The Rat Room

The two groups have been continuing with their intros or out time for quite some time now. On Saturday all three cages are moving into their rat room. It’s going to be a big change for them but I’m hoping that this will be the time to add the Gera group with the Rory group. Hopefully, that ladder that separates the two sides goes up for good. The last few out times have been good. Both Rory and Max no longer seem to be on the war path. They aren’t happy when they run into Gera, Meeko, Doc and Chief but they don’t turn into Cujo either. I would say they are ready now to try living together. I do expect some scuffles and break downs once they are together but not all out war. It will never be the Waltons… these are rats after all. A good working colony needs to have its alpha and those working with him or against him. Some challenges are always healthy. I know that once Max is challenged and flipped, he will submit like he did to Rory.
Well… at least I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a happy union. 5 days to go.

Max sniffing out Chief and Doc.

Some rats can be aggressive but it’s really not that common. But in females, their moodiness can be misinterpreted as aggressive tendencies. Intact females can be very forceful and determined.
Females go through a heat cycle every 4 to 5 days. In some rats, it’s not noticeable while in others, it’s quite obvious. A rat in heat will do funny little hops, flutter their ears and even arch their backs dramatically when you touch them. Some females like to do back kicks at their buddies, hoping to convince them to join in the chase and do the courting dance.
It’s also not uncommon to have females get pushy and cranky during their heat. The desire to procreate is very strong. It’s 100 times worse if you happen to have males in the home which is why I always strongly advise against having both sexes. It’s stressful and not fair to the rats, either male or female. The rat will constantly and desperately try to reach the opposite sex. Rats can sense them from far away, they can “talk” to each other as well and will spend their every waking moment trying to reach their “honey”. This is another reason why spaying your rats is highly beneficial.
Spats or fighting can also occur with food. Some rats and I’ve seen this mostly in females become obsessive with stashing. The rat might even hunt down, flip and pin another rat in order to remove the food from their mouth so they can then stash it in their special spot. This is not necessarily aggression, simply an addiction. You can try to alleviate it by free feeding your rats and offering several dishes with food. Also, finding the stash in the cage and dispersing the food several times during the day will help keep the peace.
All these little quirks make our rats unique and so very lovable.

I adopted these 5 boys almost 1.5 years ago. These boys were made to be hawk food. But the hawk at the Science center died and the food went up for adoption. They were all going to be put to sleep but on person took pity on these helpless little souls. The boys were never really friendly from the start. It’s no wonder really since they were not bred to be pets. They lived in a shoe box not even big enough for them to stand up. Corn cob for bedding, water and pellets for food and nothing else. Instead of forcing them to be social and to bond with me, I decided to concentrate more on getting them buddies and a stable, secure life. Eventually, a couple of them warmed up to me. Rocher, especially, he even learned to fling himself in the air to grab hold of my shirt to climb up and get his veggies from me. Bug allows me to pet him as well. But Matou, Darcy and Echo were never approachable. They do enjoy their rat buds though. They live with 6 other very sweet pets, born into a loving home with a loving rat mom and a loving human mom too. These rats taught the Science North boys to be gentle and stable.
But much to my surprise, the last few weeks, the boys have come around. As I sat on the floor during their out time today, my heart warmed up as I was able to pick up each one, give them a kiss and some cuddles without a fuss, without any protest.
I always thought that forced socializing was the only way to bond with rats but giving them space and respect works as well… not as fast as the forced socializing but in the end, it paid off.
You have to know with each rat how to proceed, how to treat them… to respect their past and who they are and who they need to become. It’s always harder with rescues as they always carry baggage along with them.
Now, instead of just loving them from afar, I can actually rub their soft furry sides on my cheek and steal a kiss here and there. These boys make rescuing totally worth it if not wonderful.

Any Facebook addicts out there? The Rat Shack has a Facebook group. We are celebrating the changing of the leaves with a photo contest on Facebook. So come one, come all and shutter away. Post your pictures of ratties and their fall props in the photo section. Be sure to title it Fall Photo Contest. You have until September 30th to submit as many pictures as you like. Please make sure the photos are yours or you have permission from the author.
Can’t wait to see all your rats in the fall!!!

Rats don’t rely much on their sense of sight. Their eye sight is weak so rats depend on their other senses like the sense of smell and feel (whiskers) to manoeuvre their way through life. Rats can have either black eyes, red eyes or pink eyes. The lighter the eye colour the weaker their sense of sight, which is why many red and pink eyed rats sway from side to side to gauge depth and to focus.
Eyes should be bright and clear of any porphyrin which is a sign of stress and/or illness. Rats also have a third membrane. Sick rats or very old rats’ eyes may sometimes appear to be dull, this is their third membrane staying up because it no longer retracts easily.
Some rats also have cataracts. There are several causes for cataracts: trauma or injury, congenital or spontaneous.
Most rats are not bothered by their cataracts; it rarely affects them since eye sight is not all that important to them to begin with. But in some cases, rats with cataracts develop chronic inflammatory in the eye, secondary to lens associated uveitis. If that occurs, long term anti-inflammatory drops would be required.
It is also not uncommon for rats to get a scratch in the eye. Most times this does not require too much care other than putting antibiotics drops in the eye, twice daily. The eye usually clears up fast enough.
A lump behind the eye is also a possible concern although not very common. This can be a tumour or an abscess which can be treated by trying antibiotics and a steroid or other recommendations by your vet. One of the first symptoms you’ll notice is a very unpleasant odour around the eye. Finally, the eye begins to bulge and starts to pop out of it’s socket. In some severe cases it may require an enucleation of the eye. I have seen a few rats undergo this procedure and came out of it quite well. Rats adapt amazingly well without their eyes. In fact, I’ve known a wonderful rat named Boo who was born with no eyes. Of course this fact had destined him to become snake food but he was saved this fate by my mom. Boo lived a full productive life, all without ever having the sense of sight.

Boo

Charlie with a congenital cataract.

Angel with a cataract due to trauma to the eye.

Rats are sneaky. You best keep an eye on them or they’ll disappear and get in all kinds of trouble. I’m used to rats like that. I’ve always had one or two in a colony that I have to keep a watchful eye on. Come to think of it… all girls. Coincidence?
So today, I was doing my out time with the Gera/Rory group. Things were going well, everyone was having fun and after about an hour the rats start their naptime. They usually just plop where they are and have a snooze. The young ones not so much. And the girls… not so much either. So about this time, I do another head count. 1. 2. 3. 4…. 9. I do a recount, cause it really should be 10. My heart starts to race but I don’t panic. I start making noise, calling them, not using their names cause I’m not sure which one went AWOL. Another count, 9. I panic. It’s been 15 minutes with 9. I start calling them by name and it feels like they all came to me one by one from one corner or another but I’m still at 9. That’s it. I take out the big guns. I know that if I stand up and grab the veggie container and start to dispense, all of them will come running, no matter where they are. I stand up on my wobbly legs cause I’m in mid panic at this point and what do I see? Little Miss Chu. What a surprise. On the table. Serving herself. Now I know where to look first.
My heart hasn’t yet recovered… but I fear, I better get used to that. lol

Gera, taking his ratnap.

Back in July, a wonderful volunteer with the Toronto Animal Services contacted the Rat Shack about some rats desperately needing homes. Two of them were sweet gals named Thelma and Louise. The girls went into foster home and put on pregnancy watch as all females should be. You just never know when was the last time they were in contact with males.
Well, they were right to be worried. Louise gave birth to 9 sweet little baby rats. They are back at the shelter now, nursing and growing like weeds. They will soon need homes of their own. These pups happen to be super adorable with their button nose and black and white markings. They will surely make a wonderful pet.
You can read about them in this blog called Feathers, Fur and the Occasional Fang
And also view each picture of the babes individually. They definitely have that wow factor in them. If I wasn’t so full up in my colonies, I’d be swinging by Toronto and snatching a few of these fellas up. If you live to far away, there might be a way to help with transport. Many people on the Rat Shack donate their time and transport efforts to help unite rats and good homes. So please have a look, open your heart to a rat in need.

The last few play times with the Rory group and Gera group has taken on a pattern. I have noticed that the first 15 minutes is about Max going after either Meeko or Doc. The little ones get freaked out, scream and run. But the next hour, all is well. Max stays about, but not obsessed with bullying. He also seems to respect Gera and Chief. I wish Chief would wake up and take over as alpha. Gera doesn’t want the position, he’s pretty happy being beta but to go all out and flip and pin, that’s just not his thing anymore. Someone has to take over and set those big boys in their place. Both Max and Rory don’t want to be alpha but they need someone to be real soon or they will continue to cause havoc with the babes.

The Chief

Rats are very smart animals and really do need mental stimulation. One good way to keep their minds occupied is fill up the cage with toys and decorations. Anything from bird chews to cat balls, a rat will give it some thought. You can make it even more challenging by hiding treats in some of them. Make them climb their cage in order to check out the toy, make it inviting with bright colours and textures. I’ve noticed with my rats, they love bamboo chews and bird ropes as well. Fill up the cage with fleece cubes and hammocks. Let them walk about, turning them into soft platforms, adding usable space to the cage.
There was a study a while back, using pet rats, the result proved that rats preferred a full cage loaded with toys and hammocks, igloos and hanging decorations. Turn your empty cage into an inviting oasis of fun, even if you don’t see your rat using the toy, it causes them to look at it, figure it out and take mental note of it. You can also switch it up, take out old toys and add new ones. This will keep the rats looking and exploring.

Bird chews

Cat balls

A chew made for rats called the Rat Roost, a favorite for some, but not all.

So we are pretty much still doing out time together, changing cages and all that jazz. It’s working out pretty well. At first I wasn’t so sure. Max really got stressed out and went on a rampage sorta, in a cool rat kind of way. Max is not a meanie, just gets overwhelmed and if you are near, he’ll let you know about it. A few days later and he’s still not that happy with the other boys smells. But he’s getting better. He’s actually not seeking anyone out but he doesn’t enjoy company much during out time. He’d rather roam around alone. All the others seem ready for the move. Even Rory! Rory happily moves about, especially during out time. He’s quite content with life and when a new guy walks by he doesn’t really mind at all. Gera… well, he’s just a happy boy. The main friction right now is Max and little Meeko. Doc and Chief stand up to Max but not Meeko. Meeko shrieks like a banshee and runs for his life. So on and on we go. No move yet.

Gera coming out for out time.

Rory happily munching on a block, one he found stashed away by the pro Molly under the cage.