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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / July 2008we got a new critter
Hello all. After a bad experience with a couple of hamsters, yesterday we brought home a 5 week old blue rat from Petsmart. She's a cute and friendly little bugger. I want this critter to be happy and healthy. She's in a 24x12x14 wire cage with hamster/rat food pellets, water bottle, and a couple of tube socks. :-) We're using that paper-like bedding stuff, not wood chips. There are three cats here, but so far they haven't shown any interest in the cage or its contents. My daughter wants to stick her in a damn hamster ball, but for some reason I don't like the idea of that. I also don't see the need for a wheel in her cage since they didn't seem interested in wheels in the store. I'd appreciate general advice from rat people. ;-) How can I best ensure this critter's health and well-being?  Signature"Because all you of Earth are idiots!" ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ On Jun 16, 7:01 am, freemont <freem...@spammenotfreemontsoffice.com> wrote: > Hello all. After a bad experience with a couple of hamsters, yesterday we > brought home a 5 week old blue rat from Petsmart. She's a cute and [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > "Because all you of Earth are idiots!" > ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ Get more rats. At a minimum one more. Rats are social creatures and need/crave community. As for the hamster ball, some take to them and some don't. Realize that your rat will out grow that little thing and if it takes to the ball then you may end up with a guinea pig sized ball. 8^) Mind you some rats get motion sickness in the ball. This is a bad thing as rats can't vomit. -- Keith I know enough to know I know nothing Hi. I concur on getting her company. They do so much better with friends. I have found that taking care of 2 or 3 rats is no harder than taking care of 1 rat. What is her name? You will love rats... smart, inquisitive, friendly, interesting. Also, I would recommend getting her a wheel, girls especially seem to like wheels. Even if she uses it just a little bit it gives her variety and exercise. I prefer the comfort wheel, it's not very expensive: http://www.amazon.com/Crittertrail-Comfort-Wheel-Giant-diameter/dp/B0002AS94M They're pretty quiet and there's nothing for little toes to get caught in. I also prefer to order Harlan Teklab lab blocks from: http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/content/view/35 Let us know how it goes! -Marlo > On Jun 16, 7:01 am, freemont <freem...@spammenotfreemontsoffice.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > Keith > I know enough to know I know nothing >> Get more rats. At a minimum one more. Rats are social creatures and >> need/crave community. As for the hamster ball, some take to them and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> Keith >> I know enough to know I know nothing > Hi. > I concur on getting her company. They do so much better with friends. I [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Let us know how it goes! > -Marlo Hello Marlo and Rattus. :-) My daughter has named the critter Pippy. I added a toilet paper roll and a piece of cardboard that's folded twice to make a little hut. She really seems to appreciate these two items - she's spending all her spare time under the hut, and sometimes she pulls the roll under there to chew on it. I guess she's done with the roll when she sticks it on top of the hut. :-\ Then she'll pull it back under there again. I'm on the fence about another rat. Is a cage of the dimensions I mentioned big enough for two? I also doubt there's room for a wheel. The hamster ball is going back to the store. She sneezes a lot. There's no draft in the cage as far as I can tell. Is this normal? Signature"Because all you of Earth are idiots!" ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ > Marlo writ: > [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > She sneezes a lot. There's no draft in the cage as far as I can tell. > Is this normal? It's normal for rats to sneeze when they're getting used to a new environment - it's a kind of stress thing, I think. If it goes on longer than a couple of weeks, though, and you've eliminated anything else that might be causing it, like bedding, smoke, air-fresheners, draughts, etc., she might need to go to the vets. I have no idea whether the cage you're using is big enough for two rats, as you don't mention what you're measuring it in - inches? centimetres? Furlongs? :-P Assuming, though, that you mean inches (since it's the only one that makes sense :-) ), the cage is only just big enough for a single rat, really - they can grow quite big. As she grows, there won't be enough space in her cage for her to move around much or get enough exercise, so she would need to be taken out for as long as possible every day for exercise. Even if you were not to get Pippy a friend, I suspect the cage you have will not really be big enough for to be as happy and healthy as she could be. I do agree with the other posters, though: rats are much happier when they live with other rats, and don't believe any myths about single rats being better pets because they focus on humans instead. It's not true. I don't mean to nag or anything, honest, I'm just trying to give you some information so you can decide what you're going to do. The toilet roll and the folded cardboard hut are a great idea - I've never met a rat yet that didn't like hiding in cardboard boxes and destroying them! Another thing you can do to keep her mentally stimulated and also help her diet is to give her small amounts of fresh food to supplement her dried food - they like fresh fruit and veg, starchy foods like bread and (cooked) potatoes, and also meat - but they shouldn't have too much meat (or nuts - they're very high in fat and protein). My rats tend to get leftovers from dinner, as I don't salt my food - a little spaghetti in tomato sauce, leftover mashed potatoes and carrots, that sort of thing. If you give them too much fresh food, they can sometimes get diarrhoea, which is not nice, so smallish amounts are best. I give about a tablespoon per rat of supplementary food, but my rats are large adult males, so Pippy might want less. My rats like to gnaw on bones, too. I've personally never owned a rat that did anything with a wheel other than go to sleep or store food in it. I think they have to get the habit young. If you do decide to get one, you should go for a solid plastic one, rather than a wire one, as rats seem to be clumsy with them and prone to getting feet and tails trapped in between the bars of wire ones, which is pretty painful (and expensive - vet bills!) What they do love is hammocks, which you can make pretty simply and cheaply: squarish piece of tightly woven fabric (so they won't get their claws caught in it) - I use yellow dusters - make a small hole in each corner, and tie the corners to the top of the cage with string or cable-ties or something, making sure it's loose enough for the rats to get in. Most rats like chewing and destroying them, so I wouldn't buy any expensive ones from the pet-shop unless and until you know she's not a chewer. Sorry to bombard you with all this - hope some of it at least was helpful. Good luck, and i hope everything goes well. Rosemary you NEED a second rat. There is no excuse. It will have an absolutely miserable life if it's alone, unlike hamsters. You will also need to get a larger cage. PLEASE do some research on rats. I'd hate to see yet another uninformed person make life a living hell for a pet. Honestly, the law should require that people take a test before they are allowed to own pets. > Honestly, the law should require that people take a test before they are > allowed to own pets. The law should require that people meet face-to-face after they post obnoxious and petulant remarks like yours to a public online forum. I have done and am doing research; what the hell am I doing here, asking for advice? I looked around the Web also, and the information conflicts sometimes, but the one constant is "Keep more than one rat!". I get it. But it's not going to happen today. We'll need a bigger cage. For what it's worth, I share your sentiment whenever I see cats that aren't paid any attention, or dogs that are always left outside, chained to a tree. I don't understand why people bother to get pets when they have no intention of spending any time with them. I look down on these people. I am not one of them. This little creature will get the best care and attention we can give. Please bear these things in mind before you post another juvenile response to me. Research is why I'm posting to this group in the first place. Signature"Because all you of Earth are idiots!" ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ > you NEED a second rat. There is no excuse. It will have an absolutely > miserable life if it's alone, unlike hamsters. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Honestly, the law should require that people take a test before they are > allowed to own pets. I don't know if that's really the most helpful thing to post to someone who's making the effort to look for information about pet rats. When it comes to it, there is no law that says rats cannot be kept alone, so trying to help people understand why it's not a good idea to have a lone rat, and trying to persuade them it's a good idea to get another, is likely to have a better outcome than alienating people who've come looking for advice. JM2C Rosemary > I don't know if that's really the most helpful thing to post to someone > who's making the effort to look for information about pet rats. When it > comes to it, there is no law that says rats cannot be kept alone, so trying > to help people understand why it's not a good idea to have a lone rat, and > trying to persuade them it's a good idea to get another, is likely to have > a better outcome than alienating people who've come looking for advice. You persuade your way, I'll persuade mine. I don't care about the guy, I care about his rats. Nothing upsets me more than people who don't treat their animals right. > You persuade your way, I'll persuade mine. Your method of persuasion in your post was not persuasive in the least, it was petty and estranging. > Nothing upsets me more than people who don't treat their animals right. I feel the same way. I daydream about chaining these people to a tree with filthy water and scraps to eat, and ignoring them. See how they like it. > I don't care about the guy, I care about his rats. You don't care about the guy, you care about his rats. But who's going to take care of the rats? I think that decent people would care about both. But since you "don't care about the guy", why don't we just plonk each other and be done with it. I'll go first. Signature"Because all you of Earth are idiots!" ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ <shnip good stuff about rats> > Sorry to bombard you with all this - hope some of it at least was helpful. > Good luck, and i hope everything goes well. Thanks, Rosemary! I won't concern myself about the sneezing for now. As for the cage, of course I was measuring in inches. :-) This cage, as you noted, won't be enough for two or eventually even one. So at some point in the near future, we'll be getting another rat and a bigger cage. If we're really, really lucky, the store will take this cage back. My wife thinks there's a chance of that happening - I'm not so optimistic. I hope that the same litter of rats will be there so we can get a sibling. They were all female. I've tried offering treats but she's not real interested: carrot: x celery: x raisin: x pear: x cherry: finally ate some of it Of course I didn't give her the whole cherry, but a slice of it. Pits are bad, I read. I have a hunch she'll like apple, for some reason. She really likes her pellets far more than anything else so far. And she loves her cardboard hut and toilet paper roll. I gave her a new roll last night. I don't think I'll ever bother with a wheel. As for the hammock - what do they do, climb into it and swing around? How big a piece of fabric are we talking about? Signature"Because all you of Earth are idiots!" ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ > Rosemary writ: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Thanks, Rosemary! I won't concern myself about the sneezing for now. I hope she hasn't sneezed in your face - it's so revolting when they do that :-/ > As for the cage, of course I was measuring in inches. :-) This cage, > as you noted, won't be enough for two or eventually even one. So at [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > so optimistic. I hope that the same litter of rats will be there so we > can get a sibling. They were all female. That's great; I'm really glad to hear it. If the store doesn't take the smaller cage back, it's not entirely a lost investment - smaller cages can be used for quarantining a sick rat, or for one recovering from physical injury, so that they don't move about too much. They can also be used as travel cages. > I've tried offering treats but she's not real interested: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > pear: x > cherry: finally ate some of it Picky little beggar, isn't she? I think maybe because it's a new place with a new owner she's being cautious. She might not have been given food other than her pellets before now, and they're naturally quite neophobic about food, to avoid poisoning (I hear the SAS use the same tricks as rats - trying really tiny amounts at first to see if there's any physical effects). When she gets to know you and trust you a bit more she might be more willing to try some of the new foods. Or maybe she just isn't a big fruit and veg fan :-) > Of course I didn't give her the whole cherry, but a slice of it. Pits > are bad, I read. I have a hunch she'll like apple, for some reason. Are cherry stones poisonous like peach stones? I can't see my guys having the perseverance to gnaw through a whole cherry stone - they're lazy, sybaritic little things whose favourite food would probably be mashed potato with melted chocolate if they ever got the chance, and they'll expend as little effort as possible, usually. > She really likes her pellets far more than anything else so far. And > she loves her cardboard hut and toilet paper roll. I gave her a new > roll last night. She's probably getting through the tube inners quicker than you're using up the paper; am I right? :-D > I don't think I'll ever bother with a wheel. As for the hammock - what > do they do, climb into it and swing around? How big a piece of fabric > are we talking about? They seem to find them very comfortable to sit and eat in, sleep in, and generally relax. For a young rat, I don't think you'd need a piece of fabric above about 9" or 10" square - obviously it wouldn't take up that much room in the cage because of the slack you leave in it when you attach it to the inside of the lid. Rats that haven't met a hammock before are pretty funny to watch when they get up the courage to get in it - instead of just going with the motion of it, they brace themselves against it and try to counteract the movement, so it wobbles all over the place. I sometimes use yellow dusters (though I don't know if they do those where you live - are you from the U.S.?), folded over once, or other cloths, if I don't have any scrap material. A hammock's not exactly essential, though :-) TTYL Rosemary > That's great; I'm really glad to hear it. If the store doesn't take the > smaller cage back, it's not entirely a lost investment - smaller cages > can be used for quarantining a sick rat, or for one recovering from > physical injury, so that they don't move about too much. They can also be > used as travel cages. Dear wife says that the store agreed to take the cage back. I still think they'll back out of it. We'll see. ;-) >> I've tried offering treats but she's not real interested: >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > more willing to try some of the new foods. Or maybe she just isn't a big > fruit and veg fan :-) She was offered a "cheese cake" yesterday and loved it. It looks to me like a big cake of seeds. She liked to chew off the bigger seeds and munch on them. Today she doesn't seem too interested in it, though. >> Of course I didn't give her the whole cherry, but a slice of it. Pits >> are bad, I read. I have a hunch she'll like apple, for some reason. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > potato with melted chocolate if they ever got the chance, and they'll > expend as little effort as possible, usually. I read somewhere that some pits contain cyanide elements. I know that apple seeds do. So I'll avoid giving her any pits like that. Like you, I can't imagine her spending time to eat up a cherry pit. It can't have any flavor. >> She really likes her pellets far more than anything else so far. And >> she loves her cardboard hut and toilet paper roll. I gave her a new >> roll last night. > > She's probably getting through the tube inners quicker than you're using > up the paper; am I right? :-D Yup. :-) She's already worn this new one down to a nub. >> I don't think I'll ever bother with a wheel. As for the hammock - what >> do they do, climb into it and swing around? How big a piece of fabric [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > other cloths, if I don't have any scrap material. A hammock's not exactly > essential, though :-) Ok, I'll look into it sometime. Thanks again! I have more questions but I'll start a new thread. Signature"Because all you of Earth are idiots!" ¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·-> freemont© <-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯ <snip> > She was offered a "cheese cake" yesterday and loved it. It looks to me > like a big cake of seeds. She liked to chew off the bigger seeds and > munch on them. Today she doesn't seem too interested in it, though. Sounds interesting/bizarre! My rats sometimes get bored with things. Funnily enough, they never get bored with the cheap stuff, only with expensive or lovingly home-made food :-) <snip> > I have more questions > but I'll start a new thread. Hope you can get some useful answers. Rosemary [snip] > > Are cherry stones poisonous like peach stones? I can't see my guys having > > the perseverance to gnaw through a whole cherry stone - they're lazy, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > can't imagine her spending time to eat up a cherry pit. It can't have any > flavor. Mine think cherry stones are absolutely wonderful :-) They have the patience to nibble each and every last bit of flavour off the stone after we humans have finished with it in our inefficient way; and then they have great fun treating the stones as nuts and gnawing them through to get at the kernels. Whenever we have cherries (not very often) I save all the stones to give to the rats, and it seems to keep them happy for hours! One toy that was very successful with an earlier generation of rats was an old ping-pong ball. I think they thought it was the biggest nut in the world. They spent weeks pushing it around the cage and trying to gnaw it open -- of course it kept getting away and bouncing down to the bottom again. In the end we found it one day in a very sorry state with a gaping hole in one side; clearly the rats had finally won the contest! I'm afraid it must have been a frightful disappointment when they discovered that the giant nut was empty after all, though... SignatureIgenlode Visit the Ivory Tower http://ivory.150m.com/Tower/ - I don't want to 'fit in' any more... - That makes two of us! Hello all! I'm a newcomer to this group. I have 3 rattygirls, 1 adult & 2 young ones, in a 2-story Ferret Nation ferret cage. My DH covered the entire top with heavy-duty wire screening, since my first 2 rats liked to escape through the top when they were still small enough. He also installed a removeable sheet- aluminum "fence" around the edges of the bottom tray so they can't kick litter out so much. None of my ratties ever ventured onto a hammock, so I turned it into a "tent" by folding it in half & pinning the top edges to the roof of the cage on the 2nd story with the fold (the tent bottom) resting on the top floor. The rats love their tent & spend a great deal of time cuddling up in it. After they chewed up the original hammock, I started making my own tents out of old towels I cut up into rectangles about 12-13 inches by 18 inches. Now I have 3 tents made from an old 100% cotton bathmat that I alternate: 1 in the cage, 1 in the wash, & 1 stored away for the next tent change. This might work for you if Pippy doesn't go for a hammock. You might as well keep the small cage. It will come in handy as a travel cage or as a quarantine cage for a sick rat or a new one. New rats should be quarantined from your current rat for at least 2 weeks in case they are bringing in any respiratory infections, etc., from their place of origin. The quarantined rat should ideally be in a completely different airspace, like a neighbor's house, but if this isn't practical, put the quarantined rat in another part of the house with closed doors in between. Always handle the older rat first, then the new rats afterwards when giving care, & wash your hands well when you are done. Well-socialized ratties really are like miniature dogs! Mine do come to their names & will stand up on their hind legs like meercats, gripping the bars with their front hands, & squeak at the top of their lungs when they want me to come & get them for playtime! > <shnip good stuff about rats> > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Of course I didn't give her the whole cherry, but a slice of it. Pits are > bad, I read. I have a hunch she'll like apple, for some reason. i'm a little late into the discussion but i find that my rats like apple and don't like carrot or onion. as for the wheel, my little ones love their wheel. it's important to buy the largest size wheel that you can because if they grow too large for their wheel they will no longer use it. i think that the correct size wheel will not fit into your cage. even though i would recommend that you buy the largest cage possible, you can get by with a fairly small cage as long as the rats are allowed out often for exercise. > She really likes her pellets far more than anything else so far. you may find that she is fond of baked goods in general. rats love grain. And she > loves her cardboard hut and toilet paper roll. I gave her a new roll last > night. good move. rats love chewing on paper products. nice and soft; perhaps tasty too. > I don't think I'll ever bother with a wheel. As for the hammock - what do > they do, climb into it and swing around? How big a piece of fabric are we > talking about? they sleep in it. it doesn't need to be large. |
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