lazy boys or what?

[Petunia]

as you might be able to tell from my signature, I've had mostly girls (I guess Cookie could have been a boy, I recently heard of a boy named Cupcake lol but my Cookie was a girl.) My only other boys before now were Teddy and Owen- they were about a year old when I got them and they were just as active as my girls.

Now I have two boys who are younger, somewhere between 4 and 6 mos. It's really hard to tell. the person who rescued them said they were emaciated when she got them


I am wondering if maybe they are even older? But I don't think so, not based on how they walk.

But they are the sleepiest rats I've ever had. I keep wanting to wake them up to play but they just want to sleep.

They are up for short periods but aren't terribly active during those periods.

Ok so they've only been here a week, maybe they are still adjusting??

do you think I should get them some extra high nutrition/high calorie foods like maybe some Ensure or the like? could they still not be fully recovered from their awful beginnings in life (feeder rats who spent some time in with a snake *shudder*)

wah, I wanna play with my ratties :giggle:

I just hope they aren't sick or something. No porphyrin, one of them sneezes from time to time but only when he first wakes up and is sniffing around. They don't look sick. They just sleep an awful lot.

 

[jorats]

Mmm, they sound like they are over a year old. 4 to 6 months, they should still be quite active, unless they are still adjusting to their new home.
Go ahead and wake them when they are sleeping if you want to play with them. They will get used to a new sleep pattern, be awake when it's time to play with mom.

 

[Petunia]

I think they really are well under a year old, they are very small and walk up high, not like older rats

Let me see if I can post a video of them I just remembered I took one last night lol

I guess they are still adjusting.......

they were in a double critter nation or ferret nation, with a bunch of other boys, maybe they are missing them?

 

[jorats]

Oh they lost some buddies. That can definitely do it.

My sister adopted 5 tiny babies. 2 females and 3 males. A week after she got them, she had to separate them. Her little Phoenix stopped coming out. His behaviour changed dramatically and Nic got worried so she decided to add the girls' cage out in the play area with the boys. Sure enough, Phoenix came out ran to Sable and stayed by her cage, by her side. How sweet is that?

Your boys will soon adjust to a new lifestyle. I'd keep them very busy in the meantime.

 

[Petunia]

ok thanks!!

 

[Petunia]

Oh they lost some buddies. That can definitely do it.

My sister adopted 5 tiny babies. 2 females and 3 males. A week after she got them, she had to separate them. Her little Phoenix stopped coming out. His behaviour changed dramatically and Nic got worried so she decided to add the girls' cage out in the play area with the boys. Sure enough, Phoenix came out ran to Sable and stayed by her cage, by her side. How sweet is that?

Your boys will soon adjust to a new lifestyle. I'd keep them very busy in the meantime.

aww that is sweet!! :heart:

 

[Dahlas]

Yeah sounds like they are still adjusting....they sound sweet.

 

[dspch911]

My five boys (Curley is just over a 1, the others will turn a year in April) are all slugs... However, since bringing the new boys home they have gotten worse and they always look depressed. Yesterday I went overboard on the stuff in their cage hoping to entice them and hopefully when intros start they will liven up a bit..

 

[YorkieLove]

We have always had girls and when we first got our boys we thought they were sick. They slept all the time but whenever we wanted to play I would wake them up and make them play with me. It is definitely an adjustment going from girls to boys. Have fun with your new boys!!

 

[dspch911]

I researched before picking the sex I wanted and it said boys are lazy!!! Just want to eat, sleep, and have ..............! Kind of like our human guys !!! :mrgreen:

 

[jorats]

Kind of like our human guys !!! :mrgreen:

:giggle: Indeed!

 

[Pluie]

I'd second that.

My rat boys make me feel like I have pet slugs.

If you're worried that they might be ill, try putting out a treat, they spring into action immediately! Just like real life men to booze.

 

[Petunia]

thanks everyone!
well I guess it's helped that I've calmed down about it,
or maybe it was just the extra day BUT
we are having short bursts of braveness!

they will get up, stretch, yawn, look around, snack a little and then suddenly, they ran around and popcorned!!

they play in short bursts, re arranging the cage (Jake loves to shred paper, seriously considering changing his name to Shredder)

Elwood likes the wodent wheel, he gets in there a plods along rather slowly for a bit. never had a rat WALK in a wheel before, the girls would get in there and run like they had to get some where fast :lol:
it' s so strange to me to see a boy in there just plodding along.

I have been spending a lot of time with my hand in the cage to get them used to it and to me. they still get so terribly frightened if I touch them without a lot of advance notice. Jake especially, if he is accidenty touched, he will go off into a corner, facing outwards and stand on his back legs, his front paws curled up at chest level, looking like he's either praying, or trying to pretend he's a statue or I don't know what. It breaks my heart when I see him do that, cuz I can just imagine this is what he had to do when he was in with the snake to try to keep from being eaten.

Elwood does it too but not as often nor for as long as Jake will.

I take them out and walk around with them in my jacket, Elwood loves the attention, Jake likes it ok but it stresses him out so much that he needs more time before he can let himself relax and enjoy the gentle lovin's

I've had them out on my bed a couple of times but they spend the whole time hiding under a blanket or in a hut. They'll let me pet them but they won't venture out to play.

it's weird because all my other rats so far have played OUT side of the cage a lot more than they ever did INside. They used the cage for sleeping and eating but most of their playing and running around was done during out time

These guys only play IN the cage. So far, anyway. I'll keep working with them so they can get braver each day
it is nice to have a couple of rats who will sit still while you hold them and let you love on them, just wish that wasn't because they are too scared out of the cage to do anything else.

oh, offering treats hasn't worked. even for things they really want they won't come over to get it, they are too scared. I made the mistake of moving towards them with a pc of broccoli and Jake lunged for it, not to get it but to attack it, and I almost got a bad bite in the process (finger got split but luckily the broccoli got the worst of it :lol: )

so, offering treats is a ways off.

I have got them to lick baby food off my fingers but that has to be done very carefully and any sudden move or sound is enough to scare them into running off, or, in Jake's case, possibly striking out to bite.

I can see they are going to be great boys once they have recovered fully and are no longer so afraid.

I'll let you know how they do!

I had to order a new cage (a single CN, just what my budget really did NOT need right now!)
the cage they are in is great EXCEPT that I can't get both hands in to pick them up in the safest way (side scoop)
unless I open the top and it absolutely terrifies to have anything coming down at them like that.
So when they are in the CN it will be easier to get them out without scaring the living daylights out of them.

every new rat has been a learning experience!

 

[Joanne]

It sounds like they really needed a mom like you to take care of them and love them and teach them how to feel safe. You are definitely going to win their little hearts!