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i got em

they are so sweet, and i had my have in that tank for like a half hour, and it was so hard to choose! there were only 4, and they all wanted my to pick them! but i could only pick 2

i picked out a black hooded with the color going all the way down her back, with little splotchies comming of it every now and then. i called her monkey butt (till i can find a real name lol) because she saw me and zipped up my arm! and also the cage i had to put her in when she got her, she also climbed up the bars and used her tail to wrap around the bars! so cute the other i named turnup, because she has a collection of spots that is in the shape of a turnup on her back! she is also kinda shy, but also very loving!

i have to keep htem in a 20 gallon for now, becsue they got into the cage i wanted them into through the bars! lol i tried my first rats cage, but ti was just too small, and a bit beaten up, and they loved climbing the bars, and i worried that they would fall lol. so now all i have to do it rig up the water bottle lol

oh, and it so adorable to see them roll around together, and restle! i can tell i made the right choice of first getting 2, and second on getting them in partuicular

rattie pics are here! 21 picks of pure cuteness!

see if you can tell them apart

Congrats on the new ratties!

There are plenty of rat specific forums on the net, where you can show off pics and get great info!

Here's one of my favourites:

http://www.goosemoose.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=108&

They're adorable! Very easy to tell apart. *hugs the rats*
Lovely bird ornament, too.

______________
Cake or death?

thank you!

me and turnup made up a game last night! its kinda like peek-a-boo, only i ponce on her with my hand when she literaly jumps out, and then she punces on my hand, it is so cute, the other girl still needs a name though!! and i noticed that the other girl has been acting a bit shy, maybe cause i was playing with turnup and not her, but every now and then, she would pounce out on tunup and they would restle for a bit, and when i had to stop, she would look at me like "what!? why! c'mon im just getting started!".

either way, i dont think the other girl is happy one of her eyes had a little crusty in it (which i heard can be caused from stress) and all she does is hide in her little plastic stump fish ordiment, is there a way to make her feel more at home? im also htinking about cleaning up the 55 gallon and putting them in there, and going out and buying some plasting rodent tubing, and running a line into their cage, and possibly to other fun places, i know it sounds great fror them, but im not sure how long it will take..to get the covers and tubing i mean, anyone have some extra?

I really wouldn't suggest a tank for the girls. Tanks have horrible ventilation, and they can get sick very easily in there.

Keep an eye on your little ratty girl with the eye crust. She may need to see a vet. If it's still there in a couple days, take her in. Rats can get respiratory infections quite fast, and myco flairs are previlant.

Also, make sure you're not using pine or cedar are bedding for her (I'm pretty sure you mentioned Aspen earlier anyway).

*Edited to say: Also, try using sweetpotatoe baby food as a yummy treat they can lick off your fingers! It's a wonderful way to bond with your new little ladies. Also, join a couple rat forums, they can help you get all the info you need to keep your girls happy and healthy (and spoiled)!

Last edited by BruceTheBetta at 22-Dec-2005 22:48

Is turnup trying to be the dominant girl? Sometimes that can make the other rats very timid if it becomes a bit rough.
I agree about not using the tank, because of the lack of ventilation it can cause the ammonia from their urine to burn their little lungs You're better off keeping them in the cage they have now and just try to let them out for a runaround for at least an hour a day until you can get a bigger cage.
Please keep us posted on how things go

they cannot go into a cage right now, the bar spacing is too big as i mentioned earlier, the first time they got in to there was through the bars no problem.

the 20 gallon high is too small i decided, and i htought putting them into the 55 gallon after x-mas and after my brother leaves (he is in the room i am suppost to be moving into..its bigger and more rat proof)when they are bigger im going to attach tubing and run it into their cage, the fish tank will have nwspaper underneath a thin layor of the bedding, if i add any bedding at all (too expencive) i use carefresh or something like that but its safe.

oh, and what kinds of fruit isnt safe? can they have things like oranges?

got the 55 gallon all set up for them, now they spend a few hours in there playing and sleeping, but they are always happy to back home to the 20 gallon

Awwww they're so sweet
The black hooded girl looks a bit like my Hope and I love the colours on the other girl too, very beautiful ratties /:'

Aww that's so great fishy, well done and great names too BTW

esandbergger, I think it depends on how you keep you rats. I have a few groups of rats and our favourite girls (4) are free range in our bedroom and believe me they will not tolerate any intruders at all, even if the intruders are very young We can get them to be happy with the new rats any where else but in their home and then they turn into monsters who draw blood on the new rats
Maybe keeping them free range makes them more territorial.
Our boys on the other hand are very tolerant of newcomers.

Now I wait for pictures fishy

sorry dead tired here so if i don't make sense ah well.
Anyhow, ime i have noticed that rats usually understand when a new one is very young. I have never had a rat seriously injure another upon meeting, although it can sound and look dreadful!!!!!
One toy mine always liked is toilet paper rolls and they love to shred paper!!!
Keep in min that, if their head can fit through the bar or mesh, then they are out(unless they are gravid).

No, fishy, colour has nothing to do with temperament. I wish it did because it would be much easier to pick a good one
The best way to pick a rat (male or female) is sticking your hand into their cage, it can be risky but you will soon know which one is interested in you and wants your company. That's how we picked up another old girl from the pet store, she was the first one to come to us
Most rats will warm to you if you spend time with them but they do have different personalities and some will be be more snuggly than others but you can still love them just the same

just leave your hands in the cage and wait for her to come up, or jus sit by the cage and talk to her.im opting for #2

I agree, talking is a great way to get them to start trusting you, but if you start with a friendly rat then you probably wont have to do too much before she's all over you.
We breed some of our rats and out of every litter (average of around 10 babies) you would get at least 3 that will be very friendly and trusting straight away.

Whatever rats you end up with, I know that they'll be loved and looked after because you've put so much effort and thought into them before getting them and I'm really excited for you /:'

tomorrows the day!!!!!

i called up the petstore that i had wanted to get htem from, and turns out they got in some black and white spotted girls just hours ago!!

will do my very best to show pics if possible

i would only be waiting 2 weeks to introduce another
and i remember my white rat as being sweet, and so was my hooded, does color or morph have anyhting to do with tembrament? i mean, like i might have to go down a rescue a feeder white female (the other store has only males atm) i emailed one more person in an effort to rescue a rat and not buy one from a breeder, i was more looking forward to a colored rat, but i guess a PEW will do, but im afraid that they might not be handled enough, and that i may get a biter, how do you pick out a single female from numorus others? and get a good one, im not scaird that i wont love her at all, and im not scaired that she will be smart. but i am scaird that i wont be able to work with her, i mean, if she isnt as nice as my others, im not sure how to snap her out of it, is it the same with birds? just leave your hands in the cage and wait for her to come up, or jus sit by the cage and talk to her.im opting for #2 i just dont want any suprises, that cost her a great life, i know i did it right the first time, but the second time is scarier i think because i only have one poinion, your your mind is set there, when i dont have any expectations, i think its easier to work with myself

Just be careful not to wait too long, rats can be very territorial and nasty to newcomers. And they hate to be alone unless you can spend plenty of time with them.
I've actually found that girls are harder to introduce to each other than boys believe it or not and the girls can do as much damage to another rat as the boys as well.

Don't forget we still want to see pics

3 more days!!! and i think i have my eye on a little berki girlie i changed the cage around, so she has a cute little rock cave (1 big flat rock sitting on top of a triangle shaped tall rock, then the other end through the bars for extra support) i set up her hammock, a small box with dry natural grasses, and a pvc pipe that is size 3in and ia a rather long C <kinda shapped like that also im gunna keep other stuff out, untill i find out what she likes, and how she reacts to the new cage, i think im gunna get only one though for now, so i can smother her with attention, then later on, get a friend for her

Its not always hard to do naturalistic setups. Gerbils are especially good, they often push all the soiled substrate out of the tunnels so you only have to clean the top, then you strip it down every couple of months. Mices and voles are really difficult though, they urinate everywhere .

just reset up the cage i added more bedding, seperated the 2 boxes (they were side by side) and set a large flat thin rock on top so they can crawl on top and added a few other things, but not like before, i htink it will be much easier to clean now thanx guys

how far apart are the bars on your main cage? what is the minimum bar spacing for little ones/ i forgot to check

but i guess sence i am cleaning out the 55 gallon, i can make that into a play area