The Rat Room

Rats love to explore and we love to allow them free range and roam about at will. This is encouraged in a controlled environment. It is very important that the environment be completely safe for the rats. I’ve made posts before about rat proofing your room and yes, I’m doing another one. Recently, we’ve been alerted to a tragic situation. A member of another rat forum had her rats running about, they didn’t realize their over the counter nasal spray was a danger to the rats. It was. Two rats went to work chewing through the bottom of the bottle. Their mom was too late in noticing, the rats ingesting the liquid. Sadly, one died and the other was extremely sick. Rats chew… everything. This is why you must go around your room and be sure to clear it of everything, even plugged wires. Rats will chew. A rat can chew through a cable in seconds, if it’s plugged in, they can electrocute themselves and die. How do you keep your rats safe while free ranging? Be sure to hide all wires, put away all medication and non medication, do not leave about anything that is not rat friendly. Use an enclosed room like the bathroom or make a playpen. Get down to rat level and see for yourself what your rat can get into. Other free ranging dangers are high table tops, rats can try to jump or fall off or sitting/stepping on your rats.
Keep it safe and be alert when interacting with your rats.

A mod on the Rat Shack caught an awesome boggle fest on video. I had to share it. These boys are called the Rexzillas. They are somewhat bossy and bullies but they are quite content in their cage. Everyone knows their place and seems like a pretty good functional colony. This is evident in the video. When you see your rats, simply lying about, comfortable as can be, cuddling with a buddy or two and out pops the eyes… well, that’s happiness right there. The boggle happens when they are bruxxing harder than usual. It’s the motion of the jaw near the eyeballs. Happy little curly balls of goodness. I love these boys, they are full of character and charm. Good thing they are in the next country over from me… or there would be some ratnapping going on. lol
Thank you to Peggy (Hopefloats) from IN. This is truly a great boggling video.

Reading rat body language is an art. One that takes a lot of observation and even then, you have to be very observant to catch exactly the message being sent.
I adopted Turk, a lone male rat from the SPCA and two young boys from an online ad. The babies were young and were immediately placed with Turk. Life was good until the babies grew up. At 5 months they start to mature and develop their sense of entitlement. Where do they belong in the colony and how do they conduct themselves. These babies clearly had issues. They do not submit but yet won’t take full leadership. They have a lot of learning to do. Turk, took it upon himself to settle the boys but this became a tough job. He did what appeared to me something he felt needed to be done. He terrorized the babies and so earned his name Turk the Jerk. I would punish Turk, put him in his out time cage which didn’t seem to do anything. Turk in his role as teacher/dictator, became very stressed and developed respiratory issues. The poor boy was put on meds and has been on it ever since. I realized Turk could never be neutered and that left me with a huge dilemma. Watching the babies… I decided maybe I should neuter them. Maybe I should help those young ones deal with their stress better and see how that would affect Turk. Magnum and Marshall were both neutered. And like magic, Turk no longer terrorized them. All is quiet and peaceful again. All this time, I would use the time out cage with Turk when all along he was teaching the boys some manners. The boys didn’t understand this and would lash out. Marshall not so much as Magnum. The worst of it is that Magnum is a scared rat and when faced with flight or fight, he runs, then turns around and lashes, no questions asked. He’s still doing this and I hope with time, he will learn to settle down. Until then, it might be very difficult to bring my two colonies as one.
I’m glad though, that Turk is not a jerk. He’s my sweet boy. Who lived a lone life and now trying to be a good dad to the boys.
When things go awry in your cage, take time out to observe the relationship and dynamic of the colony. Be sure to pinpoint the real issue.

Turk

Magnum and Marshall, the day of the neuter. In their carrier.

It’s pretty much what the name suggests. Some rats love to run in their wheels. As a result some of them develop what we affectionately call wheelie tail. They keep their tails up and over as they run. Some run so much in the wheels that even outside of their wheels they keep their tails curled up in some way. I don’t believe this has any effect on their spine nor is there a link to any hind end degeneration once they get older. What running in a wheel will do is keep your rats thin, agile and healthy. But don’t be concerned if you find your rat prefers to sleep on his wheel rather than run in it. I’d say the majority of rats are simply not wheel rats. Wheels should be the big size wheels, at least 12″ in diameter for a safe run. The play balls that are so popular with hamsters are not really a good toy for rats. For one, rats hate to be enclosed and unless you are using the mega ball, then it’s most likely much too small.
Please be very wary of breeders who are claiming to be breeding curly tails rats. This is an anomaly and severe handicap on the rat. Do not support such breeders.

Here are a couple of pictures of Hobo’s behind. He’s showing off his curly tail. He’s a true wheel runner.

And a little common sense. In this day and age, there is absolutely no excuse for the improper care of a pet. With all this user friendly technology holding a wealth of information and even the mass publications at your local and free library, everyone should give the very best care necessary to keep your pet healthy and happy.
On the Rat Shack, we see so many rescue stories with our members. They pick up so and so from an online ad, most of us see the pics and some of us probably think the animal is on his last legs but no, due diligence as well as some TLC brings this animal back to life. Literally. Recently, one “case” has really opened our eyes. Shade was adopted by one of our members, lilspaz68. She’s a hospice and rescue so when Shade came in, lilspaz68 was fully prepared to care for her. Some good food, clean habitat, antibiotics for any infections, revolution to treat possible mites or lice and a friendly loving place to call home gave Shade the chance she deserved to be the happy healthy rat she should be. The pictures are incredible. I couldn’t believe my eyes after a couple of months in lilspaz68′s care what a difference it has done to Shade. She has even shed her poor black (brown) coat and molted into a beautiful shiny black girl. She’s gained weight, she’s bright eyed and happy. The way a rat should be.
Please do your research when adopting a pet. Proper food, big clean habitat and friends to play with is a must for rats. Be a good pet caregiver. Be their companion, as they are yours.

Shade in October:

Shade in January:

Too many times new rat parents are faced with an issue they don’t understand and can even have a hard time explaining it. One of our members on the Rat Shack is our go to girl for anything medical and health related when it comes to rats. She’s a rescue and hospice and has seen, treated, comforted so many rats with medical issues. From toe nail wounds to enucleations of the eye. lispaz68 had the good sense to record many of the ailments her rescues have had. I’ve asked for her help and permission to compile her videos and place in them in one spot. You will be able to find them here in the Rat Room but more importantly, it will also be in the Rat Shack in the Reference section.

Many many thanks to Lilspaz68 for putting this together for us to learn, research and do better for our rats.

HED Hind End Degeneration. There can be a number of reason why a rat develops this progressive condition, pituitary tumour, arthritis, spinal tumour to name a few.

Here is Declan, starting his HED, not fully developed yet. This can progress slowly or quite fast.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/Declan/?action=view&current=DeclanwalkingHED.mp4

Head Tilt due to a neurological event. Head tilt is sadly becoming more common than it once was. It is a common symptom of an ear infection as well as early pituitary tumour. Most rats will adapt and live full and happy lives with their head tilt.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/Lilith/?action=view&current=JillsneurosymptomsSep24.mp4

Severe head tilt and spinning. This condition can be caused by an ear infection, a pituitary tumour or some other neurological event. It is imperative that you seek a vet for antibiotics and even steroids to help alleviate the symptoms.
Here, Fred is showing a tilt and spinning.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/Fred%20and%20Marley/?action=view&current=DSCF6068.mp4

Hind end spasms. These are quite common, mostly in aging rats especially those with spinal nerve degeneration. In the video, Asha has a nerve twitch in toes and haunch.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/medical/Videos/?action=view&current=DSCF5169.mp4

Anesthetics side effect. It’s always a risk when going through surgery. Anesthesia can have side effects but even more so when the right combo of drugs is not given correctly or in too high a dose.
Here is poor Wilbur recovering from a simple neuter. It took him several hours to overcome the effects of anesthetic overdose.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/medical/Spays%20and%20Neuters/?action=view&current=DSCF4214.mp4

Open mouth breathing. Gasping is a progressive symptom of a serious respiratory infection. Pinta, a five week old baby is struggling with her congestion. It is necessary to bring your rat to a vet before it gets to this point.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/medical/Videos/?action=view&current=Pinta5weekoldbabywithresp.mp4
Another rat Bradley with gasping and panicking movements, coastal breathing.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/medical/Videos/?action=view&current=DSCF9657.mp4

Babies on Board! This is a great video. You can see Lilith’s babies moving about, hours before they were born.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/Lilith/?action=view&current=DSCF7530.mp4

In Estrus. Here’s a funny video of a female in heat. They flutter their ears as part of their mating dance.
Bella is demonstrating her skills.
http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/rattiluv/medical/Miscellaneous/?action=view&current=Bellainheat.mp4

Please visit the Rat Shack, it contains a wealth of information and experiences from long time rat lovers.

Of course we already knew that.
But scientists put it to the test and have found rats to have empathy and pro-social behaviour. In the study, they trapped a cage mate in a tube, while the free rat had the choice to release the cage mate or move on to something else. On average the free rat, released his cage mate before doing anything else. The article goes more into details. There is also a video to show the difference the rats faced with a trapped cage mate, a trapped stuffed toy or nothing in the tube.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6061/1427.full.html

Over the years, I’ve experienced my share of rat empathy and social capabilities. I remember once, my old girl Bijou was being harassed by 3 young bucks. My Mielle out of nowhere during out time must have sensed Bijou’s worried signals because she bounded back to the cage and found Bijou at the bottom. Mielle pushed the big bucks away and convinced Bijou to enter a tube by nudging her gently into it. When Bijou was in it, one end was already blocked, Mielle dutifully placed herself at the open end, daring any of the young boys to come near. That day, I knew just how special rats truly are.

A must read for all pet owners… a fantastic book by Karen Pryor. This book gives you an insight on how animals think. Animals can learn from us and are eager to do so. We are their teachers and we must do so gently and with lots of fun. Sure, animals can be trained using fear, pain and intimidation but why not do it with fun?
Not only can you train rats to do tricks but you can also shape their behaviour. You can help them figure out how to react differently. Instead of biting out of fear, you can click them away from the source.
My sister was having a lot of trouble doing intros with her group. Two males, both were neutered but Neko was literally launching himself onto Bruno. This was not good. I talked to my sister about clicker training her two boys into not wanting to hurt each other and to have a cue word that could be used to separate the two. This was something even I have never attempted and didn’t know how well it would take.
Nic used her tongue as the clicker. She used pumpkin seeds for treats and the cue word was off. The word was not introduced until the shaped behaviour was strong.
During out time, Nic watched the rats closely, when Neko moved close to Bruno, the slight turn of his head earned him a click and a treat. It didn’t take long for him to associate turning away from Bruno to a click and treat. He was doing it all the time. Finally, Nic added the word off to the turn away. Neko was having so much fun running to Bruno, sniffing him and turning away for his click and treat, it became a game. Then Nic worked on Bruno. She had both boys running to each other, sniffing and turning and running to her for the treat. She had all her rats moved in together within a week. Her intro attempts had started last July and she never could get beyond 2 or 3 days. Yet after only one week of clicker training they are living together. And Nic no longer needed the clicker or treats. The boys didn’t associate each other with aggression, it’s like they couldn’t remember why they didn’t like each other in the first place. But Nic wanted to see if a month later, the word Off would work. Sure enough…she yelled off and they turned away from what they were doing. Amazing!

The boys Neko and Bruno.

We’ll never know. Did you ever have a friend? Probably not. Did you ever have the right food, and comfy fleece in your cage to keep you warm? Sure doesn’t look like it. Did you get any care at all for your illnesses and injuries? Definitely not.
We are all so sorry your life ended before it could begin again like it should’ve. It looks like your nakie skin was chilled on a metal pan in an old fashioned dog kennel, I don’t see bedding, toys. I do see you, your eye damaged, probably gone septic, probably suffering badly until finally your spirit had to let go of your weakened body.

A friend of mine responded to an ad on Kijiji, a typical ad that goes like this:
I have up for grab is my hairless rat FREE, yes free.
Just him no accessories and must be gone today as
we are leaving …

BRING YOUR OWN CONTAINER.

The little guy never made it. This is no way to treat a rat. Rats are not toys or possessions, they deserve love and respect, they deserve proper care.
There are countless ads online of owners who no longer care for their rat or perhaps never cared for them at all. There are even ads that states the rats will be left outside in the woods… what? Why do people think rats can live outdoors, in the wild? Pet rats were born and raised to be with humans. Domesticated rats have different needs.
Please… if you want a rat, do your research. If for some reason you need to rehome your rat, please take your time and find the right home for him.
Rats are beautiful, social and loving animals. Be kind to them.

This little guy clearly never had a chance. RIP wee one.

Then don’t get the pet. Yes, I’m preaching today.
I don’t think it can be said enough… when you adopt or buy a pet, you must set aside a vet fund. These animals will get sick. It’s a given. At some point, your healthy pet will need vet care, by a professional doctor of veterinarian medicine. Rats truly are resilient and adapt quite well but when they are hit by something like mycoplasmosis, they need the proper medicine for a quick and complete recovery. There are many websites out there that give alternatives to vet care, these sites are WRONG. Please, don’t give your rat, fish medicine when he is sick. Don’t give your rat, bird medicine that you can buy in pet stores. They don’t work. They simply alleviate the symptoms but it will come back stronger thus making it even harder to treat. On average, I’d say a rat will run you about $500, that’s if you don’t get your rat altered, or get check ups or any surgeries. On average rats remain healthy until about 18 months of age. That is not an old rat. That is a middle aged rat. Rats can live beyond 2 years, they have the potential to make it to 3 or even 4. There are circumstances where even the most dedicated pet owner with all the vet care in the world still can’t prevent an early death but the point is that some rats, many rats will live beyond 2 years old.
Lets talk vet prices for altering your pet, tumour removals… you are looking at an average of $300 for spays, $200 for neuters, $500 for tumour removals. In some areas, it is much cheaper but the bottom line is, it’s expensive. So when you pick up that sweet, tiny baby rat(s) do yourself and your baby a favour and start your vet fund immediately. Put away $15 a month. By the time they reach 18 months old, you’ll already have over $250 saved up. You’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll know your rat(s) will get the care he/she deserves.