henry's_mum
Well-Known Member
:joy:
Shivers and the Pincushion
- Thread starter trillium
- Start date
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jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
That is really great!! You are learning his body language and know how far to go and teaching him to be more gentle. Good job!!
mamarat
Well-Known Member
:joy: Shivers
PiedPiper
Well-Known Member
Awesome progress! Kudos to you for sticking with him, trillium! The harder ones always turn out to be the most worth it!
LA
Well-Known Member
Aw I'm so happy for both you and him, that's wonderful news. :bunnydance:
trillium
Well-Known Member
Sssshhhhh.... Shivers is dozing.... He probably hasn't noticed it yet, but he's missing something. Two somethings actually. Sssshhhhh.....
Poor Shivers is all drugged up. He's so groggy that he let me scritch his face and neck with no reaction when we got home this afternoon. That boy is high as a kite.
Hope he stays that way a while longer. The vet didn't want to give me pain meds, but wrote me out the dosage for Children's Ibuprofen if it looks like he needs it.
I cannot WAIT for this neuter to take hold. I know there's an amazing rat in there, with all the hormones he just can't resist trying to pick a fight with me all the time to show me who's boss, but he's shown flashes of a rat that just really wants to be loved and cuddled too. He just doesn't know how.
Fingers crossed for no complications. He looks pretty poofy and unhappy at the moment, but it's very early I guess. No whammies, no whammies, no abcesses....
ps. Customs officer at the border was trying to control his laughing on the phone with someone as he tried to ask about whether there were any rules about bringing rats accross to get neutered. I think he was totally dumbfounded about it. He didn't ask me anything after the call, just shook his head and waved me on in disbelief... :roll:
Poor Shivers is all drugged up. He's so groggy that he let me scritch his face and neck with no reaction when we got home this afternoon. That boy is high as a kite.
Hope he stays that way a while longer. The vet didn't want to give me pain meds, but wrote me out the dosage for Children's Ibuprofen if it looks like he needs it.
I cannot WAIT for this neuter to take hold. I know there's an amazing rat in there, with all the hormones he just can't resist trying to pick a fight with me all the time to show me who's boss, but he's shown flashes of a rat that just really wants to be loved and cuddled too. He just doesn't know how.
Fingers crossed for no complications. He looks pretty poofy and unhappy at the moment, but it's very early I guess. No whammies, no whammies, no abcesses....
ps. Customs officer at the border was trying to control his laughing on the phone with someone as he tried to ask about whether there were any rules about bringing rats accross to get neutered. I think he was totally dumbfounded about it. He didn't ask me anything after the call, just shook his head and waved me on in disbelief... :roll:
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Aww!! That's great news! I never had any of my males on pain meds after their neuter. I can't wait for him to become cuddly with you. :joy:
Moon
Well-Known Member
Yay for Shivers!
lilratsy43
Well-Known Member
This is such good news! Any updates on this boy?
trillium
Well-Known Member
Shivers seems okay - He was doing owie stretches so I've given him a couple of doses of the Infant Motrin - this morning, tonight. He's active, bright eyed, and non-poofy today, which I take as good signs.
The incision sites look fine, though it's weird, there's one at the back where I'd expect it, and another right up underneath basically along where his back leg meets his body? Weird?
Anyways. Hopefully he'll recover quickly. Umm.... any idea how long 'til the aggression might start to let up?
If anything he seems more protective of his cage now than he was before. He's jumping up to take running starts to get at me if he sees/hears me put a hand in his cage... Not sure if that is a result of his "bad" experience yesterday. I hope so, and that it'll let up once he relaxes again.
The incision sites look fine, though it's weird, there's one at the back where I'd expect it, and another right up underneath basically along where his back leg meets his body? Weird?
Anyways. Hopefully he'll recover quickly. Umm.... any idea how long 'til the aggression might start to let up?
If anything he seems more protective of his cage now than he was before. He's jumping up to take running starts to get at me if he sees/hears me put a hand in his cage... Not sure if that is a result of his "bad" experience yesterday. I hope so, and that it'll let up once he relaxes again.
PiedPiper
Well-Known Member
Maybe he had an undescended testicle and that's where the vet had to cut in order to find it? As for the aggression, I think it takes approximately three weeks for the hormones to settle. So, you might have to dodge his teeth for just a while longer. :giggle: Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Shivers!trillium said:
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Typically, you should see some changes in 3 weeks, in one of our severe aggressive cases, it only took one week... but there are some that took about 3 months. So I always say anywhere from 1 day to 3 months.
trillium
Well-Known Member
lovely... :roll:
trillium
Well-Known Member
You know. Of all the rats I've had, why did this have to happen to Shivers? Why?
I'm pretty sure Shivers has paraphimosis. He's been on baytril that I have on hand since the neuter, but when I let him out tonight I noticed all he wanted to do was sit and lick himself so I scooped him up to check it out. Sure enough, things aren't where they're supposed to be. I'm guessing there's infection in there where the cut is up under his leg. It feels somewhat hard there.
I put a little petroleum jelly on, but he's just licked it back off again. I guess another call in the vet tomorrow unless there are other suggestions? :help2:
I don't have any metacam at home. I do have sugar, but I'm not quite sure how that works...?
Why did it have to be this guy? Just when I'm trying to get his trust I'm going to have to catch and manhandle him. ARGH!
I'm pretty sure Shivers has paraphimosis. He's been on baytril that I have on hand since the neuter, but when I let him out tonight I noticed all he wanted to do was sit and lick himself so I scooped him up to check it out. Sure enough, things aren't where they're supposed to be. I'm guessing there's infection in there where the cut is up under his leg. It feels somewhat hard there.
I put a little petroleum jelly on, but he's just licked it back off again. I guess another call in the vet tomorrow unless there are other suggestions? :help2:
I don't have any metacam at home. I do have sugar, but I'm not quite sure how that works...?
Why did it have to be this guy? Just when I'm trying to get his trust I'm going to have to catch and manhandle him. ARGH!
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Ugh!! That poor boy. You'll need to add more petroleum and massage the sucker back in. But if you are noticing something not right at the incision site, he'll need to see a vet.
Poor Shivers and poor you. :hugs:
Poor Shivers and poor you. :hugs:
trillium
Well-Known Member
I'm now the proud owner of a tube of KY Jelly.
I did end up taking him in since it was still out when I got home from work today and I just couldn't fix it.
There's a new vet in town! I think I like her. She did a pretty thorough check of him - weight, temperature, lungs, eyes/ears, teeth - It was nice to experience. Together we subdued poor Shivers and she managed to get things back where they belonged. She did feel some harder swelling beside his sheath on the side where the incision is high up under his leg, but she wasn't sure what it was. The incision sites themselves look good.
So now he's on Metacam for seven days along with the Baytril.
Shivers dealt with the indignity of the situation really well. He squirmed around, but never bit the blanket that I was holding him in.
I think I'm seeing a change in his personality. He just seems to be starting to look waaaay more relaxed overall. I haven't seen him do a decent poof in a day or two. He'll still offer to bite if my hand is waving around in front of him, but I've actually managed to scritch him on the head and neck in the cage recently just by bypassing that danger zone.
Here's hoping everything stays okay with him for the next little while.
I did end up taking him in since it was still out when I got home from work today and I just couldn't fix it.
There's a new vet in town! I think I like her. She did a pretty thorough check of him - weight, temperature, lungs, eyes/ears, teeth - It was nice to experience. Together we subdued poor Shivers and she managed to get things back where they belonged. She did feel some harder swelling beside his sheath on the side where the incision is high up under his leg, but she wasn't sure what it was. The incision sites themselves look good.
So now he's on Metacam for seven days along with the Baytril.
Shivers dealt with the indignity of the situation really well. He squirmed around, but never bit the blanket that I was holding him in.
I think I'm seeing a change in his personality. He just seems to be starting to look waaaay more relaxed overall. I haven't seen him do a decent poof in a day or two. He'll still offer to bite if my hand is waving around in front of him, but I've actually managed to scritch him on the head and neck in the cage recently just by bypassing that danger zone.
Here's hoping everything stays okay with him for the next little while.
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Having a vet you trust in town is just the best! I'm so glad he was seen and put the sucker back in it's place.
All the manipulation might be helping in making him trust you more.
All the manipulation might be helping in making him trust you more.
Fidget
Senior Member
I hope your boy will be absolutely A-OK now! Geez, the things we have to do at the other end just to look at the sweet face, eh?
Hope you can find some other use for the KY now
Hope you can find some other use for the KY now
trillium
Well-Known Member
Whooooaaaa..... Lightswitch. It's like a lightswitch went off or something. That's amazing. Wow. :shock:
Shivers has been getting less intense recently, so today I decided to test a bit and left hands in the cage for a bit longer. He's been test biting anytime I deal with things in the cage, but I've noticed he seems to do it out of habit now, rather than aggression. I think he'll always have a reaction to fast movements or hands in the cage, BUT...
Took him out onto the larger area of the bed for out time today and *presto* -- totally different rat from the last time I handled him out there a bit over a week ago. He was popcorning, bouncing around, and he GROOMED MY HANDS! I almost had a heart attack. He did the normal twisting around as I scritched his neck, but then instead of warning me with his teeth as he's been doing recently, he started nibbling on my fingernail!
I was playing with him and even scooped him up with bare hands tonight with no negative reaction whatsoever. What a change from the boy who locked his teeth on to the inside of my finger two weeks ago in a wound that still isn't totally healed, for daring to try to pet his head.
Wow. Holy neuters rock Batman.... :happydance:
Shivers has been getting less intense recently, so today I decided to test a bit and left hands in the cage for a bit longer. He's been test biting anytime I deal with things in the cage, but I've noticed he seems to do it out of habit now, rather than aggression. I think he'll always have a reaction to fast movements or hands in the cage, BUT...
Took him out onto the larger area of the bed for out time today and *presto* -- totally different rat from the last time I handled him out there a bit over a week ago. He was popcorning, bouncing around, and he GROOMED MY HANDS! I almost had a heart attack. He did the normal twisting around as I scritched his neck, but then instead of warning me with his teeth as he's been doing recently, he started nibbling on my fingernail!
I was playing with him and even scooped him up with bare hands tonight with no negative reaction whatsoever. What a change from the boy who locked his teeth on to the inside of my finger two weeks ago in a wound that still isn't totally healed, for daring to try to pet his head.
Wow. Holy neuters rock Batman.... :happydance:
