Its nearly half past one on a saturday night/sunday morning...totally stressing out due to one of the rats. Yup doesn't take many guesses to guess which rat is causing me grief.
Atari is on meds atm , due to the space where his eye used to be , being infected. It seems to be cleaning up well but carrying on the meds incase theres any nasties still in there. So tonight i gave him his meds and as usual he struggled. Then blood!Seemed like so much! I dont know whether he bit his tongue or if the syringe scratched him but there seemed to be loads. I managed to shove some kitchen roll in his mouth and once I did that it seemed to stop quite quickly.
He didn't like me washing him much lol and he spent a fair amount of time in my top but was already over it, cleaning himself and running into his usual den.
Two lovely ratty people put my mind at ease , I wasn't far off ringing the vets begging them to give him a transfusion! (yes I know these arent really available) and using what i remember from college checked him for shock.. hes still warm and not willing to let me look at his mucous membranes so I think he will be ok. He has eaten some kale too (for iron) so hopefully his mouth isn't sore either
i REALLY thought he might die :( so much for pets lowering your stress levels lol
Just so greatful hes ok
Sunday 30 January 2011
Thursday 27 January 2011
Nice suprise
Got a phone call from the vets this morning offering me some food and bedding they had surplus. Doesn't suprise me that im the first person they thought of, as I only have to say im bringing a rat in over the phone and they know who it is. My mum even referred to herself on the phone to them as ratty gran which is hilarious as shes "not a pet person" Yeah mum I right believe you...not :P
So my mum nipped to get it for me this afternoon and brought me back some carefresh and three pouches of science selective. Only a few of the rats will eat the science selective on their own (Its the same food Ninja turned his nose up at after his op) but the bottom cage of boys (Really need to think of names..the tops and the bottoms? ups and the downs? highs and lows?hmmm) will eat it. I'm going to put some in the mix tomorrow to see if they are more accomodating to it then. The carefresh I'm saving for my hospital cage , next time I have a poorly ratty the carefresh is likely to be more comfy. But in all its come in handy and im really greatful. I do like my vets a lot they are always polite, friendly and helpful. I would like to go less than I currently do though lol
Speaking of vets, the spot on Atari's eye (well what would be his eye if it hadnt been removed) came back, thats been cleaned up and I'm hoping with thorough cleaning it wont come back again. He was very brave about having it cleaned but screams his head off when he needs medicine...this is Atari though. He had a good sulk behind the sofa afterwards , and would of sulked even more if he knew I have been shown a site that sells rat clothes hahahaha. I learnt my lesson with the jumper though , even though I think he would make an adorable pirate/pumpkin/santa...hahaha
Casey was also very giddy today , can really tell he is feeling better. He was practically trying to climb on my knee daft dog! It is great to see him back to normal though :)
My shoulder is also back to normal after pulling it badly on Monday. Spending the day and night in agony was not at all fun. Tried it earlier with some shopping and felt no strain on it and practised picking up the bale of card that made the strain worse in the first place. All went well so with any luck I should be ok to cary it carefully upstairs. Hoping this is the case
So my mum nipped to get it for me this afternoon and brought me back some carefresh and three pouches of science selective. Only a few of the rats will eat the science selective on their own (Its the same food Ninja turned his nose up at after his op) but the bottom cage of boys (Really need to think of names..the tops and the bottoms? ups and the downs? highs and lows?hmmm) will eat it. I'm going to put some in the mix tomorrow to see if they are more accomodating to it then. The carefresh I'm saving for my hospital cage , next time I have a poorly ratty the carefresh is likely to be more comfy. But in all its come in handy and im really greatful. I do like my vets a lot they are always polite, friendly and helpful. I would like to go less than I currently do though lol
Speaking of vets, the spot on Atari's eye (well what would be his eye if it hadnt been removed) came back, thats been cleaned up and I'm hoping with thorough cleaning it wont come back again. He was very brave about having it cleaned but screams his head off when he needs medicine...this is Atari though. He had a good sulk behind the sofa afterwards , and would of sulked even more if he knew I have been shown a site that sells rat clothes hahahaha. I learnt my lesson with the jumper though , even though I think he would make an adorable pirate/pumpkin/santa...hahaha
Casey was also very giddy today , can really tell he is feeling better. He was practically trying to climb on my knee daft dog! It is great to see him back to normal though :)
My shoulder is also back to normal after pulling it badly on Monday. Spending the day and night in agony was not at all fun. Tried it earlier with some shopping and felt no strain on it and practised picking up the bale of card that made the strain worse in the first place. All went well so with any luck I should be ok to cary it carefully upstairs. Hoping this is the case
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Creativity
I decided to make a new signature for some of the forums I go on...I thought a picture banner would look nice , so after going through all the pics in my picture folder on my comp (believe me theres TONNES) , I sorted them all out so everything is in folders and stored neatly and where I can find it. This is in theory of course , I will see if it works in practice next time I need to find a photo lol.
Once everything was sorted I had a good look at all my pictures, thats the great thing about photos. They freeze a moment in time and when you have lost rats its lovely if a little sad to look back at pictures of them.
Like my multicoloured Atari banner , i used GIMP...I am actually getting pretty good if I do say so myself lol. I can crop and resize pics and on my new sig they actually are the same size and neat..I'm ever so proud
It has a mix of rats , alive and dead. The ones I have lost all left their mark so were added. I miss all the rats I have lost but some had that SOMETHING.
The second pic is Joker as a baby...he died just before his first birthday after haing a brain issue. I tried for a couple of weeks with him to get him back to normal and at first he struggled on , but having three legs that didnt want to work as well as he needed them too took its toll and I had him put to sleep when he stopped trying. He was Trouble and cos brother. out of Trouble, Harley and Quinn he was the quieter more sensitive brother to their rowdyness but they were never horrible to him. He won a few fans with his lovely coat which is shared by his sisters, that lovely blue agouti shade.
The last pic on the bottom on the right is Mogwai. Moggy was from an accidental litter a friend had due to the cage she bought not having doe proof bars. I had originally chosen the pink eyed fuzzy female from the litter but moggy climbed on my hand. I was instantly taken with this little runt who had no hair except a smattering of whiskers. She was tiny and took ages to grow to what was still small as an adult. She was a cheeky rat which as much character as she had spare skin. Then one day there was a nasty accident in the cage and she passed away. I still feel dreadfully guilty and hope she can forgive me.
4th pic bottom row is Lily. Even though she came to me with a wheeze and one of her first memories will of been haing baytril administered she never took it to heart and remained one of the most friendly rats I have ever met. Lily loved having raspberries blown on her stomach and would lick my nose or eyebrow furiously while I did this. She also had a knack for climbing in my top, shoving her top half into my bra , leaving her back half dangling out of my top. And she would of bruxed and boggled for England. Lily also was the naughty girl that resulting in me having a pregnant rat and the need for a new cage. Her babies were her joy and I used to take them out for handling and she would wonder about picking them up and putting them back, not in a nasty way , I think she thought they had got lost and I had found them for her. Lily left my life suddenly, I went to clean the cage out and she was laid very floppy and unresponsive in the igloo. She was taken to be put to sleep that evening and she is still greatly missed.
Second to last picture on the bottom is Muse. Muse was one of Lilys babies and sadly i only got 5 weeks and 2 days with her before she had to go to the bridge. She developed a lump that we found out too late was a hernia. The lump ruptured and fecal matter was found showing the intestine was damaged. The only options were an invasive operation which gave her 2% chance of survival or to put her to sleep. She was put to sleep and i often wonder "what if" the hernia had been found sooner. I'm sure she would be a lot like Jinx rather than Eden who is a bit grumpy.
The last pic on the top row and the second pic on the bottom is Siouxie. I have saved her until last for the main reason that she was my number one heart rat. She was one of four rats I got from awful conditions in a shed. Her and her brother Diablo were tiny babies when they came with me , riddled with lice. Even with this horrible start Siouxie was always a sweetheart. She would hide her head in my hand and brux like a maniac. Ill health plauged her , at just 8 months old she developed her first lumps and after the surgery she had abcesses which took ages too clear (The other three rats from the same place were prone to abcesses so it was a line thing) Even with all the flushing and the baytril she kept bruxing and licking. A few months later she developed another abcess above her eye which was another month of flushing and antibiotics. I would have to fuss her before she had her medicine as I have an allergy to septrin, she always looked disapointed to be put back. She developed another lump under her front leg and due to her bad reaction to the surgery she had before , i tried other things recomended for lump supression. I also noticed one of her eyes bulging and my worst fears were confirmed when one of the other rats from the same person developed pus from the ear along with one bigger eye and when Asher went downhill quickly and got ill from the pirituary tumour i knew it was likely that Siouxie would show signs of the eye pus too. So everyday i checked her ears , dreading the day I found it. And that day came one friday. I made an appointment that same day to have her put to sleep. It does appear hasty but I knew that within a couple of days she would be horribly ill , like Asher was , and antibiotics hadnt touched Ashers infection. There was no point putting off the inevitable and I didnt want her to suffer even for a minute. I wanted her to go without feeling pain and while she was the rat I remember. The happy silly bruxing licky girl. As I do with all my rats , when they are pts, I have the vet bring them back to me and i sit from a while , remembering happy times. Its my last chance to see them, plus I have to rely on buses and bursting into tears on a bus isn't my idea of fun. When Siouxie was pts I got a taxi home. There was no way I would of been able to hold it together to walk to the bus stop. I was numb all weekend, I couldnt een post a RIP to her on my facebook. It took me a long time to come to terms with and I still miss her. I think she slipped Atari some pointers on being a heart rat as he does some of the things she did.
Well that ended up being stupidly longer than me just writing a bit about my new sig banner lol.
Once everything was sorted I had a good look at all my pictures, thats the great thing about photos. They freeze a moment in time and when you have lost rats its lovely if a little sad to look back at pictures of them.
Like my multicoloured Atari banner , i used GIMP...I am actually getting pretty good if I do say so myself lol. I can crop and resize pics and on my new sig they actually are the same size and neat..I'm ever so proud
It has a mix of rats , alive and dead. The ones I have lost all left their mark so were added. I miss all the rats I have lost but some had that SOMETHING.
The second pic is Joker as a baby...he died just before his first birthday after haing a brain issue. I tried for a couple of weeks with him to get him back to normal and at first he struggled on , but having three legs that didnt want to work as well as he needed them too took its toll and I had him put to sleep when he stopped trying. He was Trouble and cos brother. out of Trouble, Harley and Quinn he was the quieter more sensitive brother to their rowdyness but they were never horrible to him. He won a few fans with his lovely coat which is shared by his sisters, that lovely blue agouti shade.
The last pic on the bottom on the right is Mogwai. Moggy was from an accidental litter a friend had due to the cage she bought not having doe proof bars. I had originally chosen the pink eyed fuzzy female from the litter but moggy climbed on my hand. I was instantly taken with this little runt who had no hair except a smattering of whiskers. She was tiny and took ages to grow to what was still small as an adult. She was a cheeky rat which as much character as she had spare skin. Then one day there was a nasty accident in the cage and she passed away. I still feel dreadfully guilty and hope she can forgive me.
4th pic bottom row is Lily. Even though she came to me with a wheeze and one of her first memories will of been haing baytril administered she never took it to heart and remained one of the most friendly rats I have ever met. Lily loved having raspberries blown on her stomach and would lick my nose or eyebrow furiously while I did this. She also had a knack for climbing in my top, shoving her top half into my bra , leaving her back half dangling out of my top. And she would of bruxed and boggled for England. Lily also was the naughty girl that resulting in me having a pregnant rat and the need for a new cage. Her babies were her joy and I used to take them out for handling and she would wonder about picking them up and putting them back, not in a nasty way , I think she thought they had got lost and I had found them for her. Lily left my life suddenly, I went to clean the cage out and she was laid very floppy and unresponsive in the igloo. She was taken to be put to sleep that evening and she is still greatly missed.
Second to last picture on the bottom is Muse. Muse was one of Lilys babies and sadly i only got 5 weeks and 2 days with her before she had to go to the bridge. She developed a lump that we found out too late was a hernia. The lump ruptured and fecal matter was found showing the intestine was damaged. The only options were an invasive operation which gave her 2% chance of survival or to put her to sleep. She was put to sleep and i often wonder "what if" the hernia had been found sooner. I'm sure she would be a lot like Jinx rather than Eden who is a bit grumpy.
The last pic on the top row and the second pic on the bottom is Siouxie. I have saved her until last for the main reason that she was my number one heart rat. She was one of four rats I got from awful conditions in a shed. Her and her brother Diablo were tiny babies when they came with me , riddled with lice. Even with this horrible start Siouxie was always a sweetheart. She would hide her head in my hand and brux like a maniac. Ill health plauged her , at just 8 months old she developed her first lumps and after the surgery she had abcesses which took ages too clear (The other three rats from the same place were prone to abcesses so it was a line thing) Even with all the flushing and the baytril she kept bruxing and licking. A few months later she developed another abcess above her eye which was another month of flushing and antibiotics. I would have to fuss her before she had her medicine as I have an allergy to septrin, she always looked disapointed to be put back. She developed another lump under her front leg and due to her bad reaction to the surgery she had before , i tried other things recomended for lump supression. I also noticed one of her eyes bulging and my worst fears were confirmed when one of the other rats from the same person developed pus from the ear along with one bigger eye and when Asher went downhill quickly and got ill from the pirituary tumour i knew it was likely that Siouxie would show signs of the eye pus too. So everyday i checked her ears , dreading the day I found it. And that day came one friday. I made an appointment that same day to have her put to sleep. It does appear hasty but I knew that within a couple of days she would be horribly ill , like Asher was , and antibiotics hadnt touched Ashers infection. There was no point putting off the inevitable and I didnt want her to suffer even for a minute. I wanted her to go without feeling pain and while she was the rat I remember. The happy silly bruxing licky girl. As I do with all my rats , when they are pts, I have the vet bring them back to me and i sit from a while , remembering happy times. Its my last chance to see them, plus I have to rely on buses and bursting into tears on a bus isn't my idea of fun. When Siouxie was pts I got a taxi home. There was no way I would of been able to hold it together to walk to the bus stop. I was numb all weekend, I couldnt een post a RIP to her on my facebook. It took me a long time to come to terms with and I still miss her. I think she slipped Atari some pointers on being a heart rat as he does some of the things she did.
Well that ended up being stupidly longer than me just writing a bit about my new sig banner lol.
Monday 24 January 2011
Omnomnom
haha he did enjoy it bless him
sorry for the awful quality of the pic , believe me this was the best one!
Oh and updating on Casey..the infections cleared up! so phew one less thing to worry about
Tuesday 18 January 2011
Atari...
Sooner or later Atari was going to get his own blog post. This is not only because he is undoubtably my heart rat but he is also really naughty. Charasmatic too but mostly naughty. Today I decided to make a header for my blog page and he was chosen as i had a nice clear pic of him ( makes a change!)
The header isn't professional standard, but im pretty inexperienced at working with anything more sophisticated than paint (i used GIMP to make my pics from today)
So im pretty proud of it , will probably try neaten it up and add another panel too it at some point but for now thats it. I did some other pics too, just to mess around with the settings and see what it could do
So while I'am making these funky pics of him what is Atari doing? He is running around outside the cage after escaping of course!
Earlier when doing sorting out in the cages i pulled one of the trays forward. The bottom explorer half has the floor with the notch cut out on the bottom , with a tray and a box to stop them getting out through it...this has kept many rats in but not Atari...
Saw him on the floor, well at first I saw a pink blur and was pretty sure it would be him. I managed to tempt him over by rattling the choccys, but he wasn't keen and wriggled like mad when i caught him...I put him in my clean out cage while i checked if there was anywhere else he could of got out of. Not seeing anywhere, i pushed the tray to the back and put a brick agaisnt the box so it couldnt be pushed out of the way..this should keep him in and I'm looking to put some mesh over the hole so he can't escape again.
When I put him back in the cage he was in quite a sulk , and pushed away Wade who came to see what the matter was and flounced into his hammock, where he let Dad Percy give him a groom while he sat sulking. And giving me dirty looks with his one remaining eye....So i don't think that training would go down well today lol
When i checked again he is still in the cage , will check again before bed but i don't see him shifting that brick somehow
The header isn't professional standard, but im pretty inexperienced at working with anything more sophisticated than paint (i used GIMP to make my pics from today)
So im pretty proud of it , will probably try neaten it up and add another panel too it at some point but for now thats it. I did some other pics too, just to mess around with the settings and see what it could do
 |
| embossed |
 |
| predator |
 |
| sepia |
 |
| negative |
 | ||||
| cant remember which this is , it looks cool though lol |
Earlier when doing sorting out in the cages i pulled one of the trays forward. The bottom explorer half has the floor with the notch cut out on the bottom , with a tray and a box to stop them getting out through it...this has kept many rats in but not Atari...
Saw him on the floor, well at first I saw a pink blur and was pretty sure it would be him. I managed to tempt him over by rattling the choccys, but he wasn't keen and wriggled like mad when i caught him...I put him in my clean out cage while i checked if there was anywhere else he could of got out of. Not seeing anywhere, i pushed the tray to the back and put a brick agaisnt the box so it couldnt be pushed out of the way..this should keep him in and I'm looking to put some mesh over the hole so he can't escape again.
When I put him back in the cage he was in quite a sulk , and pushed away Wade who came to see what the matter was and flounced into his hammock, where he let Dad Percy give him a groom while he sat sulking. And giving me dirty looks with his one remaining eye....So i don't think that training would go down well today lol
When i checked again he is still in the cage , will check again before bed but i don't see him shifting that brick somehow
Sunday 16 January 2011
Pictures speak louder than words..
..so here are some pics to save me from prattling on :P These were taking late last night/early this morning , when the rats had their cous cous...i added chicken stock to make it tastier but i dont think they were bothered lol
you can see that some are more photogenic and posy then others lol
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| igloo boys |
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| Wade |
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| Felix |
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| Atari,Gonzo,Percy |
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| Dylan |
 |
| Asbo |
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| Lola and Rave |
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| Rogue,Rave and Eden |
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| Jinx |
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| Eden |
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| Eden,Lola,Rave |
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| Harley,Quinn,Trouble |
 | |
| Taz |
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| Ninja |
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| Nosy boys |
you can see that some are more photogenic and posy then others lol
Saturday 15 January 2011
Changing Rooms
Decided today that Asbo can move in with Trouble and co...Hes unlikely to try bullying them as they are bigger. Unsure about Taz, things might settle down with Asbo in there. I am also going to move them into the top of the explorer as theres more of them than the girls now, so the girls can have the other cage. Im crossing my fingers that everyone will be a lot happier in these groups. I tried Taz and Ninja in the other group but Dylan , uncharacteristically had a go at them both , so i think he has claimed the new alpha position. I should of guessed he would do it really as none of the others i see as an alpha.
I did more training with Atari and i THINK he might just be getting it. He was coming over for the treat but i dont know if its the click he is associating. I see this taking a while.
I did more training with Atari and i THINK he might just be getting it. He was coming over for the treat but i dont know if its the click he is associating. I see this taking a while.
Friday 14 January 2011
I HATE computers...
Seriously!
I have been battling with mine for several hours in a hope it might behave itself! Windows shoved an update to windows live (msn) in with some other updates and has totally messed it up! The new way it works is horrible :\
Then it was a nice battle with the antivirus which wouldn't work and was content to do the opposite of what I wanted. And firefox kept crashing so i spent ages reloading it in order to even check my emails.STRESS! But its really just the perfect end to the perfect day after a stressful shopping trip.
But tomorrow is another day and I'am hoping for a nice sleep tonight though the chances are unlikely...hmmm
Anyway enough about me , this is after all the pets blog..so more about them.
Havent had time to do any training with Atari today so he got himself a day off. Im sure he would be thrilled if he knew that i bought more cous cous at the supermarket lol
They had a special supper tonight, left over homemade rice pudding , the best in the world! with curly cale and banana, they certainly are not afraid to mix flavours XD Gonzo was tucking in with great gusto, hoping to finish it all before any of the others noticed (this failed) but he still got himself a nice amount of it. Percy came out of the hammock to grab mouthfuls and returned to the hammock to eat it. Hoping this is not a sign that hes uneasy, i wonder if Asbo is still throwing his weight around.
The girls and the Bigger boys in the other cage seemed to appriciate all their food which was nice. The bigger boys infact were eating more of the kale than the rice pudding!
It was the second day of Caseys new antibiotics today, as they are bigger i thought they would be harder to hide, but today i just threw it in the air and he caught and ate it. Whether he will be wise to it tomorrow and refuse to catch it i dont know, i hope not as it makes it easier if he will just take them.
I have been battling with mine for several hours in a hope it might behave itself! Windows shoved an update to windows live (msn) in with some other updates and has totally messed it up! The new way it works is horrible :\
Then it was a nice battle with the antivirus which wouldn't work and was content to do the opposite of what I wanted. And firefox kept crashing so i spent ages reloading it in order to even check my emails.STRESS! But its really just the perfect end to the perfect day after a stressful shopping trip.
But tomorrow is another day and I'am hoping for a nice sleep tonight though the chances are unlikely...hmmm
Anyway enough about me , this is after all the pets blog..so more about them.
Havent had time to do any training with Atari today so he got himself a day off. Im sure he would be thrilled if he knew that i bought more cous cous at the supermarket lol
They had a special supper tonight, left over homemade rice pudding , the best in the world! with curly cale and banana, they certainly are not afraid to mix flavours XD Gonzo was tucking in with great gusto, hoping to finish it all before any of the others noticed (this failed) but he still got himself a nice amount of it. Percy came out of the hammock to grab mouthfuls and returned to the hammock to eat it. Hoping this is not a sign that hes uneasy, i wonder if Asbo is still throwing his weight around.
The girls and the Bigger boys in the other cage seemed to appriciate all their food which was nice. The bigger boys infact were eating more of the kale than the rice pudding!
It was the second day of Caseys new antibiotics today, as they are bigger i thought they would be harder to hide, but today i just threw it in the air and he caught and ate it. Whether he will be wise to it tomorrow and refuse to catch it i dont know, i hope not as it makes it easier if he will just take them.
Thursday 13 January 2011
Vets today
Well we came away with more antibiotics, the vet thinks Casey has improved and he needs to go back with another urine test next saturday to see if he needs anymore tablets or if the infection is cleared. There was this tiny dog in the vets that Casey being Casey started making his stupid noises at because he wanted to go over too it, so i took him outside. On the way outside the little dog was letting out growls that a rottweiler would of been proud of. Casey certainly changed his mind about wanting to go near it lol. Then on the bus some strange man started talking to him in a high pitched voice...Casey was confused as we were. I shall be glad when he doesnt need to go anymore as he complains on the bus and at the vets, makes almost as much noise as the bird!
Had Lola out for a cuddle last night, i think she is feeling a little sad, the hugs helped a bit as she bruxed a lot. I thought it would be nice to video it on my phone but as soon as my phone came out she hid her face and refused to play ball. Sigh. Once i put the camera away she went back to bruxing. Typical.
She also went and hid in Atari's den (behind the sofa cushions) He wasn't impressed today when he went in there and found a girl had taken residence i think he would of told her off had she still been there lol
Did more clicker training with him today..I think he is getting it but its hard to tell with Atari, specially as something spooked him and he decided not to come out for the den for a while. I shall be keeping it up so will be able to see if its working with a bit of repaptition i think...i hope lol
Shopping tomorrow , which means i need to check on what cereals i need for my mix, i make my own rat food mix based on the shunamite diet. It contains rabbit food (alpha herbal deluxe you cant just use any rabbit food due to the pellets as these are wasted) dog kibble (scoop of my dogs dried food) cereals (cornflakes, branflakes,rice puffs,mini wheats and shreddie type cereal , although sometimes i have run out of one of these and it therefore isn't used in that batch. They also get something else rarely like porridge oats or very rarely cheerios as they are very sugary) There is also penne pasta in there which i have upped at the moment to a whole bag as it lets them store a little more energy for keeping warm in the winter.
As well as dry mix they also get carrots (left whole so they can have a good gnaw) curly kale (big bag separated between the three groups with a bit for the lizard) cous cous (they love this, Atari is obsessed with it, while he was poorly he pushed homemade chicken stew out of the way for plain cous cous!) They get something special everything couple of days in general, kale is generally reserved for the day before clean out day lol. They do get other things just less often, on cold nights as a change from cous cous i will make them porridge, when we have had a chicken they will get some chicken and the bones which they love to gnaw, i rarely find any left! At christmas they got boxes with dog treats, sprouts and mixed nuts, they were also given the bones from the turkey crown. I think the most luxurious treat they have ever had is nearly two packs of king prawns they were given when we found out we didnt like them (king prawns are weird, little soft prawns are the best)
Had Lola out for a cuddle last night, i think she is feeling a little sad, the hugs helped a bit as she bruxed a lot. I thought it would be nice to video it on my phone but as soon as my phone came out she hid her face and refused to play ball. Sigh. Once i put the camera away she went back to bruxing. Typical.
She also went and hid in Atari's den (behind the sofa cushions) He wasn't impressed today when he went in there and found a girl had taken residence i think he would of told her off had she still been there lol
Did more clicker training with him today..I think he is getting it but its hard to tell with Atari, specially as something spooked him and he decided not to come out for the den for a while. I shall be keeping it up so will be able to see if its working with a bit of repaptition i think...i hope lol
Shopping tomorrow , which means i need to check on what cereals i need for my mix, i make my own rat food mix based on the shunamite diet. It contains rabbit food (alpha herbal deluxe you cant just use any rabbit food due to the pellets as these are wasted) dog kibble (scoop of my dogs dried food) cereals (cornflakes, branflakes,rice puffs,mini wheats and shreddie type cereal , although sometimes i have run out of one of these and it therefore isn't used in that batch. They also get something else rarely like porridge oats or very rarely cheerios as they are very sugary) There is also penne pasta in there which i have upped at the moment to a whole bag as it lets them store a little more energy for keeping warm in the winter.
As well as dry mix they also get carrots (left whole so they can have a good gnaw) curly kale (big bag separated between the three groups with a bit for the lizard) cous cous (they love this, Atari is obsessed with it, while he was poorly he pushed homemade chicken stew out of the way for plain cous cous!) They get something special everything couple of days in general, kale is generally reserved for the day before clean out day lol. They do get other things just less often, on cold nights as a change from cous cous i will make them porridge, when we have had a chicken they will get some chicken and the bones which they love to gnaw, i rarely find any left! At christmas they got boxes with dog treats, sprouts and mixed nuts, they were also given the bones from the turkey crown. I think the most luxurious treat they have ever had is nearly two packs of king prawns they were given when we found out we didnt like them (king prawns are weird, little soft prawns are the best)
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Rat Training
Due to Atari's obvious intelligence and obsession for choccy buttons, i decided to give training him a whirl. Decided to start with something "easy" like him coming when his name is called and then if he masters that without me pulling my hair out, im going to work out some other things to tell him."Stand" is likely to be one as he already likes to "meerkat" on his hindlegs. At first i was just teaching him by saying his name and then giving him a treat straight afterwards, but i have heard good things about clicker training so have decided to do it that way...it really baffled me at first but i think its a case of constant repetition...at the moment its just click ,treat, click treat stage. Once he seems to put the two together in his head and he starts coming over for treats when he hears the click, i think thats when i add the command, I'm still a bit muddled lol
I tried clicking and giving treats with Wade too, though he doesn't really get it that i keep handing treats out. He isnt as sharp as Atari though lol.Plus i think Asbo is being a bit of a meany too him..if he doesn't stop he will be moving into ratty borstal with Trouble and co.
Back at the vets tomorrow with the dog, he hasn't been straining so i think the tablets are doing the trick, he is still having accidents however but i think this is likely due to the pressure of the enlarged prostate. I'm not sure whether it will keep going down or will always be enlarged. Will be asking lots of questions tomorrow.
I tried clicking and giving treats with Wade too, though he doesn't really get it that i keep handing treats out. He isnt as sharp as Atari though lol.Plus i think Asbo is being a bit of a meany too him..if he doesn't stop he will be moving into ratty borstal with Trouble and co.
Back at the vets tomorrow with the dog, he hasn't been straining so i think the tablets are doing the trick, he is still having accidents however but i think this is likely due to the pressure of the enlarged prostate. I'm not sure whether it will keep going down or will always be enlarged. Will be asking lots of questions tomorrow.
Sunday 9 January 2011
Clean out day
As a rat owner (or indeed a small pet owner) cleaning out cages comes with the territory. While we do it because our pets mean the world to us and we want them to have a clean place to live, I think i would be hard pressed to find someone who enjoys cleaning out or would choose it above playing with their rats or eating chocolate or going on a date with their favourite film star lol. Cage cleaning can be made more bearable depending on the substrate you use or the cage you have. When i had less rats and a jenny cage , each week i would of rather beat myself around the head with it rather than attempt to clean it. It was too big for the bath, the bars retained smell and i only have short arms which with the smallness of the doors made clean out day a nighmare.
My clean out routine was made alot easier when i got my explorer cage and easier still when i got the boxes that fit the whole bottom, as when i had small boxes for substrate the rats chose to just poo on the plastic bases and it was like concrete and needed scrubbing and the power shower to remove. But now i just empty the boxes (I have to scoop the dirty bedding out as the box is too wide to just slide into a binbag. That would make my job even easier!) then give them a spray with pet disinfectant, wipe the bits that need it and add fresh card. Then the igloos and shelves get wiped aswell as any other bits that might need it such as the bars.
Then the rats can go back in the cage where they mooch around like the whole thing is highly inconvenient for them.
Before i put my rats in the "clean out cage" i give them all a check over. I check their teeth, ears and eyes and they get throughly felt for lumps. After this indignity they are placed in the clean out cage to wait until they can return to their clean cage. This is one reason why i am covered in scratches on clean out day , a few of my rats object to me looking in their mouth etc.
I always start by cleaning out the boys in the bottom of the explorer, then i clean out the girls and then the boys in the critter cage. I have to be careful not to make out like i am going to clean them out as Asbo always puts up a real effort not to be caught and hides behind the tray which means i have to remove it to get him and it makes a racket which spooks him more and i end up with even more scratches.
When they need it i also remove the hammocks to wash them , today was one of those days but it has put Ataris nose out of joint as he climbed up to get in one of them and it wasn't there. And i know that when i put them back in tomorrow they wont be fully hung up before i have rats piling in which makes hanging them pretty hard. I always have to remove tonnes of chopped card from my hammocks which baffles me as they have lovely soft fleece on the sleeping side so why are they filling them with card! If they want to sleep on card they have an igloo!
I am hoping that Atari will be placated by having his favourite, cous cous for supper lol
My clean out routine was made alot easier when i got my explorer cage and easier still when i got the boxes that fit the whole bottom, as when i had small boxes for substrate the rats chose to just poo on the plastic bases and it was like concrete and needed scrubbing and the power shower to remove. But now i just empty the boxes (I have to scoop the dirty bedding out as the box is too wide to just slide into a binbag. That would make my job even easier!) then give them a spray with pet disinfectant, wipe the bits that need it and add fresh card. Then the igloos and shelves get wiped aswell as any other bits that might need it such as the bars.
Then the rats can go back in the cage where they mooch around like the whole thing is highly inconvenient for them.
Before i put my rats in the "clean out cage" i give them all a check over. I check their teeth, ears and eyes and they get throughly felt for lumps. After this indignity they are placed in the clean out cage to wait until they can return to their clean cage. This is one reason why i am covered in scratches on clean out day , a few of my rats object to me looking in their mouth etc.
I always start by cleaning out the boys in the bottom of the explorer, then i clean out the girls and then the boys in the critter cage. I have to be careful not to make out like i am going to clean them out as Asbo always puts up a real effort not to be caught and hides behind the tray which means i have to remove it to get him and it makes a racket which spooks him more and i end up with even more scratches.
When they need it i also remove the hammocks to wash them , today was one of those days but it has put Ataris nose out of joint as he climbed up to get in one of them and it wasn't there. And i know that when i put them back in tomorrow they wont be fully hung up before i have rats piling in which makes hanging them pretty hard. I always have to remove tonnes of chopped card from my hammocks which baffles me as they have lovely soft fleece on the sleeping side so why are they filling them with card! If they want to sleep on card they have an igloo!
I am hoping that Atari will be placated by having his favourite, cous cous for supper lol
Friday 7 January 2011
I think im going mad!
Got the results today. Caseys kidneys and liver are working well which for his age is pretty good i think. His urine test confirmed there was blood in his urine though with the colour of it , it was obvious. He also has slight crystals in his urine. The vet seems to think that it is his prostate thats causing the urination problems and we need to see if the antibiotics work. If they work , we will be working out a long term plan. If not then really the kindest thing is euthanasia. I am kinda confused , i cant seem to process whether i am worried or not, i was earlier but the information just isn't sinking in, i had to get my mum to repeat it like three times.
I'm not sure if its wishful thinking but he had a big wee earlier which didn't seem like it was giving him trouble so maybe i will get him for a while longer yet. It was on the landing carpet unfortunately but when i was cleaning it up it looked normal colour too so i guess thats some hope (sorry for all the details, after being wee'd and poo'ed on by majority of the pets i have owned and dealing with op sites and abcesses im not really squeamish about body functions lol)
I'm sure we will need to change diet or treats with the crystals.I will have to ask on wednesday when we take him back. I will be keeping my fingers crossed anyway but im aware that this is something that will probably get worse over time.
So that my blog isn't all doom and gloom i will share a story about cheeky Atari.
This is him
This picture only begins to show how naughty he is. But people love him. My mum was giving him a tiny amount of cream earlier on her finger. Being a rat, Atari tried to grab the food to take away and eat. Cue a big yell from my mother. He didn't bite too hard , there was no blood, but having a rat mistake your finger for food makes you jump the first time at least. I remember Indy was notorious for it, many a time she would be hanging off my finger when i was feeding them. Atari does have his good side though, he is especially fond of sitting on my shoulder (right one normally) and bruxing. He stays still longer if i have my hoodie on as its snuggly. He is definatly a heart rat <3
I'm not sure if its wishful thinking but he had a big wee earlier which didn't seem like it was giving him trouble so maybe i will get him for a while longer yet. It was on the landing carpet unfortunately but when i was cleaning it up it looked normal colour too so i guess thats some hope (sorry for all the details, after being wee'd and poo'ed on by majority of the pets i have owned and dealing with op sites and abcesses im not really squeamish about body functions lol)
I'm sure we will need to change diet or treats with the crystals.I will have to ask on wednesday when we take him back. I will be keeping my fingers crossed anyway but im aware that this is something that will probably get worse over time.
So that my blog isn't all doom and gloom i will share a story about cheeky Atari.
This is him
Thursday 6 January 2011
More bad news
My dog had to be taken to the vets today. He was straining to urinate early this afternoon and then i noticed blood on his blanket and confirmed that it was coming from his penis. He was also acting off and had to be dragged out of bed with his harness on normally he is jumping around at the sight of it.
Over the years he has been with me he has only needed to see a vet on a handful of occasions, he has ailed very little throughout his 14 and a half years.
During his check up he was found to have a heart murmur and an enlarged prostate. He has had blood taking and we managed to get enough urine to have tested too, we dont find out the results until tomorrow. I am on complete tenterhooks. There is the possiblilty that it could be something nasty with his prostate and I'm concerned what his liver and kidney function is going to come back like. I dont see me sleeping much tonight at all.
Even though he whinged quite a bit at having to sit still he was a brave boy enduring his blood being taken and a thermometer and a couple of fingers where the sun don't shine. And he was quite happy to be given treats by the vet nurse. He has tablets to hopefully clear up his wee problem, really hope its just an infection.
I am really expecting the worse, and of course theres going to be very hard choices to be mad...
Over the years he has been with me he has only needed to see a vet on a handful of occasions, he has ailed very little throughout his 14 and a half years.
During his check up he was found to have a heart murmur and an enlarged prostate. He has had blood taking and we managed to get enough urine to have tested too, we dont find out the results until tomorrow. I am on complete tenterhooks. There is the possiblilty that it could be something nasty with his prostate and I'm concerned what his liver and kidney function is going to come back like. I dont see me sleeping much tonight at all.
Even though he whinged quite a bit at having to sit still he was a brave boy enduring his blood being taken and a thermometer and a couple of fingers where the sun don't shine. And he was quite happy to be given treats by the vet nurse. He has tablets to hopefully clear up his wee problem, really hope its just an infection.
I am really expecting the worse, and of course theres going to be very hard choices to be mad...
What a week :(
This week has been a quite sad week for me and the rats. Early new years eve morning i found one of my rats Zero had died. He had been a little chesty but his lungs sounded better and when i fed them they were all fine, but a few hours later i found him dead on the bottom of the cage :(
Then on Tuesday I lost another rat, Indy. Indy had been quite poorly with her lungs too and antibiotics were not helping her, she had an appointment to go to the vets Wednesday (yesterday) but sadly passed away on tuesday night. The only positive from this is that she slipped away while i was holding her, in her home. And she isnt suffering anymore. I think she would of fought a little harder if her sister Delahaye was still alive, she missed her a great deal.
Today i was still at the vet as i was taking Diva. Diva had a huge lump under her front leg, which has started growing quite quickly in the last couple of weeks and was starting to get sore. Sadly due to the location (it was joined after her elbow) removal would of been nearly impossible. I made the hard choice to have her put to sleep. I could of waited until the lump got more ulcerated but i didnt think this was fair and i didnt know just how sore it was for her already.
I would rather put one of my pets to sleep early than late, while life is still enjoyable for them. Euthanasia although the kindest thing, does overwhelm me as deciding whether to give the go ahead to end life is a big responsibility. I often wonder whether i should of tried this or that but i know that its often not fair when the end is near to try and clutch on at the animals expense. I have myself hung on longer than i should to pets trying to extend their lives, and both ended up miserable and i feel guilty for that.
Don't get me wrong , if there is a way to save and give good quality of life i give it every shot. But only for them and not for me.
Although there is that sadness at the end of a beloved pets lif, remembering the joyful times is a way i ease the pain a little, before i leave the vets i always have a little think and a talk about the good times. It doesn't stop it hurting but it helps a little until i can get home and think over my feelings.
It isn't only me that grieves for them either, the rats grieve over a loved friend. Lola has seen many friends come and go and she goes around with a sad look on her face when she realises that someone is missing.
RIP Zero, Indy and Diva, play hard at the bridge x
Then on Tuesday I lost another rat, Indy. Indy had been quite poorly with her lungs too and antibiotics were not helping her, she had an appointment to go to the vets Wednesday (yesterday) but sadly passed away on tuesday night. The only positive from this is that she slipped away while i was holding her, in her home. And she isnt suffering anymore. I think she would of fought a little harder if her sister Delahaye was still alive, she missed her a great deal.
Today i was still at the vet as i was taking Diva. Diva had a huge lump under her front leg, which has started growing quite quickly in the last couple of weeks and was starting to get sore. Sadly due to the location (it was joined after her elbow) removal would of been nearly impossible. I made the hard choice to have her put to sleep. I could of waited until the lump got more ulcerated but i didnt think this was fair and i didnt know just how sore it was for her already.
I would rather put one of my pets to sleep early than late, while life is still enjoyable for them. Euthanasia although the kindest thing, does overwhelm me as deciding whether to give the go ahead to end life is a big responsibility. I often wonder whether i should of tried this or that but i know that its often not fair when the end is near to try and clutch on at the animals expense. I have myself hung on longer than i should to pets trying to extend their lives, and both ended up miserable and i feel guilty for that.
Don't get me wrong , if there is a way to save and give good quality of life i give it every shot. But only for them and not for me.
Although there is that sadness at the end of a beloved pets lif, remembering the joyful times is a way i ease the pain a little, before i leave the vets i always have a little think and a talk about the good times. It doesn't stop it hurting but it helps a little until i can get home and think over my feelings.
It isn't only me that grieves for them either, the rats grieve over a loved friend. Lola has seen many friends come and go and she goes around with a sad look on her face when she realises that someone is missing.
RIP Zero, Indy and Diva, play hard at the bridge x
An introduction
I got the idea of starting a blog due to reading a few others , and seeing as my pets are such a big part of my life , i decided to base it around them. I dare say there will be bits of my (boring) life that doesn't involve them but it will be mostly them lol.
I'm currently owned by , one elderly (14 and a half year old) dog, one syrian hamster (Echo), two gerbils (Rayne and Storm) a bearded dragon (Ryuu) and 17 rats (12 bucks and 5 does). I also have a cockatiel (noisy little...Neo) who isn't strictly mine, he belongs to my mother but i like to think hes a bit mine too...hes very noisy but an amusing bird to have around.
The rats are going to be the main stars of the blog (as the name suggests), not that the other animals aren't loved or interesting but theres definately more to tell about them but as with me, the other animals will get mentioned.
for starters this is my introduction to my rats
ladies first
Lola- she is my mink capped girl who was bought with birthday money in October 2008 and is the first rat who was really demonstrative and made me realise that rats are different from other small pets. She is top rat and still has her cheeky streak even at her age..she reminds me of Sophia from the Sitcom Golden Girls shes definately a tough old lady
Eden and Jinx- These two came from two of my rats being very naughty and surprising me with 14 babies! they are grouped together because they are so similar although Jinx has a very naughty personality and loves to run onto the top of the cage , run to the back and then giggle while i try to catch her , then walk back and let herself be caught. I realised this was a game to her when i accidently left the cage ajar and she was still in the next morning when i was certain she would be the first to escape. Her sister Eden has a more grumpy attitude and is prone to having hormonal tantrums if i want to cuddle her. Both these girls are gorgeous british blue agoutis though Jinx is a berkshire and Eden is a self. This is another way to tell them apart as Edens feet are silver while Jinx has little white feet.They are litter sisters of Trouble.Harley and Quinn
Rogue- Rogue is a russian blue roan with a wonky blaze. She is also hairless so unless you knew you wouldnt be able to tell what colour she was lol. Shes pink , where she would be russian blue and its a slightly darker pink than the bits that would be white and you can see her blaze if you know where to look and look carefully.She is litter sister to Dylan and Gonzo
Rave- Rave is my last girl, she is a black variagated rex. She is very pretty and has lovely curly whiskers (hence she got her name, they look like they are having a party lol) She has a dominant personality and is trying to become the new top girl, Eden and Jinx aren't keen to let her though
The boys
Trouble- Trouble is a agouti hoooded. He is one of the biggest rats i have ever seen, weighing in at over half a kilo and being about a metre wide..ok thats me exagerating but hes a chunky boy. He is kind of grumpy, he didn't like some of the younger rats ideas of fun and used to huff and puff at them. He lives with brothers Harley and Quinn and two other males (Taz and Ninja) who are brothers. Athough Trouble looks big and tough if i talk to him he will brux and boggle at me lke a madrat through the bars.Mummys boy lol
Harley and Quinn- These two are ridiculously similar. They are both agouti berkshires and Harley has a bit more white on his tail than Quinn, and Quinn has a bit more white on his stomach but its very close and they have to be compared side by side. They also have very similar personalities, they bascially just follow Troubles command lol.
Taz and Ninja-These two are brothers given to me by a good friend of mine. Taz is a black berkshire (his tummy splotch looks like a fat cat lol) and Ninja is all black with one eye, he had to have it removed after a fight. They are both very laid back boys, with lovely soft thick fur and allow me to cuddle them.
Dylan- This rat is the vainest rat i have ever known! He is gorgeous and he knows it! Dylan is a russian blue point siamese berkshire so instead of his feet being pointed like they should be they are white. This rat will strike a pose if the camera is anywhere near him. He got his name from his docility, coming from the "relaxed" rabbit on the magic roundabout and the character named Dylan from the Diary of a crush series. A lot of people love Dylan, i love his looks and the fact he lets me give him huge hugs and kisses and doesn't seem to mind.
Gonzo- Gonzo is named so as he is russian blue and was fuzzy as a baby,after the muppet.And also because im a fan of Hunter S Thompson. Being a hairless he has purpleish skin but still has little white berki feet <3
Like the muppet, Gonzo is a natural clown and loves to play although the others dont always appriciate this eg mardy Trouble. He is a very sweet little guy.
Asbo- Asbo is as his name suggests an antisocial lil rat. He spooks very easily and is frequently found hiding behind the storage box that is in the cage for their substrate. He has a bit of a sly personality and has bullied smaller rats on occasion. He is an agouti bareback with a bit of a blaze, so could also say undermarked capped. I dont think he is all bad but his nervousness means he doesn't show the best of himself.
Felix- Felix is an overmarked black roan. He has roaned out a bit but still has greyish black markings, some roan out completly white. Personally roan isn't my favourite pattern as they lose their colour but Felix chose me. He was the one that kept climbing out of the carrier onto me so i decided to keep him :) He also was a bit of a dare devil having escaped on the way here and climbing up the drivers leg as they were driving fairly fast up the motorway. I can't rememer why i called him Felix, i think it was just a name i picked as he was black and white.
Percy- Percy is a pink hairless with black eyes, and is either a banded or normal roan genetically although i dont know which colour. Percy came to me with his two sons and is such a sweetie. He has had upmost patience with them even as they have grown to his size. No rat could want a better dad. When he came to me he wasn't sure about my other boys but he has bonded well with them and even got the courage to tell Asbo off when Asbo was having a go at his son Wade.
Wade- Wade is a hairless dumbo, if he had hair he would be a black roan. He is the son of Percy and the brother of Atari. He was the biggest of the litter and is a real cutie. He isn't the cleverest rat and although bigger frequently got play attacked by his smaller brother Atari who was often the victor. Has a bit of a hero worship of Gonzo as he is a dumbo too, im guessing the top eared Percy and Atari teased him about his huge ears. Gonzo was delighted to have someone to play with!
Atari- Last but no means least is Atari. The rat with the fan club lol. Atari was the runt of the litter but as they say good things come in small packages and he is definately one of them! He has always had a devil may care attitude and trouble shining in his eyes, and even though he had to have one removed the other one still contains it. He woul be a banded agouti husky if he had fur. He is quite fuzzy and has grey fuzz down his back. He does so many funny things that i made him his own facebook account and he certainly seems to have more brains than his brother Wade. So much so i'am going to start clicker training him, i think he will do well at it, and the fact he would sell his soul for a choccy button means it should be fairly straightforward lol
I suppose i better say a little about myself. I'm 25, female and rat obsessed (as if that isnt obvious) So much so we are known as the rat people at the vets, and i just need to say im bringing a rat in and they know who it is on the phone hahaha
i hope theres still some people who read to the end, my next entries shouldnt be so long lol what an essay!
I'm currently owned by , one elderly (14 and a half year old) dog, one syrian hamster (Echo), two gerbils (Rayne and Storm) a bearded dragon (Ryuu) and 17 rats (12 bucks and 5 does). I also have a cockatiel (noisy little...Neo) who isn't strictly mine, he belongs to my mother but i like to think hes a bit mine too...hes very noisy but an amusing bird to have around.
The rats are going to be the main stars of the blog (as the name suggests), not that the other animals aren't loved or interesting but theres definately more to tell about them but as with me, the other animals will get mentioned.
for starters this is my introduction to my rats
ladies first
Lola- she is my mink capped girl who was bought with birthday money in October 2008 and is the first rat who was really demonstrative and made me realise that rats are different from other small pets. She is top rat and still has her cheeky streak even at her age..she reminds me of Sophia from the Sitcom Golden Girls shes definately a tough old lady
Eden and Jinx- These two came from two of my rats being very naughty and surprising me with 14 babies! they are grouped together because they are so similar although Jinx has a very naughty personality and loves to run onto the top of the cage , run to the back and then giggle while i try to catch her , then walk back and let herself be caught. I realised this was a game to her when i accidently left the cage ajar and she was still in the next morning when i was certain she would be the first to escape. Her sister Eden has a more grumpy attitude and is prone to having hormonal tantrums if i want to cuddle her. Both these girls are gorgeous british blue agoutis though Jinx is a berkshire and Eden is a self. This is another way to tell them apart as Edens feet are silver while Jinx has little white feet.They are litter sisters of Trouble.Harley and Quinn
Rogue- Rogue is a russian blue roan with a wonky blaze. She is also hairless so unless you knew you wouldnt be able to tell what colour she was lol. Shes pink , where she would be russian blue and its a slightly darker pink than the bits that would be white and you can see her blaze if you know where to look and look carefully.She is litter sister to Dylan and Gonzo
Rave- Rave is my last girl, she is a black variagated rex. She is very pretty and has lovely curly whiskers (hence she got her name, they look like they are having a party lol) She has a dominant personality and is trying to become the new top girl, Eden and Jinx aren't keen to let her though
The boys
Trouble- Trouble is a agouti hoooded. He is one of the biggest rats i have ever seen, weighing in at over half a kilo and being about a metre wide..ok thats me exagerating but hes a chunky boy. He is kind of grumpy, he didn't like some of the younger rats ideas of fun and used to huff and puff at them. He lives with brothers Harley and Quinn and two other males (Taz and Ninja) who are brothers. Athough Trouble looks big and tough if i talk to him he will brux and boggle at me lke a madrat through the bars.Mummys boy lol
Harley and Quinn- These two are ridiculously similar. They are both agouti berkshires and Harley has a bit more white on his tail than Quinn, and Quinn has a bit more white on his stomach but its very close and they have to be compared side by side. They also have very similar personalities, they bascially just follow Troubles command lol.
Taz and Ninja-These two are brothers given to me by a good friend of mine. Taz is a black berkshire (his tummy splotch looks like a fat cat lol) and Ninja is all black with one eye, he had to have it removed after a fight. They are both very laid back boys, with lovely soft thick fur and allow me to cuddle them.
Dylan- This rat is the vainest rat i have ever known! He is gorgeous and he knows it! Dylan is a russian blue point siamese berkshire so instead of his feet being pointed like they should be they are white. This rat will strike a pose if the camera is anywhere near him. He got his name from his docility, coming from the "relaxed" rabbit on the magic roundabout and the character named Dylan from the Diary of a crush series. A lot of people love Dylan, i love his looks and the fact he lets me give him huge hugs and kisses and doesn't seem to mind.
Gonzo- Gonzo is named so as he is russian blue and was fuzzy as a baby,after the muppet.And also because im a fan of Hunter S Thompson. Being a hairless he has purpleish skin but still has little white berki feet <3
Like the muppet, Gonzo is a natural clown and loves to play although the others dont always appriciate this eg mardy Trouble. He is a very sweet little guy.
Asbo- Asbo is as his name suggests an antisocial lil rat. He spooks very easily and is frequently found hiding behind the storage box that is in the cage for their substrate. He has a bit of a sly personality and has bullied smaller rats on occasion. He is an agouti bareback with a bit of a blaze, so could also say undermarked capped. I dont think he is all bad but his nervousness means he doesn't show the best of himself.
Felix- Felix is an overmarked black roan. He has roaned out a bit but still has greyish black markings, some roan out completly white. Personally roan isn't my favourite pattern as they lose their colour but Felix chose me. He was the one that kept climbing out of the carrier onto me so i decided to keep him :) He also was a bit of a dare devil having escaped on the way here and climbing up the drivers leg as they were driving fairly fast up the motorway. I can't rememer why i called him Felix, i think it was just a name i picked as he was black and white.
Percy- Percy is a pink hairless with black eyes, and is either a banded or normal roan genetically although i dont know which colour. Percy came to me with his two sons and is such a sweetie. He has had upmost patience with them even as they have grown to his size. No rat could want a better dad. When he came to me he wasn't sure about my other boys but he has bonded well with them and even got the courage to tell Asbo off when Asbo was having a go at his son Wade.
Wade- Wade is a hairless dumbo, if he had hair he would be a black roan. He is the son of Percy and the brother of Atari. He was the biggest of the litter and is a real cutie. He isn't the cleverest rat and although bigger frequently got play attacked by his smaller brother Atari who was often the victor. Has a bit of a hero worship of Gonzo as he is a dumbo too, im guessing the top eared Percy and Atari teased him about his huge ears. Gonzo was delighted to have someone to play with!
Atari- Last but no means least is Atari. The rat with the fan club lol. Atari was the runt of the litter but as they say good things come in small packages and he is definately one of them! He has always had a devil may care attitude and trouble shining in his eyes, and even though he had to have one removed the other one still contains it. He woul be a banded agouti husky if he had fur. He is quite fuzzy and has grey fuzz down his back. He does so many funny things that i made him his own facebook account and he certainly seems to have more brains than his brother Wade. So much so i'am going to start clicker training him, i think he will do well at it, and the fact he would sell his soul for a choccy button means it should be fairly straightforward lol
I suppose i better say a little about myself. I'm 25, female and rat obsessed (as if that isnt obvious) So much so we are known as the rat people at the vets, and i just need to say im bringing a rat in and they know who it is on the phone hahaha
i hope theres still some people who read to the end, my next entries shouldnt be so long lol what an essay!
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