Concern about Mr. Honeycomb and Chance

[mamarat]

Good luck to your sweetie. I hope he becomes a big squish.

 

[Godmother]

Great timing to have him done before the holidays! With any luck he will gradually calm down. It even worked for Lilspaz's fearsome Dudders!

 

[lilspaz68]

This should do the trick Mekist. Take Mr. H's hormones out of the equation, take some time for the hormones to dissipate and start back with neutral intro's. :thumbup:

 

[Fidget]

....he could bite you badly. Poor guy.

That's love :heart:

 

[M0onkist]

He's loving his time alone in solitary - I swear, he is the LAZIEST rat I have EVER encountered.

Chance is blooming. I weighed him... maybe a week ago at the most? 341g, which was good, he'd gained weight over what he'd been before his cold. I weigh him today, he's 360g!!! He's the happiest boy in the world right now, zooming around the cage, solving puzzles (his current one is how to chew the med-sized LCBO bag into pieces so he can get it into Mr. Honeycomb's wooden hut), finding about 1500 routes to and from his fruit basket, where he keeps his stash of food...

I'm sure if I could speak rat he'd go 'What, there used to be another rat here? Oh well, more fun for meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!'

His personality has just grown 1000%, it's incredible. And again, I feel horrible I just didn't pick up on how oppressed he was by Mr. H (then again, I was on Singulair and getting off it, which screwed up my head enormously). But I'm also taking advantage of it - he's such a joy to hold and cuddle, and let him ride on my shoulder... that's what I get from him - an emanation of pure, innocent joy. I'm sure he'd tell Arlene he's the happiest rat in the world, or something like it!

But yes, Shelagh, I've very high hopes that after the neuter and the holidays apart, neutral intros will start again, and they'll come to love each other again.

Regardless though, both Tim and my mom have forbidden me from ever getting male rats again! LOL (The mom thing was interesting, since she was dead-set against me getting more after the P&P girls passed - obviously she's resigned herself to the fact that rats are just gonna be part of Tim's and my life)

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I really dont think that its right for them to say you cant have male rats again. For the most part males are just as sweet at girls but due to bad genetics there are an agressive few. I personally dont think its fair for you or to the rats you could possibly own to never have males again because of one incident.

 

[henry's_mum]

Some people are female lovers, others are male lovers, and some it could go either way.
I personally like my boys over girls, I find the females have VERY heartbreaking health issues, and i've seen alot in the last year.

I also think it's silly to 'ban' someone from having a certain sex over something so common as needing a neuter.

I'm certain that after a neuter Mr.H will be his reagal, loving, lazy self!

 

[M0onkist]

Well, whatever gender I own at the time, Mom's generally against it. If it's females, she's muttering about the chances of tumors and the cost of tumor removals. If it's boys, it's 'smelliness' and hormones - go figure!!

I think Tim's gonna be a 'girl rat' kind of person - and honestly, to me, I can be happy with their gender so long as it's a rat!

Chance is having a BIG ol' sleeping in today after all his activity yesterday - where he gets the energy I have no idea, but he put the Energizer bunny to shame...

 

[pscychopomp]

Some people are female lovers, others are male lovers, and some it could go either way.
I personally like my boys over girls, I find the females have VERY heartbreaking health issues, and i've seen alot in the last year.

Last time I had rats it was a pair of girls, this time I have a pair of girls and a boy, and it's hard not playing favourites with him... I had forgotten the difference between boys and girls. I'm not sure if his personally is gender related or that he was handled from birth (probably both), one girl came from a pet store, the other I assume a BYB that didn't handle her much. I just hope he stays this way!!

 

[M0onkist]

Well, we're going in tomorrow!!

Mr. Honeycomb I don't think has any real clue - he may have suspicions though, lol.

I'm taking Chance in to have sort of a double exam with Mr. H (separate cages, no fears) because he was making sort of rat-coughie noises this morning and I didn't like that at all.

 

[jorats]

Mamarat's little brothers became such loving sweeties after their neuters, you will be so delighted at the transformation.

 

[M0onkist]

It could theoretically still be the Metacam (.1cc every day for 3 days after surgery), but Mr. Honeycomb seems to have mellowed significantly already.

Oh, Mamarat, Dr. Munn found a cataract in one of Mr. H's eyes - I'm not sure if cataracts are a congenital thing, but in case they are, I figured you should know for your boys - and Lynds and the daddy-o's too. He doesn't seem really affected by it - it's only in one eye, and seems to be recent as I noticed he began holding his head a bit off to one side. At first I thought or prayed it wouldn't be a tumor, but now it makes sense, since he'd be using his good eye to try to see things better.

But anyhoo, he's doing fantastically well - did wet himself a few times the first day or so (hardly surprising since he was technically just out of surgery and probably felt a mite out of sorts), but his sack is shrinking very nicely, there's no redness or swelling that would cause any concern - to be honest, I can't even see the stitches! (but I know he hasn't ripped them out, that much would be very obvious).

 

[jorats]

That's great news!!

 

[henry's_mum]

:happydance: :happydance: :happydance:
sounds like when Brillo went in. He was a TOTALLY different rat from when i'd dropped him off that morning.

Hopefully all your problems will be solved.
and thank for the catarac info hun!

 

[M0onkist]

No problem - figured since they were all related it was good info to pass on.

But yeah, that's how fast the change seemed to be - I'll be honest, poor Mr. H. was TERRIFIED to be in the vet's office, but Dr. Munn, bless his soul, was as gentle as could be, and calmed him down until he was almost at the bruxxing stage (given how infrequently Mr. H. bruxxes, this is a BIG accomplishment!).

Now though, he's a happy bruxxer - still not as often as the girls always were, but a big change nonetheless. Poor guy, his hormones must have been driving him nuts...

 

[henry's_mum]

I had someone speak with Brillo, she had said it was like having a 'monster' removed from his insides....
poor boys, some just can't help what happens....

 

[mamarat]

Great news for your sweetie.!! Sometimes it doesn't take long to see a change.
Thanks for the info about the bros.

 

[Moon]

Wonderful news!!!!

 

[M0onkist]

He's still doing great - yesterday was his last 24hr dose of Metacam, but he doesn't seem to be uneasy about it, or uncomfy.

The area is definitely wizening like a raisin, at least the base of it - it still *kinda* feels like there's testicles up in there, but I'm not sure - possibly just the swelling? Nothing is hard though, or getting larger.

 

[jorats]

The testicles can feel full for quite a bit after the surgery.
It sounds like he's healing quite well. :thumbup: