|
Hey guys, I just bought a male rat and just read through the OP but I was wondering some other things, like for example, should I cover his cage for a while for him to get used to his immediate surroundings like a bird? Are loud noises not good for him, like music? Should I keep my lights off even if I'm in my room? I just don't want to stress the poor fella. 
|
#
¿
Sep 5, 2013 01:39
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 17:07 |
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:If you want to do him a favour, get another rat. They really don't do well alone. I was planning on getting another one after my next paycheck. I just didn't want to spend so much on two plus the cage, food, and bedding.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 5, 2013 01:49
|
|
|
Well the lady at the pet shop said she'd be getting more rats in soon, but she thought she only had two females left, but low and behold, one of them was a male, and the female was pregnant, so I couldn't really get a second one even if I could afford it.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 5, 2013 02:56
|
|
|
Yeah, I'm still getting accustomed to those giant ol' things. I finally got his little house thing set up and he crawled right in and squeaked for a bit before going to sleep. 
|
|
#
¿
Sep 5, 2013 09:57
|
|
|
So I ended up buying a second one today. The two immediately went to running about the cage and now actively come out and eat and drink. Also bought them some chew toys, now I just wait until they stop getting scared at my very presence. 
|
|
#
¿
Sep 6, 2013 09:26
|
|
|
Oh man, one of my rats got stuck in the window of their house. He can't get his legs through and I can't get a good grip on him without squeezing his hips, which makes him squeak back at me. I don't want to hurt him but I don't want him stuck. EDIT: Ended up having to slowly get him out backwards, going to buy a new house for them tomorrow. GenderSelectScreen fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Sep 7, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Sep 7, 2013 07:42
|
|
|
Been having fun taking care of Rattigan and Vincent Price. They've starting getting used to being picked up and petted, but only for a while. Rattigan almost escaped the other night when he leaped out of my hand and tried for the window but other than that, they're great. Especially when they play around at night.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 11, 2013 08:17
|
|
|
Well, successfully moved my rats into my new place. One of my rats, Ratigan is super friendly and like to just chill on my shoulder/hood. I just wish his brother Vincent Price wasn't so bitey.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 22, 2013 20:37
|
|
|
Get a ratball if you can. I plan on getting one soon so my rats can chill around the house. Also want to grab a leash for outside.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 6, 2013 23:51
|
|
|
Cardiovorax posted:That's a horrible idea and I recommend that you don't do that. Animals hate being in those things, it's horribly stressful and terrifying to them. They're pretty much considered animal cruelty these days. Well gently caress, guess they're going to be stuck in that cage then. EDIT: For clarity I had to move into a no-pet apartment after living in a house for so long so I can't have them running around my room anymore. I also have to hide them in the closet now. GenderSelectScreen fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Oct 7, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Oct 7, 2013 01:05
|
|
|
So after juggling with the idea I've decided to leave my rats with my roommate while I deal with poo poo back at my parent's. Their cage is just not safe for cars and I don't have spare cash to buy a travel cage. I'm going to be gone for like a week so I'm scared that my roommate will forget and I'll come home to two dead rats. Or one half-eaten corpse and a well fed rat. 
|
|
#
¿
Oct 15, 2013 01:12
|
|
|
What about chew toys? Because my rats seem to ignore the chew toys and go straight for their house or cage.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 31, 2013 05:33
|
|
|
Javid posted:They LOVE flipping their food bowl, though. I had to stop using the food bowl just because they kept flipping the food out and using the bowl to pee in. They seem to enjoy sitting on the roof of their house all the time. I bought a ton of fleece for their cage (because my god, gently caress the wood chip bedding) and I just want to know how much of the stuff I should put in. Should I cut up the fleece into sheets and lay them down that way or should I just fold up a ton of it and lay it down that way. Also, what is the best way to wrap the second floor? I don't want the guys to get bumblefoot.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 31, 2013 22:16
|
|
|
This fleece was a terrible idea. All they do is go underneath it and knock their cage open.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2013 00:38
|
|
|
I put paper down once and regretted it as soon as they tore it apart. Also, is there a way to trim their claws? Because holy hell they sliced my hand open.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2013 01:22
|
|
|
Cool, just wanted to make sure before doing it. This might be tough since both of them never like to be held for more than like ten seconds.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2013 22:25
|
|
|
I lucked out not getting mites the first time I used wood bedding, second time I made sure to freeze it. Now I just need to figure out where to put their water where they wont knock the ball bearing against the fleece and dump all the water out. I've had to refill their water twice in a row, and I usually only have to refill it once a week.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 4, 2013 21:35
|
|
|
What would be a good food to give my rats as a treat for training? I'd like it to be something they wouldn't get in their normal meal that way they'd hopefully understand trick = treat.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 6, 2013 07:58
|
|
|
Ugh, I already use puffed rice in their mix. And I used cheerios before that.  I might try the cooked meat idea though.EDIT: I love how one rat has taken the house as his own now that the other just lives amongst the fleece.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 6, 2013 23:52
|
|
|
Oh god, I thought the fleece would be a lot easier to clean up. I didn't think the cage would end up looking even grosser than before. And so much harder to clean. How the gently caress is this supposed to be better than the lovely bedding?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2013 23:23
|
|
|
Is it possible to contract an allergy to rats? Because I just picked one of them up and where their claws scratched me is now swelling and getting very itchy. I've been scratched by them multiple times before and never had this happen.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 9, 2013 03:42
|
|
|
My allergies are getting worse the more I handle them. On top of that last night one of them broke out of the cage. This is starting to become a hassle I might not be able to handle. I don't want to throw in the towel and get rid of them but I can't even pick them up off the ground without my nose going into a sneezing fit. If they keep breaking out of the cage I don't know if I can keep them here. I can't stay at this apartment 24/7 I'm still trying to find another job.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 14, 2013 20:16
|
|
|
Invalid Octopus posted:That sucks, man. Have you tried taking regular allergy meds? I know a lot people have rats despite allergies, so it is doable depending on severity. Do you know how he broke out of the cage? Because that should be the next thing you figure out. I normally don't take allergy meds because they never seem to work. I took a couple last night to no effect but my allergies went away after I closed the door to the closet. Of course that might be the meds doing.  And they got out by popping open the top of the cage. I don't know how I'm going to be able to stop them from doing it again.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 14, 2013 21:05
|
|
|
Invalid Octopus posted:Clip it? What kind of clips should I use? I don't want to use something they could either break through or injure themselves trying to chew it.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 14, 2013 21:27
|
|
|
Whoever design the rat harness has never seen a rat before. The drat thing is way too small. Just wasted 12 dollars and got nothing but sliced up hands and a killer allergic reaction. Plus piss all over my goddamn clothes. I hate these rats.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2013 03:32
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2013 03:55
|
|
|
So I was able to make the trip to my parents okay, but when I went to go wash out their cage one of the rats ran into a hole I had no idea about (If I had known there was a random hole in between the cabinet and wall I wouldn't have put them in there. It's been hours now and our attempts to get him out have failed. I'm at a loss of what to do. I've already had two mental breakdowns over this poo poo today. I'm a horrible human being, and a horrible rat owner.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2013 00:53
|
|
|
No, one of them bolted out of the cage right into the hole that I had no idea existed. I should've put them in the cabinet so they wouldn't have been able to escape.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2013 04:37
|
|
|
After +12 hours of trying to catch him every time he came out I ended up just being able to take apart one of the cabinet panels and yank him out. He's not very fond of me at the moment. He just keeps glaring at me.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2013 21:59
|
|
|
Should I be worried if my rats start eating their litter?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 11, 2013 22:20
|
|
|
My rats sneeze every so often but it's not a common enough occurrence for my to worry about. It's like once every two days if anyone's wondering.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2013 07:52
|
|
|
Man I should've gotten two different looking rats instead of the two brothers. Sure they get along (though they "fight" a lot), but it's so hard to call them by their right name. I keep calling Ratigan instead of Vincent Price (that probably doesn't help either) and vice versa. Doesn't help that I also now call them "Poopers" when I first see them.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2014 07:52
|
|
|
Jack Trades posted:Do they look exactly the same or just very similar? They're both white with black hoods. Vinny has a spot of black on his back and is thinner (also softer). Ratigan is larger and has a tiny block spot on his inner thigh. They also have a white dot on their foreheads except Vinny's is smaller.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 14, 2014 23:00
|
|
|
Oh my god my rats are pavlov'd to the sound of cereal bags. They rush to the gate and stare at me.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 15, 2014 10:01
|
|
|
One of my rat's fur has gotten softer and softer over time, is there any reason for this?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 29, 2014 05:28
|
|
|
Boy. I've had him now for 5 months now. Not neutered, he's about 6 months I believe.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 29, 2014 09:57
|
|
|
Great, my rats aren't even a year old. Guess I might as well start psyching myself up for an inevitable tumor.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2014 20:57
|
|
|
Now my other rat is getting smoother. I'm wondering if they're losing their winter coats (do rats do that?).
|
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2014 21:05
|
|
|
One of my rats seems to have what looks like blood staining his coat. I thought it was blueberries at first but not it's gotten that dry blood-like color. I've checked him for scratches but haven't seen some kind of source for it.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 24, 2014 17:29
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 17:07 |
|
|
I try to give my boys a different grain each day along with some greens. I feed them Rice Chex for treats. Is lethargy a symptom of a respiratory disease? My red-leaking rat has been laying about all day looking really depressed.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 25, 2014 05:07
|
|