Yes, you read that right. I’m doing another intro. By now, I’m pretty much a pro. lol
I first started the intro in a corral, keeping the rats far away from toys, hiding places and cages, never have cages during intros unless you want aggressive attacks.
The rats to watch due to past behaviours, Max, Chief, Molly and of course Pony. Why Molly? Because she has a tendency to place herself in the line of fire. She takes the attacks if one should happen. She always tries to soften the blows, she’s such a sweet maternal girl… a mother forever.
Amazingly, Max was a doll. He remained calm and stable. In fact, he was the one the others moved too for stability.
After about 20 minutes of absolutely no reactions in the corral, I decided to move it to familiar ground. I have 3 rats with a respiratory infection so I have to be careful not to stress them out too much. Familiar ground would make the intro easier on the sick rats. I don’t recommend moving ahead in intros, I did it because I can read body language and feel their energies. Things were going way too awesome. During familiar ground, still no cage… things were going pretty good, dull actually, until little Meeko started to play. He decided he wold playfully flip Pony. WRONG! Pony wasn’t game. So this forced out my puffy guys, the ones to watch: Pony and Chief. Chief came to Meeko’s defence and basically told Pony not to go there but Pony was feeling ambushed. I dominated Pony, gently pushing his head towards the floor, all the while putting my calm energy over him. This helped tremendously. Pony hid under the cage, with Chief nearby and Max in the middle. Pony wanted to be near Max, he was trying to bond with his calm energy. Max would go to Pony, then to Chief, calming both rats. I knew this was still going well because Gera was going around popcorning and having a blast. Meeko is still scared and hiding but that’s typical of Meeko, his feelings were hurt when Pony took offence to the play.
We are an hour into the intro, I look over and I see Pony enjoying himself climbing his toys, finding yummy stashed blocks. A few rats are eating the baby cereal mush I made for them for the intro. Chief is still on his throne but he is alpha so that’s fine.
Nobody is puffy… and that’s a beautiful thing.
I think I’ll be doing another intro tonight. The more they meet, the faster we get to the move in date.
Thank you Rory… I know it’s all you.
As a rat ages, the kidneys become damaged by too much protein. Kidneys are quite important in the living being’s body. It’s important to feed a low protein diet to keep those kidneys happy and functional. But meds can also affect kidneys, so far though, we have not seen any ill effects from long term Baytril nor Zithromax, a small blessing for sure.
My mom adopted a sweet little pew a while back from a rescue. She’s 19 months old and at the right age for things to go wrong. Usually this is the age we watch for strokes, tumours, respiratory illnesses, heart issues… but with Luna, she developed a largish tumour on her left kidney. Her first symptom was splayed walking. My mom figured she must have a bladder infection, or worse yet a uterine tumour. She also had a change in behaviour, she became more clingy. So it was off to the vet with Luna. She was palpated and our vet felt an enlarged kidney with nodules. An altrasound was made and it showed a tumour. At this point we still didn’t know if it was affecting both kidneys, if it was free standing or attached to anything. We weighed the pros and cons and my mom decided to give surgery a try. The vet was in and out in short time. She removed the left kidney and it’s appendage. Luna is recovering very slowly from surgery. She’s in a lot of pain but being managed with metacam. It’s also important to keep her well fed and hydrated so Luna is currently enjoying baby cereal and Ensure.
We are not sure how well a rat will do with only one kidney… but we are hoping she was given a few more months. 19 months is simply too young to say goodbye.
Rory arrived in rescue in April of 2009, his previous owner couldn’t deal with his behaviour, offering to pay someone to come and get him. He was nicknamed Jekyll and Hyde because his personality shifted all the time. He didn’t like other rats and wasn’t sure about the humans either. He was neutered soon after arrival hoping to curb all that hormonal and territorial behaviour but even then, it seemed to not be working out so much for this boy. Rory lived alone and that’s how he wanted it. He also needed his out time, and lots of it or he would set about at beating up his cage. Then a year later, I adopted him. I brought him home along with other rats from the same rescue and set about at hooking him up with a buddy and I wasn’t taking no for an answer. A 5 hour drive and a new home usually help change a rat’s behaviour and in this case, it was the right opportunity to start intros with the group I brought home. He was introed to Max, another lone rat and four wonderful females. These females have the best personalities and I knew they would be the ones to make Max and Rory into colony rats. Sure enough, the crew came together beautifully. I was even able to add 4 more males to the group.
Rory fell deeply in love with rats. He is never without a buddy. He’s mostly attached to Big Max but anyone will do. He’s often seen cuddling with Molly but more often with naked little Meeko.
At that time, Rory still wasn’t really into humans. He didn’t like to be petted too much, and don’t you dare try to pick him up. But I was happy simply watching him cuddle his buds and playfully flip the big guy. I knew he had a good life. A few weeks ago, Rory started a mild respiratory infection. He’s getting his daily Baytril but with that, he’s lost some rear end mobility and some weight. As rats age, it’s not uncommon for them to also lose back end muscle mass. Rory has become old. He’s about 29 months now, slow on his feet, a skinny boy… who recently has decided that human cuddles are the best. A change in behaviour is also common in aging rats… but it’s a sign of things to come, this is when you know that you better get all those cuddles now. During out time, I will sit down with the rats, Rory will waddle his way to me and put his paws on my legs asking for a lift. I pick him up and put him in the crook of my arm and we begin our cuddle fest. He looks at me with those huge expressive eyes and I whisper how much I love him. We stay like that for almost an hour. He is still quite fit and bright eyed and I know that I will have many more cuddling session with him.
Rory is the perfect example of why nobody should ever give up on their rat.
Not only is this statement a key component in real estate, it is also important when choosing the right spot for your rat cage.
Rats shouldn’t be tucked away in a dark corner somewhere… they need to be the centre of the room, in the living space, where there will be traffic and noise. Rats will be more social and happy if they are in constant human company. Keeping them in your room is fine so long as you spend an enormous amount of time in your room or have many family members visit the rats and cage during the day. Rats need human interactions, they don’t need your constant devoted attention but they do need to see you, hear you and even smell you. I remember my sister telling me about her brother in law. He kept two sweet albino females in his work shed because his wife didn’t like the rats. Those girls were never really social and lacked proper care, didn’t really live beyond a year and a half.
If you are going to add rats to your household be sure to make them a part of your family. Don’t isolate them, show them off and you’ll have happy social rats.
Feeders… a touchy subject but totally relates to rats. Sure reptiles must eat but when humans are cruel to rodents in order to feed reptiles, that’s when it becomes wrong. There is no humane way to kill a rat. Many feeder breeders use CO2 to kill the rats but even this method has been proven inhumane and downright cruel. No matter which way you use, either pre-filled chamber or gradual fill chamber both have shown to cause much distress and pain to the rat. (Those attending University will have access to the studies.) This suffering should not be acceptable. When a rat is placed in a pre-filled gas chamber, he immediately starts to panic. Those placed in a gradual fill chamber, they start to panic the minute the oxygen in the air starts to diminish. The CO2 burns the mucous membranes, the nose, eyes and mouth/throat. The rat tries desperately to claw its way out of the chamber, looking for air, some will gasp in their panic. If there are multiple rats, they will start to climb each other to get to the top where the air is cleaner. Dying, the rat will become limp but will continue to try and lunge towards the top all the while collapsing several times before succumbing to this painful death. On top of all this horror, if the gassing is done in the rat room, where the other rodents await their turn, they hear and sense the fear and suffering of the rat being gassed, that in itself is pure cruelty, to the babies and the males and females who are breeding machines.
I’ve had numerous conversations with reptile owners and most will turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering of the rat. They choose to disbelieve that they are indeed inflicting pain and suffering to another living being or supporting those who do. It’s simply evil.
There will come a time where you will need to accommodate your aging rat or rats. You will notice your rat is aging when he starts to slow down and won’t eat as much. At this time, you need to prepare his habitat and care as well as prepare yourself for the end of his journey. Check their teeth often, older rats tend to not brux as much or eat hard blocks like they used to. This might also be the time to start offering mushy foods. The best thing to do is add water to the rat block to get it soft. You can give baby food, baby cereal or even Ensure/Boost as a supplement. If you have males, you will need to check for penis plugs which is a waxy build up inside the penis prepuce as well as keeping an eye on their coats and the sebum. Males produce buck grease but are usually pretty good in keeping it clean but as they age, they tend to give up on the whole grooming the body process. You will also need to tend to their nails, trim them before they get too long and curl underneath into their digits. Marinating is another issue with oldies. Old rats seem to urinate where they sleep, this can aggravate the genitals as well as surrounding skin. You will need to clean your ratties as they need it, possibly every day.
Older rats do require extra care and attention but they give back so much in turn. This is usually the time where cuddling and bonding is priority in their every day routine.
Loss of mobility is another big issue, but definitely does not mean the end of his life. Rats can have quality of living even if they can’t move anymore. They will develop upper body muscle and drag themselves around and continue to do the things they enjoy like eating, exploring and cuddling with rat buddies.
Some oldies are open to young cage buddies at this time. It can rejuvenate them. On the other hand, some oldies prefer a quieter lifestyle so this will be something you will need to watch for. Feel their energy and what they are telling you.
Many people are faced with a lone oldie. This is the hard part. What to do with your lone oldie. If you plan on keeping rats, I’d suggest getting him or her buddies. You will need to know if younger or older is better for your oldie. There is no magic answer, it’s up to your rat. Allow for an adjustment period before you decide it’s not working out with a buddy, all rats pretty much need to be convinced that their life will be better with a companion.
How to set up the habitat for the oldies. It might be time to remove all levels and ramps. You don’t want grampa rat tumbling off the shelf. You can set up your hammocks low to the ground. Give them plenty of boxes and tissues to make easy nests. Bring down your water bottles or better yet, offer shallow bowls of fresh water. Food dishes should be smaller so the rat doesn’t need to get up too high to get his food. Change your bedding often so not to irritate the belly of the dragging rat.
Rats go through all the stages of life much too soon in my opinion but each rat is different. Your 24 month old might be old, yet another 30 month old might still be young…each rat is different and should be treated accordingly.
Love your oldies as much as your babies… the end times are just as special.
These three are my mom’s sweeties, well over 30 months old and enjoying their retirement home.
Shhh…. sleeping oldies.
It is very important to spot check your cage every day. Go around looking at your cage and seeing it as a rat would see it. Get down to their level and look for all the sharp edges, rusting or aging of the cage. Your cage can become a hazard and should be addressed, repaired or replaced. Same with your hammocks and liners. Go through each one and check them out carefully. Any fraying of flannel and cotton should be removed. Any holes in your fleece or other materials should be made bigger so the rat can safely go in and out. Rats love to chew and will make holes, they will also try and go through those holes, it’s up to you to make sure those holes are big enough for your rat. Be aware when it’s time to replace your hammocks and other bedding. Rats have lost their lives to these overlooked conditions.
A couple of years ago, I was checking up on my old rats and fortunately, I had just gotten there on time to find my Jorge was being asphyxiated by his flannel hammock. It had frayed and a thin piece had wrapped around his neck. Jorge was going limp but I was able to warm him up, hydrate him and nurse him back. We were very lucky I caught it on time. I shudder to think what I would have found if it had been an hour later.
Do you want to add some fun to their veggie munching? Put some frozen/thawed peas in a dish of water. It’s funny to watch the rats first be tentative while touching the water, shocking some of them to the point of getting them to flail their little arms. Then they start to take in big gulps of it, finally they realize they can smell the peas in the water and start to reach down and grab them. Some like Meeko will grab and run. He thinks he needs to find a safe hideaway to eat his peas. Others like Max prefer to stay right by the dish so he can eat all he wants, as many as he wants. Sweet Molly grabs three or more in her mouth, she doesn’t waste any time with the petty task of dunking. Most rats don’t eat the pea skin as it is mostly cellulose and rats don’t digest it very well, same as corn kernel skin. But then there’s Gera, the gentelman rat that he is, he eats his peas, skin and all. He doesn’t leave anything behind.
Here’s my video of my crew enjoying their pea fishing.
For many years, I’ve been a strong advocate for rat blocks, mainly because they are the *only* food item that contains all the nutrients required for the rat in one hard block. Not only does it ensure a balanced meal but it also satisfies the chewing need of the rat.
On The Rat Shack, we are lucky to have Sorraia (Nicole) with us. She is a biologist and has studied, cared for and bred rats for over 2 decades. Recently she has decided to tackle the difficult task of breaking down the rat’s diet. She has put together a chart of sorts, comparing different foods that are being offered to rats in the rat community. There are still people out there giving their rats, dog food, which in my opinion and that of several vets is totally unsuitable. Nicole also breaks down what is found in dog food. You’ll see that most do seem to contain a lot of what the rat requires yet all dog food is usually devoid of vitamin K which is extremely important for our rats. If you feed a dog food, you really need to supplement to ensure the rat is getting everything he/she needs.
Not only is dog food not a balanced diet for the rat but even more importantly, it is NOT ENERGY DENSE ENOUGH for our rats. Rats require their energy to come from carbs and not fats and protein like it is for dogs. All dog food is loaded with meats for DOGS!
Use the chart to compare your blocks, or to help you supplement if you find your rat diet is currently lacking.
If you intend to or already do use the Suebee’s mix, you MUST!!! follow the recipe exactly. Nicole told me that the Total cereal is really the one food that allows to make that diet complete. So if you live in Canada and don’t have access to Total, your Suebee’s mix could be harming your rat.
Another thing you need to keep in mind about the Suebee’s mix, your rat NEEDS! to eat every single piece added to the mix. Assuming your rat is eating every bit is dangerous. If one rat decides he doesn’t like the Total cereal and leaves it for his buddies to consume, you will have a seriously sick rat on your hands in no time.
I recommend every rat lover should bookmark Nicole’s blog NOM-ology. As a rat lover, diet should be very important to you as it is one factor that will determine how long your rat will live.
Or as we affectionately call them: halfies. These are special rats and at some point might have you thinking, what am I going to do with these? It’s definitely not recommended to purposely breeding wild rats with pet rats, the wild streak in them is simply too strong and overrules any beneficial health benefits, if there exists any in the first place. But on occasion, it does happen where a wild eager male makes his way into the home and finds himself a ready domesticated mate. It is a must to have all halfies spayed and neutered when they are of age, this will help curb that flight or fright instinct that is extremely rooted in them. These babies need lots and lots of human interaction and socializing. If these babies are lucky to have a calm and happy momma, then that is a step in the right direction but if mom is having issues as well, you will be faced with serious consequences.
If you find your female has been impregnated by a wild rat, I highly recommend getting her e-spayed… abortion. That is really the best option with halfies. If that is not an option, then you will need to keep mom and babies very calm, with good energy and get those babies bouncing and playing asap. Constant interaction, lots of love, care and patience might win these little guys over.
I’ve dealt with halfies, they are quite a challenge. Placing them in a cage with stable rats might be your best bet in winning them over but then you risk turning your stable rats into neurotic little critters like the halfies. If you are lucky though, your stable rats will win them over and convince them that life behind bars is not a bad life at all.
These are the halfies we worked with back in the summer of 2006.
