The Rat Room

A small hobby rattery in southern Ontario got slightly out of hand and quickly became overwhelmed with rats. They were found out and the landlord needed them all gone. Luckily a couple of good friends of mine decided to go and check out the situation. The rats were in a horrible state. They had 29 males crammed in a wooden crate type cage and 19 females in a much too small a cage. The rats were living on pine, no food and hardly any water. Almost all the males have sores, cuts and bruises. Some are in such bad mental state, they will need a neuter to help them cope with the stress of a horrible habitat and overcrowding. I wanted to help and decided to adopt two of the males. I brought them home and when the dust settled, the true personality of Big White came through. He is one stressed boy. He puffs up like a rat in a dryer and chatters loudly. He attacks any rat that goes near him. Lucky for me, he hasn’t realized that he could hurt me too if he wanted too. He’s still scared of me which is a good thing for now. I had him with his buddy Little Mink and they seem to get along fine until we got home. Big White doesn’t really like Little Mink. So for now I’ve got the two separated until their scheduled neuters.
Big White is now named Chief. I’m guessing he’s about 6 to 8 months of age. I know his type and with a neuter, he’ll soon be jello.
Little Mink is now named Doc. He’s just a baby, about 3 to 4 months old, which breaks my heart because instead of playing and bouncing and having a great baby time, he’s just totally stressed and scared. He’s unsure of his home, unsure of other rats and very unsure of me.
It’s so easy to breed. You put rat A with rat B and make babies and money signs dance before your eyes, until you realize rats are not in demand. It takes a special person to do things right. If you really need to breed, you need patience, time and space. You need money and a good vet. You need to know your rat’s background and have full support of your family. You also must have a demand or you will be stuck with the supply. Better yet… don’t breed at all. Don’t make more of these poor rats who ultimately end up needing a forever home.

It’s going to take me lots of work, time and patience with Chief and Doc. But I know I can get them to come around and be real rats enjoying life. They’ve had a super rough start… it’s time to give them an amazing forever.

Please meet my new boys. Big White aka Chief

And sweet Little Mink aka Doc

That is if bud is your body part. Some rats like to nip. I’m not talking blood gushing, bone cracking biting. Nips on the toes, on the arms, on the cheek… anywhere they please. I’ve had a few nippers in my colonies but lately I’ve been lucky with these new groups. My last big time nipper was Loki and she’s passed a good long while ago. So I thought, right on, I’m safe. The warm weather is here now and I no longer need my slippers nor my socks while hanging out in my home. To my surprise, I’m getting nipped again. Benjamin seems to think that toes are tasty. I think he actually enjoys the shrieking and sudden jerk of my foot cause he comes back for more. Nipping is not a bad thing in rats, in fact I believe it’s all part of their play and exploring process. I really don’t think there is any way to teach them not to do this although there are methods to discourage nipping. Shrieking loudly helps with some rats. Benji seems to like it but another thing you can try is enclosing the rat in a small cage. When they nip, you grab them immediately, say NO and put in the cage for 10 minutes. Repeat the process if he continues. Eventually he will associate small enclosure and nipping does not make for a happy rat.
I’ve noticed though that with time the rat seems to grow out of the nipping. I’ve never punished it, I was simply careful. I’ve always regarded it as a hello, I’m here, give me some attention, it’s definitely nothing malicious or aggressive.
So next time you take your socks off…watch out for tiny teeth.

Well… maybe not but she’s a brave rat. Chu formerly known as Smooch just won’t stay put. She’s got the bug in her and she’s sprouting her wings. It doesn’t matter where she lands, she’ll happily explore the new found space.
So the Noobs have their out time on the couch. Oh but not Chu. The couch and dresser is simply not big enough for this little girl. She’s got things to do and places to see. I turn my back one second and I see her walk by my feet. Her soft fur on my bare skin is what alerted me to “rat on the loose”. I pick her up, gently scold her and pray to god it was a one time thing. Nope. She’s now discovered she can jump good distances and will attempt anything. So she finds her way to the floor. She’s made quite a find, a soft furry pet. Each time she jumps down she makes a bea line for Toby. Toby is my 17 year old cat. She’s old and full of arthritis and can barely move. And she’s not fond of rats, ok, she’s pretty darn scared of them. But Chu is convinced the two can become fast friends. My money is on “ain’t happening”. Poor Toby tries to run away on her rickety old bones but Chu is so much faster. The sneaky little rat keeps a few inches behind while Toby snails away and looks back and sees Chu at her heels and gives me a pitiful cry. So I rescue Toby and pick up little Chu. It’s a funny site… looks like I’ll need to keep a very close eye on Chu, my brave one.

You don’t have to be rich to add toys and stimulation to your rat’s play room and cage. It only takes imagination.
Rats love boxes, all kinds, mine especially love the longish soda boxes. They also love toilet tissue tubes, better yet, leave some toilet tissue on the tube, they’ll put it to good use. I’ve given mine ping pong balls from the buck store and more recently, I purchased a container from the buck store for only $2 and decided it wasn’t what I needed so I wasn’t using it. Then I caught one of my guys making a run for it and jumped up and hid inside. Well… I knew instantly that would become their new toy. I put it near their cage, add a fleece blanket inside and there you have it. A new toy. They were all over it, climbing it, hiding in it, cuddling in it… Forget all those expensive pet store toys, look around your home, I bet you have a few hidden gems. The rats will surely appreciate it.

Some rats are so comfortable they sleep on their backs. These rats are usually laid back and quite happy with life. Their stress levels are low and they get along with most anyone or anyrat. I’ve had a few rats like that. Currently I have Desmond who likes to sleep on his back. Finding your rat in that position is a heart stopping moment. You swear your rat has passed on and not in some deep comfy sleep. We run to the cage, fling it open and grab the limp body and will it to life… no, will it to an awaken state. The rat confused doesn’t realized he just gave his human a heart attack. I’ve grown used to the sleeping habit but for a split second, my heart is in my throat, once I relax, I can enjoy the moment, the sleeping beauty on his back.
Spook is one adorable little guy who loves to sleep on his back. His mom aptly named him. Talk about getting spooked each time you catch him in his favorite position. His mom a member on the Rat Shack (RKbusy) is often posting the wonderful back sleeping pics of Spook and we all can’t get enough of him.

Yummy popcorn, rats love them too but be careful you give them unsalted and unbuttered. But… this post is not about that kind of popcorn. When a rat is happy he likes to do these little hops and jumps, sometimes they just shake their heads real fast. That’s how you know your rat is super happy and excited. It’s almost the same as a bunny binkie. My favorite kind of popcorn is Rodeo popcorn. It’s sweet and warming. Rats will popcorn when given a treat, when you tickle their heads, when you sit down with them… but Rodeo likes to popcorn simply by coming out of the cage. When he decides to get up and venture out, he starts to randomly popcorn all by himself. You can almost hear the giggles. It really melts my heart when I see such a happy Rodeo.

Yes, I’m calling them puppies. My young crew, 12 months old now are such a sweet group of puppies. They come to me the minute they sense me near, they climb on me and give me kisses and cuddles.
The last time I had puppies (rats) with such tender and sweet characters was back in mid 2005. My Oshawa rescues were puppies. I often wondered if I would get that particular personality back in my colonies. The Oshawa crew: Felix, Dallas, Andy and Simon were wonderful… they loved belly kisses. I haven’t had a rat love my belly kisses in so long, until now. Sawyer, Desmond and Benjamin actually look forward to the belly kisses. They will climb on me, position themselves, wait for the scoop of the hand, flip and smooch smooch and smooch. I put them down only to have them come right back for more. Then I have Bronco, Fox and Pony my explorers, my hounds. Bronco is everywhere. He is not scared of anything and loves to explore new territory. He’ll run to me for a kiss and back on the grounds, climbing, jumping and leaping through the air without a care where he lands. It’s a sure good thing these 6 boys were here to help guide the Science North boys. I’m sure the SN boys would have been lost to a world of noise and movement if they had not taken their cue from the puppies. The SN boys are much happier, sweeter and softer because of the puppies. They do remain cautious but life is not darkness for them no more.
Here is Ben… dangling without a care in the world, not even asking when I’m done with him. Truly heart rats my puppies.

Back in 2002 I started using echinacea on my little guys. They were not in the best of health and I was hoping this immune booster would work it’s magic. I used it for a few months and then gave up. I didn’t find it to do any difference whatsoever. But recently, I’ve bought a more organic echinacea for me since I haven’t been feeling the greatest ever since my bout with H1N1. Wouldn’t you know it, I feel better with the echinacea so I’ve decided to give it another go for the rats.
RMCA has a good article on it. www.rmca.org/Articles/herbal.htm
it’s best to read up on anything before you give it to your rats. Research is key to greater knowledge. Also the Rat Guide recommends not using it on rats taking prednisone or dexamethasone. Also not recommended for pregnant or lactating rats. www.ratguide.com/meds/herbals_health_supplements/echinacea.php
Do keep in mind that echinacea is an herbal supplement and should never take the place of an antibiotics. If your rats are sick they must see a good exotic veterinarian.

Coupage is a physical therapy technique used on bigger animals in order to loosen respiratory secretions. Recommended by my vet, I also do this on my rats when they are in a gasping phase of their illness. Rats with severe mycoplasmosis or pneumonia most likely also have pulmonary abscesses. The pus in these abscesses is quite thick so the hope of it clearing the lungs is not realistic but what it can do and what I believe does happen is to displace the pus and allow a better air flow in the lungs. This helps for a short time, it’s not a treatment you want to rely on, it’s something to do when your rat is panicking and gasping. I have seen my rats come out of a fit thanks to coupage.
My method:
I hold my rat next to my chest, I use two fingers and tap firmly on the side of the rat just behind the front arm. Then I turn the rat over and do the other side. I keep doing this, turning the rat over until I feel that he is no longer in severe distress.
The tapping should be firm, like if you were burping a baby.

One of the most common behaviour questions I get is how to make my rat love me more.
It’s simple, stick the little guy down your shirt. How to prepare for this… you’ll need to put on a t-shirt, then a sweatshirt, you’ll need a couple of hours of free time so settle down with a good book, movie or even reading the Rat Room.
Put your little guy or guys in between the two shirts and let them sit there and squirm for some time. They will eventually enjoy being in there. Rats love dark cozy spots and they will soon relate your natural body scent as well as your energy to a good place. Do this several times a day for over a week. You’ll see the rats will soon come running to you when they sense you come near the cage. This trick works on babies as well as older rats. Be warned though… it usually creates shirt divers. What’s a shirt diver? A rat that upon seeing shirt immediately dives in.