.  So we put her to sleep.  I've had one rat go for each of the
last four months.  This SUCKS.  Buttons was my favorite.  Very sweet
girl, playful and loving.  I will miss her a lot.

Wow, this is really long.  Sorry.  It's just good for me to type.
Thanks for being here.

I hope everyone is doing good and your little fuzzies are happy.

-Marlo