Rat Crew - Where your heart grows four legs and then warms itself with its own piss

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > Rat Crew - Where your heart grows four legs and then warms itself with its own piss

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Are those crawfish in that salad there? Your rats eat better than me. :P

# ¿ Jun 25, 2010 04:17

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 02:48

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Superconsndar posted:

Haha yeah, I made crawfish bisque today and saved them a couple. Theres also chicken salad leftover from my lunch there, and the tops from greens and some peppers leftover from cooking.

Are there pics or videos of them eating the crawfish? I would love to see how that went down. I bet they ate the faces first. :3:

# ¿ Jun 25, 2010 06:40

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

EVG posted:

Maybe it was a gambian pouched rat? Different species, but looks pretty much exactly like a pet rat made huge.

In other news, found the coolest water bottle (also something that the crazy rat lady who told me about Bi-Odor had).

It looks awesome because you can fill it from the top and not need to remove from the cage (except for periodic cleaning of course).

I normally won't shop at PetCo, but I'm willing to go there to pick one of these up.

http://www.petco.com/product/108714/Super-Pet-Top-Fill-Small-Animal-Water-Bottle.aspx

The reviews on this site were mixed, but the rat lady had at least 1 on each of her like 20 cages, so they can't be too shabby!

I have something like this for my ferrets. It's a super pain in the rear end to clean. The type of mount where you're basically bolting it on is awesome, though.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2010 08:23

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Superconsndar posted:

I used to have a cage with like 8 pew girls in it and i had them all dyed like easter eggs to tell them apart

What did you use?

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 23:39

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Amiss posted:

So, first of all, some of you might remember my story about Casper choking on a bit of soy nut a while back; there was some rat-swinging "Heimlich" and a frantic late-night drive over to the 24/7 ER vet. Couple nights ago, exact same everything, except with Kovacs. I have no idea what he was choking on, though. My boyfriend and I had just taken a break from Mario Kart Wii, and I noticed Kovacs all hunched over and puffed up, sitting very still in the middle of the half-chewed egg carton. I opened the cage to check on him, which is usually his cue to spin around and start dispensing kisses to my fingers, but he just hunched up further. I got him out of the cage and immediately noticed the head-ducking thing they do when choking, so I checked his mouth, tried to get some water in there (he was having none of that), and finally resorted to some rat-swings, which dislodged a huge gob of phlegm. He was still moving slow and floppy, still ducking his head, and his breathing was still shallow, so we scooted over to the ER vet at 3 AM, where he promptly stabilized himself with no outside help, just like his brother had-- of course. Except this time they charged me $100 instead of just letting him go for free, but hey, whatever, I'd pay a lot more than that just to know he's okay. The vets loooved him; one told us, "We're sorry these are the circumstances, but we're really glad we got to meet him!" and when they brought him out, the girl who'd taken him back had him curled up in her hoodie pocket.

Rats seem to choke on things a lot. When I was visiting my friend, I was sitting by the rat cage when one of hers began to choke, so I picked him up and gave him a little rattie Heimlich and then some water all while the friend was flipping out and trying to figure out what to do. :mmmhmm:

The rat in question went back to scarfing down his food just as quickly as before when put back into the cage, and apparently learned nothing from his experience, having another choking episode the next week which my friend was able to deal with.

I wonder if he would have been able to pass it without interference?

# ¿ Jul 16, 2010 00:11

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Yarn! posted:

I've had small furry pets for years but took a hiatus after my guinea pig died a few years ago from old age. Thanks to this thread I've been inspired to adopt rats. There is a local rat rescue and I have an appointment to see them on Tuesday I'm really excited.

Seriously, this thread has made me want the gently caress out of rats. Alas, I own ferrets and hope to get a cat in a few months, so I continue to live vicariously and demand more pictures.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2010 23:52

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

CompactFanny posted:

I have both. The cages are about 6 feet away from each other. I don't think I'd get a cat too because that's just too much pets, but the rat/ferret combo works fine for me. (do it do it do it)

I could see myself considering it if I decide against getting a cat, but ferrets are tragic enough for me, I think. I don't know how to deal with animals that are not only fairly cancer-prone but also extremely short lived to boot. A friend of mine recently had the last of her original trio or ratties die and it made me sad because she got her rats a few months before I got my ferrets. The ferrets were already a few years old when I got them, and still have a few left in them. It's bad enough knowing that they've only got less than half the lifespan of a dog and around a third of a cat's, but two or three years? That's so unfair. :saddowns:

# ¿ Jul 25, 2010 05:32

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Smee posted:

Don't really see what the big deal is. We had the room and the experience handling rats to decide what the hey, and they all turned out perfectly healthy and pretty gatdam awesome.

Experience handling =/= experience breeding. Case in point:

Smee posted:

(not sure if rats actually eat their young, but its better to be safe)

I feel like that's something you should know before you get into breeding, which actually IS more than just putting a male and female together. "BUT OMG BABIES COME ON YOU GUISE :downs:

# ¿ Oct 27, 2010 23:35

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

RazorBunny posted:

Maybe it will keep them away from my bird feeders.

Who are you kidding

# ¿ Nov 21, 2010 03:34

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Squid posted:

I'm sure I wasn't the only one to make a special ratty platter of a tiny bit of everything from the bigass Thanksgiving meal today. Vasquez immediately started trying to stash mushy mouthfuls of casseroles and dressings into her favorite corner.

If I had rats, they'd probably get tiny platters of what I make at every meal. Having animals with strict diets is no fun. :saddowns:

# ¿ Nov 26, 2010 18:19

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Traumatic posted:

I thought this was a pet rat thread.

Feeders are needed for other species, can't and won't argue that, but that is why I don't keep those species.

Don't want to seem like an rear end, but I don't want to read about feeders in a pet thread.

You can always put people on ignore if you don't want to read what they have to post.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2010 23:35

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Nebalebadingdong posted:

Holy moley, Donna is the prettiest rat I think I've ever seen!

That is because she is a ferret. :stoat:

# ¿ Dec 15, 2010 03:29

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Superconsndar posted:

And here's the whole lot:

How the gently caress did all of that fit inside one little rat?

CONCLUSION: RATS ARE MAGIC

# ¿ Dec 29, 2010 05:25

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Carebear posted:

I'm so sad. She almost made it to 3. Even though ferrets get adrenal disease I'm seriously considering getting a couple instead of rats just because they live slightly longer. I love rats, they are seriously my favorite animal. I always get four at a time. But after the last one goes...

You're just a sucker for heartbreak animals, aren't you?

# ¿ Jan 18, 2011 04:08

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

I wouldn't put it on a wound. It stings like hell, and I don't know that it'd really improve his healing.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2011 23:49

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Pooptron2003 posted:

Aloe doesn't sting...whaaaaaaa? Aloe stings you? It feels nice and wet and soothing! Am I taking crazy pills? I use it for burns on my person all the time. Maybe I am crazy.

I won't use it since I can't find any good info on it either way. He's going in for his operation today. I never knew one little rat could cause so many people to be so worried all the time. Keep your fingers crossed for poor Clark! He fell asleep under my hand as I was petting him last night.

You've obviously never had a bad enough sunburn, haha. Good luck with the operation!

# ¿ Jul 1, 2011 20:33

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Jin Wicked posted:

The rat will sometimes push away the little cone for the gas at first but it is generally peaceful.

Oh god this... :smith:

This is just the most heartbreaking thing.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2011 02:09

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Olive Bar posted:

Here is a video of one of my boys DESTROYING a cockroach.

Can I borrow this rat for a few days? Summer has brought out the bugs at my place. I promise to return him well-fed.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2012 15:29

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Bear Rape posted:

So if you feel like getting angry at other rat owners, here's a longass thing someone linked me today from a furry site (which honestly I don't expect to be a bastion of sanity and proper pet care to begin with, but I digress).

This image is huge.

Here's the tanks they are using to keep their rats in, warning for avatar showing a butt.

Apparently this is still going. The summary is basically someone admits to owning 50 rats in tanks (aquarium tanks) and then chaos and backpedaling happens. And apparently they own a single extremely small corn snake, so why would they need to breed that many rats for food?
I raged and you can to!

Holy poo poo. I wouldn't keep TWO rats in a tiny aquarium like that, let alone SEVEN. But apparently suggesting they are morons means you are "closed-minded." That's probably a fair assessment, though, as my mind is entirely closed against animal neglect.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2012 14:13

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

smallmouth posted:

The girls doing their gimme a treat dance.

Watched this for live five minutes. :golfclap:

# ¿ Aug 3, 2012 15:25

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Vheissu posted:

SUP

Do they ever play with your beard? The idea of a rat chillin' in a beard is just adorable to me. OH HAY WELCOME TO OUR HOME

# ¿ Sep 13, 2012 12:42

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Superconsndar posted:

Yeah but if a ferret doesn't break it'll live to be what, 7? The least broken rat in the world will see 3, 4 if it wins the genetic lottery. So best case scenario, you get like, 2 good years before they suddenly become old and horrible and if they DO make it to 3 or 4, those last two years are spent being miserable and slowly declining.

Then again, at least female rats don't explode and die if they aren't bred, so maybe you have a point

I'll have you know, all three of my ferrets have cancer and are covered in tumors. :smug:

Do I win the saddest pissing contest ever? :suicide:

But seriously, whenever I'm bummed about how chronically cancerous ferrets are, I think to myself that at least they're not as short-lived as rats. Many more years of vet bills to look forward to!

# ¿ Nov 25, 2012 17:09

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Fraction posted:

Try using the treat paste meant for ferrets (ferretone?). Apparently that is absolute rat crack.

Ferretone is a liquid, kind of like olive oil in consistency. Do you mean NutriCal, the sugary paste? Because that is crack for all animals.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2012 01:12

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Fraction posted:

I have a cardboard box, full of those foam packing peanuts. If I give this box to the rats, which scenario will happen:

1) They'll have hours of fun digging through them to get at food I've hidden in there;
or
2) They'll try and eat the peanuts and choke to death or something.

I can see the potential for fun in this but I'm not sure if my rats would be dumb and try to eat the peanuts.

Some packing peanuts are safe for animals, as they're made of cornstarch. A quick way to test if you're not sure is to see if they melt under a bit of water.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2012 23:59

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Invalid Octopus posted:

I'm so loving pissed off. BF and I are with his family in Saskatchewan for a few days (landed 2 days ago). BF's friend was supposed to feed them today, and generally check in on them. He texted BF today saying that he forgot that there was this party he wanted to go to, and could we find someone else? We contact a couple people, no one's free, and while it would be a little inconvenient for him to get to the rats, it wouldn't screw his night or anything. So I text his work phone, apparently he didn't get them, and he took the silence to mean that he should just go ahead to the party and not bother feeding the rats! So we called a few more people and no one is able to check in on them until tomorrow. They should be okay... they have water, and if they're absolutely starving there's a snak shak and maybe some bully stick in there. But not exactly anything nutritious. But seriously, who the hell bails on feeding someone's pets to go to a party? Poor girls.

This has happened to me. While I was out of town, my best friend who was looking after my ferrets was like "I'm going out of town Friday, is that cool." Notice there is no question mark there. I wasn't going to be back in town until Tuesday, but luckily I had an awesome neighbor who was happy to look in on them and give them water and lay down fresh newspaper over the dirty stuff. I mean, I know it's not fun to have an obligation you regret agreeing to, SO DON'T AGREE TO STUFF IN THE FIRST PLACE IF YOU ARE GOING TO FLAKE FOR ANY REASON.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2012 04:14

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Invalid Octopus posted:

Rats . They had a big snak shak last year and after a few months of sleeping peacefully in it, decided to remodel by adding a second big hole in it. Then when remodelling was complete, it was now unacceptable to sleep in because of the big bad hole!
Since it looks like Liza now only has a couple months left, I talked to the breeder a little bit today about getting a boy from her in the future. She sells out of the interesting looking ones pretty quickly, and he'll need to be neutered, which complicates things a little bit. I believe our vet said he'd neuter at about 8 weeks, and the breeder said she'd be fine to hold onto the little guy until then, so that he gets to stay with rat buddies instead of isolation until the big day. The breeder (click for pics!) looks about as good as rat breeders get I guess, even if she sells through kijiji. She was concerned about selling a singlet boy until I explained the situation, and we talked vets a bit. Plus she has some pretty interesting markings available (dalmatian, possum). I guess it's a little morbid to start looking into getting a new rat before Liza's passed, but because of the stuff involved, it's kind of necessary to get a head start.

Not morbid at all. It's good to make sure your remaining pet(s) still have a buddy they're already bonded with after their cagemate passes.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2012 22:36

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Invalid Octopus posted:

Yeah, thanks. In the next few days we'll call the vet to ask about neutering, and in a couple weeks I'll reevaluate things based on how Liza's tumor is growing. It's just difficult trying to set a plan based on a tumor, but we'll see how things progress.

I know how you feel. I got a third ferret just before one of mine needed surgery for his cancer earlier this year. He passed a few weeks ago, and I'm so glad his cagemate wasn't left alone. Plus, it helps you to not have to think about immediately getting a replacement right after a pet dies to keep the surviving one company.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2012 23:23

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Today I went with some friends to a kids science museum, and they had a show where two rats played basketball.

The best part of it wasn't even that they could put the ball in the hoop. It was how after they put the ball in the hoop, they would try to keep the ball with them and hide it from the other rat while they got the treat for the basket, so that when they were done eating their treat they would still have the ball so they could put it in the hoop again for another treat. Then the other one would come steal it out from underneath, and repeat the attempt at ball hoarding for maximum Cheerio receiving. :kimchi:

# ¿ May 25, 2013 23:09

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

RazorBunny posted:

A display like that at the Virginia Science Museum is actually what got me interested in owning rats

Ugh, I'd love to have rats, but I'm already a ferret person and those two kind of conflict. Although, if I ever take a break from ferrets, rats would be a good choice, as I'm already used to small animals that can get into anything, are completely chock full of tumors, and break your heart utterly by dying too soon. :smithcloud:

# ¿ May 26, 2013 15:30

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Big Bug Hug posted:

^^^I'm the opposite, I would love ferrets but I have rats. Anyway, I think ferrets are higher maintenance? True/false?

Possibly. They're less socially inclined than rats, so even my most people-friendly ferret doesn't really give a gently caress most of the time unless I have a treat. :downs:

# ¿ May 26, 2013 17:47

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Budget Bears posted:

Our pet store rat died, after only being with us for a week. My boyfriend and I are really sad, but we also kind of prepared ourselves for this. I had plenty of pet store rodents die on me as a kid. I don't know why I didn't learn from all those experiences, but I guess I thought this one might be an exception or something. Never again.

Anyway, last night I emailed like a hundred million breeders and various people on craigslist looking to rehome their ratties, and today I'm going to meet two females whose owner just doesn't have time to give them the attention they need anymore. The owner is absolutely in love with these rats and says they're the sweetest things ever. I can't wait to meet them and cuddle them!

Make sure you clean everything really well before bringing new rats home. You don't know why the other rat died and don't want to risk exposing the new guys to anything.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2013 19:53

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Ephedra posted:

Here is two pictures of them.

You did a really nice thing for those babies, even if they didn't make it. gently caress people who think it's ok to just throw live rats away.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2013 16:57

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

Cardiovorax posted:

You should check if forbidding small pets like rats is even legal where you live. I'm also going to live in a pet-free apartment come December, but forbidding small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs or rats is actually not allowed over here, because there's no reasonable way in which they could damage the apartment or annoy the neighbours.

Ha, whoever made this law has never had small animals. All of those listed (plus other small animals) can easily destroy carpets and paneling by peeing, chewing, and in some cases digging/clawing.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2013 13:40

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

JGBeagle posted:

I can't rehome them, no one will take them. The animal shelter only takes in dogs and cats. And judging by the craigslist ads in my area people only buy rats as feeders. I'm not going to give them away to be someone else's food. Besides, I just spent 80 loving dollars on a new cage that'll (hopefully) make a five hour trip so they can be with me while I'm at my parent's for Thanksgiving.

And I'm not "expecting" them to just do tricks and be amazing little superrats. Hell, I didn't even know I could train them when I bought them. I wanted a caged animal so when I had to eventually move (which I did) I could hide them away. And I can do that. But now I don't have a job and it's getting harder to justify buying them food over food for myself.

It'll be ok. Before you know it, they'll be sitting on your shoulder just chillin like your bros. It just takes time for them to get used to you. They're prey animals after all, and you're pretty big and scary. Just keep dispensing cheerios and they'll realize it's cool to hang out and they don't have to worry that you'll eat them.

And yeah, lose the harness. They're made for getting into and out of tight spots, a harness is really no match for either their Houdini skills or their teeth. You won't really need it soon enough.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2013 04:28

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 02:48

Serella: Apr 24, 2008; Is that what you're posting?

DrNewton posted:

having two separate cages isn't option long term.

If the other rat is two years old, it's not going to be a long-term kind of deal.

# ¿ May 24, 2014 23:24

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