The Rat Room

I know, I know… not another Chu post. But I can’t help it, she’s got the most personality and drive I’ve ever seen in a rat.
This time I caught it on video. That girl is relentless, after about 30 minutes though, I had to lock her back up in the cage. I can’t let her run around the house loose like that. She no longer wants to be friends with cats. She wants to hunt them down and eat them. I kid you not.
The little rat is fearless.

Watch for yourself, by the way no cats were harmed during the filming of this video.

Chu, also called chu-chu train is always plotting her next great escape. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t lead to anywhere, as long as it’s a whole adventure for little Chu.
Today during out time, I had my camera handy and decided to capture Chu’s escapades.

At first she thought climbing to the top of the Laundry basket was great fun. Once on top, she wasn’t sure what else she was suppose to do. So she did this only 3 times.

Then she remembers that if she climbed the window like before, she could jump back down on the other side of the enclosure and visit the kitties. But not this time. I covered up her step. She climbed here only twice. She’s getting smart.

She soon found the chairs. A quick jump up opens her up to great escape opportunities. At first she just hung around on the chairs.

But this would quickly lead to the table. And what a find there! I had broccoli laid out on the counter waiting to give the rats their treat but Chu wasn’t waiting for hers.

And finally all kinds of exploring for Chu. She enjoyed the dresser with all the rat stuff the best. She must have jumped on the chairs, then the table, then the dresser about 10 times. She never got tired of it.

…but I sure did. I need to find some way to stop that girl from escaping. I can’t take all these little heart attacks. But I bet this is keeping her young.

Today was a hard day for me. I had to finally let go of Prue and her daughter Minou. Both have been struggling for some time with respiratory infections. I knew that it was time for Prue but when Minou started to panic, it was best that she went as well. Mother and daughter took the final journey and left this world together. Prue was 33 months old and Minou was 27 months old.

In March of 2008, I get the email that a little family was brought into a high kill shelter. This place doesn’t usually keep rats and will only release to a rescue. A good friend of mine was able to pull out Prue and her hubby as well as her 2 week old babies. I bring them all home, my sister adopts half the litter as well as dad. Prue and Minou along with Sara (rip) and Fleur (rip) stay with me.
Prue was a wonderful rat. She was accepting of everything. New situations, new cages, new surroundings and even new rats were all fine by her. She knew how to make other rats feel comfortable. She groomed, played and cuddled with all of them. She was very well loved and often times rats would seek her out to get her comfort. Minou was a strong feisty girl. She so wanted to be with the in crowd trying her best to bully but never really succeeding at it. She grew up into a moody girl. She would boss the boys around only to end up being pinned which I think she thoroughly enjoyed . She was a tease but the one you could count on. A predictable girl, you always knew were you stood with her.
Today as I made the difficult decision to bring them in… I knew that my days would no longer be as bright as before, my Prue girl has gone. They leave behind a confused and saddened Rodeo, Anna, Julia and Davis. They leave behind my broken heart.

Prue

Minou

A walk down memory lane… a baby Minou.

My dirty monkeys finally have realized that we have rat invaders in the place. Yesterday Bronco took it upon himself to beat any rat that even so much as walk within touching distance of himself. A very uptight little rat, he needed a good strong energy to help him accept his role. So after he decided to slightly hurt Benji, I picked him up and placed him our “out time” cage. He remained in that cage for about 10 minutes, any longer and he really wouldn’t have understood why he was there. I take him out and he had forgotten all about his macho stress and had some fun on the rest of his out time. I was sure though that Bronco would very much need a neuter soon enough but today’s out time was even better. He didn’t care one bit about the Noobs and their cage being nearby. I am most pleased. It also helped big time to have the sweeties Sawyer and Desmond watching over the coveted cage spot where the smell is so much stronger. I think this means that all will work out fine and perhaps if I’m real lucky in the future, I might be able to intro the two colonies at some point.

It is very common and ok for rats to act out when new rats come into the home. With time they should settle down, others might need help and only a neuter might bring them back to their loving self. Some rats have a hard time understanding and accepting their instinctual behaviour to protect and be territorial. That’s our job, to help them. You can’t get mad when an animal acts out, you have to understand them and do everything in order to help them overcome their “feelings”.

This weekend I drove 4.5 hours south to pick up a new house for the Noobs. A nice, new shiny Critter Nation. I purchased it along with Harlan food and bedding for my rats. I’m very pleased with the cage, I think this is the first time I have bought a CN/FN and there are no damage to it at all. All the other orders coming from the States came with some minor or major damage. I was thrilled with this one. It was assembled so fast too. Flower Town Chinchillas is a great online store to deal with, great products and super nice people too.
The only problem was the location of the cage. I was keeping the Noobs in my living room but that also meant they were exposed to my young cats so in the end, to keep them safe, I had to move them into my dining room behind a gated area where no cats can go. They Noobs had their out time and they loved the new spot. It’s all decorated and set up for happy rats and they sure enjoyed it. The cage is a winner and the toys are too. Happy Noobs makes for happy mom.

Max checking out his wheel.

Rory and Max in the igloo

Sweet little Molly, she could stay out all day if I let her.

So it looks like Chu’s out time will be the run of the house. I never quite understood people when they would tell me they lost their rat or their rat escaped the enclosure… well, I sure understand them now. I must have retrieved Chu over a hundred times to place back on the couch, rejoining the rest of her colony. Finally, I decided I’m done. She wants to go off and explore, so be it. I’ll simply keep an eye on her. She sure is a happy girl when she’s off and about…. making kitty friends.

Can you find Chu in the pic? She’s suppose to be on the couch, but she’s got other ideas.

Checking things out.

Meeting friends.

Jet had to leave today. He was at the end of his life, no longer able to struggle and cope with the constant lung infections. He most likely had severe pulmonary abscesses. Over the years and several necropsies later, we’ve become accustomed to the symptoms.
Jet had seen a vet in February 09 and she pretty much confirmed our worst fears. We put him on Baytril, doxy, Zithromax but it didn’t do any good. Finally after almost a year on meds, I decided to stop it and let him have his life back. Jet certainly never let on that he was sick. He was strong, feisty, played hard and loved his food… the only sign of his sickness was the grumbling in his chest, the coughing and slight porphyrin. This morning was a different story. He was listless and full of porphyrin. He couldn’t manage to keep his nose clean. Finally he panicked, started to run all over the cage, that’s when I picked him up, calmed him down and told him it was time to go… and he did.
On May 3rd 2008, Jet was born to April. A rescue my mom took in. 1 of 2 males in the small litter, it was evident he was going to be the chunky boss. But a good boss he was. He quickly gained the respect of the rest of the colony doing so without ever having to bully a rat. He so loved his buddies as much as his he loved his food.
He leaves behind 6 cage buddies… and he will be greatly missed by all.
Jet and Jude are back together, the brothers are probably tag teaming again, over the bridge.
Be well, be happy my little Jet Black. May 3rd 2008 – May 20th 2010

That is if bud is your body part. Some rats like to nip. I’m not talking blood gushing, bone cracking biting. Nips on the toes, on the arms, on the cheek… anywhere they please. I’ve had a few nippers in my colonies but lately I’ve been lucky with these new groups. My last big time nipper was Loki and she’s passed a good long while ago. So I thought, right on, I’m safe. The warm weather is here now and I no longer need my slippers nor my socks while hanging out in my home. To my surprise, I’m getting nipped again. Benjamin seems to think that toes are tasty. I think he actually enjoys the shrieking and sudden jerk of my foot cause he comes back for more. Nipping is not a bad thing in rats, in fact I believe it’s all part of their play and exploring process. I really don’t think there is any way to teach them not to do this although there are methods to discourage nipping. Shrieking loudly helps with some rats. Benji seems to like it but another thing you can try is enclosing the rat in a small cage. When they nip, you grab them immediately, say NO and put in the cage for 10 minutes. Repeat the process if he continues. Eventually he will associate small enclosure and nipping does not make for a happy rat.
I’ve noticed though that with time the rat seems to grow out of the nipping. I’ve never punished it, I was simply careful. I’ve always regarded it as a hello, I’m here, give me some attention, it’s definitely nothing malicious or aggressive.
So next time you take your socks off…watch out for tiny teeth.

Well… maybe not but she’s a brave rat. Chu formerly known as Smooch just won’t stay put. She’s got the bug in her and she’s sprouting her wings. It doesn’t matter where she lands, she’ll happily explore the new found space.
So the Noobs have their out time on the couch. Oh but not Chu. The couch and dresser is simply not big enough for this little girl. She’s got things to do and places to see. I turn my back one second and I see her walk by my feet. Her soft fur on my bare skin is what alerted me to “rat on the loose”. I pick her up, gently scold her and pray to god it was a one time thing. Nope. She’s now discovered she can jump good distances and will attempt anything. So she finds her way to the floor. She’s made quite a find, a soft furry pet. Each time she jumps down she makes a bea line for Toby. Toby is my 17 year old cat. She’s old and full of arthritis and can barely move. And she’s not fond of rats, ok, she’s pretty darn scared of them. But Chu is convinced the two can become fast friends. My money is on “ain’t happening”. Poor Toby tries to run away on her rickety old bones but Chu is so much faster. The sneaky little rat keeps a few inches behind while Toby snails away and looks back and sees Chu at her heels and gives me a pitiful cry. So I rescue Toby and pick up little Chu. It’s a funny site… looks like I’ll need to keep a very close eye on Chu, my brave one.

For a long time now I’ve been adopting rats from rescues or rescue situations. Mostly though I’ve taken in babies. But recently I’ve adopted 6 older rats. 2 are 19 months and 4 are 14 months. Today was their first official out time as a colony. I keep them well away from my other crews just because it’s safer and better that way for all involved until such time when I feel it’s ok to mix them but that won’t be for months.
So their out time is on the couch. I thought at first they may not want to come out and explore, they’ve been through a lot in the two weeks of being here but nope… They all came out and had a good run, even Rory was out and about, enjoying the exploration. If anyone would walk by all the girls came running to you and would bombard you with kisses and cuddles. They are simply amazing. I would sit on the floor and have all of them in my arms, climbing, grooming… I could have stayed there all day.
So next time you want a rat… go rescue one. They are wonderful rats and will make you fall in love with them deeply.