Erm it appears I now own a rat ... (photos of rats present in thread)

[Bekki2308]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UyqZT9TOM2s/T7D-OkXlpCI/AAAAAAAABDE/qXCpqY33r_k/s640/DSCN0498.JPG
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I was in the pet shop and this little guy was just in his cage on the floor and he was bar climbing so I sat down and said hello and he seemed really friendly and I fell in love, he has the least ratty face I have ever seen and his tail isnt hugely long either :-) so he is mine now

He cost me £35 including the cage, but the cage is huge and was £80 new the bar spacing is just over 1mm so I can use it for hammies when this wee man passes away hes 18 months old so he wont live for much longer really maybe a year or so but his twilight months will be as great as I can make them. His cage was bare when I picked it up so I put in some spare guinea pig and hamster things and I am going to give him a guinea pig hidey to have a nest box I just need to give it a good scrub out :-)

He took a meal worm from my hand and its very tame, his last owner dropped him off at the pet store this morning in her coat ... he was just inside the coat with her :-) so he is cuddly and friendly but needs time to settle in :-)

He is on shavings until clean out I know he shouldnt be on shavings :-) but thats the only thing he has right now with smell from his old home to comfort him and help him settle all the furnishing in the cage are mine so smell of me and my home. He will be kept on megazorb after his clean out :-) He also has a little fluffy bedding left only because it will smell of him and his old house. His cage is dirty on the bars so I dont think he has been kept properly clean in his cage though. His shelf was pitted, the ladder is still dirty as they obviously didnt clean that.

I have already had somebody tell me that my first concern with him is finding him a friend, which yes id like to do (and I will)that but I want him settled and used to me before I do that considering he hasnt seen another rat in 1.5 + years and he has just moved house I think thats quite a lot of stress for a relatively old ratty :-)

I was just in the animal room and he is snoozing in his new hammock so cute! His cage literally had a bottle and that plastic shelf in that was all! Oh and a few half torn filthy socks!

[Kissa]

Poor ratty! What's his name? How did you acquire him?

[GemmieWho]

Aww he's so sweet. You're right he doesn't really look very "rat" like, does he?
Are you keeping the same name?
You'll need to update your signature now ;)

[Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters]

Awww what a little pudding! I am seriously jealous now because Mr Bobtail has said we can have a pair of rats once we move to a bigger house and only have the Robo litters and a Syrian/WW (so just 3 hamster cages instead of 6 :lol:)

Aww congrats on him! :D

[Bekki2308]

He is just so sweet!

His previous owner arranged with a local pet store to rehome him via the store, they were moving house and were not allowed any pets in the new place. The owner left him this morning at the store for opening time so 9am, at 11 am I went in for a wander round to see if they had any burns hay for my guinea pigs, and there he was I fell for him straight away! I have never been a rat person ever never liked them and thought their tails were horrid but this little fellow has changed all of that! He just looks to me more like a syrian hamster with a tail than a traditional rat. Having just adopted him I have a lot to learn about ratties!

His previous owner called him ziggy but I dont think its quite right for him. Any help with naming would be much apreciated :-)

[Hammymad]

Awww he is so sweet bless him.Good for you for adopting this old ratty,I'd have dne the same :)
Hmmmm name wise,what about Munchie? Xx

[MadAsAHatter]

Aw he is a very cute rat, I generally don't like their tales either but awww :)

[Lougarry]

What a very adorable little face:)

[Charley101]

He has such a cute little face. It sounds like he's going to have a good life with you :)

[snaisby]

Whereabouts are you? I have 3 foster boys looking for a lovely new home - they are older gents too. Just if you were interested :)

Well done on taking him in, sounds like he needs spoiling in his retirement bless him. you should join Fancy Rats Forum (http://www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/index.php), it's friendly and full of good advice :D

I'm afraid he probably won't use that wheel, it's a bit small - rats need a 12" minimum wheel for comfort.

[sully]

Im really getting to like the look of rats lately! :)

[Bekki2308]

Whereabouts are you? I have 3 foster boys looking for a lovely new home - they are older gents too. Just if you were interested :)

Well done on taking him in, sounds like he needs spoiling in his retirement bless him. you should join Fancy Rats Forum (http://www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/index.php), it's friendly and full of good advice :D

I'm afraid he probably won't use that wheel, it's a bit small - rats need a 12" minimum wheel for comfort.

:-) I am in the middlesbrough area. I will be joining that forum ... I took the 8 inch out and gave him a flying saucer (he poooped his pants when he stood on that and it moved, he has not mastered that yet) :-) really would be looking for just one rat for him. Its agains the landlords wishes to have any rats (ooops!)

[Charley101]

Its agains the landlords wishes to have any rats (ooops!)

Oh dear, what happens if they find out?

[Bekki2308]

Oh dear, what happens if they find out?

They know I have one and said its fine (I told them it wont live very long no more than a year) and that if any damage happens I have to pay for it.

I dont know what damage one rat will do .... I have 5 guinea pigs, 6 hamsters etc etc

[snaisby]

:-) I am in the middlesbrough area. I will be joining that forum ... I took the 8 inch out and gave him a flying saucer (he poooped his pants when he stood on that and it moved, he has not mastered that yet) :-) really would be looking for just one rat for him. Its agains the landlords wishes to have any rats (ooops!)

Ah that's a shame, I am in Teesside but I can't really split this group as they are father and sons and have always lived together. Most rescues won't home to you if you don't have the landlord's permission i'm afraid :( could you write him a letter/email stating positives of rats as pets, and see if he will relax his rules?

[Bekki2308]

Ah that's a shame, I am in Teesside but I can't really split this group as they are father and sons and have always lived together. Most rescues won't home to you if you don't have the landlord's permission i'm afraid :( could you write him a letter/email stating positives of rats as pets, and see if he will relax his rules?

They are fine with me having him but didnt really want me to , but they are softies for sob stories and ill no doubt end up with more... I was originally allowed no pets now I have them all muahahahah. Id love more but I dont think the cage is big enough for another 3 its only a furret plus and it seems small for 1 rat (compared to the sizing or hammy, piggy and bunny cage for example)

[snaisby]

It's a Furet Plus cage, it's generally the smallest cage considered suitable for a pair of rats :) a good way of extending it would be to look for another cage of the same type though, they often come up very cheaply on ebay/gumtree and you can stack them to extend the space :D

Hope your landlord says yes to a friend for him, he's a lovely boy <3

[Charley101]

Wow, considering you weren't allowed any pets to begin with you have done well! :lol:

The only animals i'm allowed to have without permission are 'caged' animals. If i ever wanted a dog or cat i would have to ask for permission but as i live on the top floor i think it will be unfair for me to keep cats as I wouldn't be able to let them outside and i would worry about bills with a dog!

[Bekki2308]

Snaisby if you get a single one would you let me know?

A rescue in ashington has said I can take 2 or 3 of their baby males to put in this cage with him but I dont want more than 2 as the cage is titchy!

I wouldnt have took him had I not thought I could look after him, the pet shop he was in sells rabbits in 3ft hutches, sells hamster cages that are literally 15x 30 cm etc and they attract some of the worst folks in the area so I was scared hed get a worse home than I could offer.

If I am unable to find him a friend I would surrender him to a rescue or spend hours with him each day to make his last months as happy as possible. Going by the state of his cage and stuff I dont think he has been the best looked after pet and hes has been kept on shavings for his entire life.

Charley ... I know :-) cats and dogs are definite nos though!

[Gamina]

I know you want to do the right thing and getting a partner for your chap but he would be better getting two than one so you have trio. There are a number of reasons but it really runs down to the fact that they cannot be left alone. If you have an older chap and you get him a friend and then your older chap passes on you are again left with the same issue. When getting into rats you are in for the long haul or you are going to have to pass on a single rat at some point if you want to give them a full life.

I know you mentioned it already but I would get him off those shavings asap the damage in rats from them can happen so quickly with an outburst of pophy nose :(

[Vicki S]

He is so cute I am jealous I would love a pet rat you probably already know you can teach them to play fetch and all and there like mini dogs when my hammies or gerbils pass on I is gonna get myself an extremely huge cage and have lots of ratty friends he is gorgeous too I think with males you can only keep in two I'm not sure if that's true though

Vicki

[Vicki S]

Oh and a name what about ratauoille the movie one that's a chef :)


Vicki

[Lougarry]

The only animals i'm allowed to have without permission are 'caged' animals. If i ever wanted a dog or cat i would have to ask for permission but as i live on the top floor i think it will be unfair for me to keep cats as I wouldn't be able to let them outside and i would worry about bills with a dog!

A rescue shelter might well home a cat that can't go outside with you - either because it had previously always been an indoor cat or because it had FIV and shouldn't come into contact with other cats. Just a thought from a cat devotee :)

[Shell]

What a lovely and lucky little guy! Such a pretty face :)

[Bekki2308]

He is such a curious little guy ... he was watching me hoover out the piggies cages just sat there looking cute ... I lvoe him!

His name is Remy now ... :-)

[snaisby]

I would rather have 3 rats in a Furet Plus and have them be a little cramped than have a lone rat - it's just wonderful to see them blossom when they have company :) if you plan on keeping rats for a good while then two babies would be a great idea, if not then a single older friend would work better.

I'm not a rescue, just do a bit of private rescue/rehome but I will keep an eye out for a single boy for you. I'll have a look through the FR rehoming boards for you too if you haven't already.

There is a North of England Rat Society in Newcastle on the 2nd June if you'd be interested in coming - lots of friendly ratty peeps, loads of rats to cuddle and toys/hammocks/treats to buy. I'll be there, it's a really fun day out :)

[Gamina]

I think with males you can only keep in two I'm not sure if that's true though

Vicki

Its untrue. In my experiance males are far easier to intro with each other than females are. Amethyst Ice has 5 males happily living together in a mixed age group and I have 6 in my male group.

[Vicki S]

Do you have to get them altogether though or do you just get one at a time and introduce them?

And its good to know that you can keep them in bigger groups incase i ever get some rats


vicki

[Bekki2308]

I handled him today ..... he has been interacting with me through the bars even since he first arrived literally within a few minutes of the cage being steady on the drawers (we carried his cage 5 minutes down the road then up the stairs in a small house .. he actually seemed to enjoy seeing outside on the way home) so he had been thrown around a little but he took a worm from me almost straight away.

Today he took some chicken from me (I am a vegetarian so I bought this just for him!) and he took it gently (I had used tweezers just in case ... got some over enthusiastic hammies .... been bitten by them accidnetly and I didnt want that from larger teeth!) but I opened his door and he came out a little and I picked him up and put him on my chest gave him a stroke then put him back in his cage hes sooo cute! Is it normal for them to be a bit smelly? Its probably just because he is a different smell that he smells rather than him actually being really smelly though.

He is very friendly!

[fluffymunchkins]

Welcome little man :D Hes adorable x

[Gamina]

Do you have to get them altogether though or do you just get one at a time and introduce them?

And its good to know that you can keep them in bigger groups incase i ever get some rats


vicki

No, they can be added over time, rat intros are relatively easy when compared to other animals. For example I had Starbuck and Apollo, Apollo passed away. Adama and Caprica were added to make a trio. Boomer was then added to make a four and finall Crash and Helo to make six.

However if adding young ones to old ones it is best to have two as an older rat may get fed up with the playful younger rat. If you get two younger rats they will play and the older rat will not feel bugged!

[Bekki2308]

In theory is it most likely that just getting a pair of babies from the pet shop and adding them would work?

I am not going to do that btw just purely curious ... I know in guinea pigs which is my field of expertise introducing male is very difficult so hearing they are easy to pair comes as a shock to the system :-)

[Gamina]

There are steps to follow and its not as clear cut as throwing them in a cage together but they are very simple steps and it s incredibly rare for an intro not to work. They can be successful in a very short time and although they should not be rushed as little as 24 hours.

[Vicki S]

As you intro them would you do it for example on the floor then the next day an hour in the cage together supervised? And so on


Seeing everyone's pics of rats is really making me want some now

And Bekki I know what you mean about male Gps as I had three living together two bros and a cousin then the cousin turned on one of the bros and the two bros fought back I now have the two bros together and the cousin on his own but they had been before this living together happily for 6months

Vicki

[Amethyst_ice]

hello,

if he is already a year and a half im not sure introducing a friend would be a wise idea, it would probably be more stressfull for him and adult intros are much much harder.

I'd lower the level and the ladder for him, seems far to steep to serve a purpose atm.

good luck with him, fancy rats is a good forum x

[Amethyst_ice]

Its untrue. In my experiance males are far easier to intro with each other than females are. Amethyst Ice has 5 males happily living together in a mixed age group and I have 6 in my male group.

Thanks for the mention :)

Yes I have 5 fabby boys all together, there is no difference of female groups and male groups.

Few things having noticed there are more pages!

Don't overdo the protein (chicken for example) as this can cause skin issues.

Intros can be simple..ive done two now..one i spent weeks gradually letting them play in the bath (i'd never put on the floor, too much open space, you need small nuetral space), but then my others i was pressed for time and just bummed them all in the carrier. They were babies introed to adults mind and in general, babies are easier to intro to adults.

I would advise finding a local breeder or rat club to have some ratty play time to see how he reacts to other rats. He has been alone for so long, it could go he accepts a pair of babies straight away (hooray) or he could kill them or hurt them straight away.

Ratties are very very complex little furbabies and are prone to so many more illnesses compared to hammies. All my boys are from well respected breeders and 4 out of 5 have permanent respiratory issues. Compared to pet store hammies id say with rats the risk is far greater so try get from a breeder. Their health is alot worse than hammies in general.

Regarding the saucer, i have heard females tend to like wheels better than males, try give him a toilet roll with the paper on, he should enjoy that :)

This is how my lot live, plenty of hammocks (Gamina was over generous at Christmas!) etc

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/397436_995564136565_223407998_16517351_647146560_n .jpg

x

[Gamina]

I found with introducing mine the bath method was fine the first time. I then had a rocky intro with Boomer so all the boys were thrown in a cat carrier walked around the block six times and then left there for 24 hours. Adama one of my males had to have an operation at the time he was being introduced as he had developed some male hormonal issues and was bullying everyone - not due to intros just due to the fact he was reaching his peak age of sexual maturity. With Helo and Crashdown they all went in the carrier for 24 hours and then were put back in with all 6 together to the carrier for 24 hours after Adama had recovered from his op. After the time in the confined space had passed they were all added to a clean neutral smelling cage.

Mine don't have a wheel. They have a 13 inch wodent wheel but when its put in all they do is sleep in it and one boy got very protective over his wheel so I just took it out.

[snaisby]

if he is already a year and a half im not sure introducing a friend would be a wise idea, it would probably be more stressfull for him and adult intros are much much harder.

I really disagree with this i'm afraid, i've seen many an older rat really blossom with ratty company. Introducing babies to adults is usually very easy, and can bring a new lease of life to a lazy older rat. Even introducing adults, once past the 'teenage' stage (6-8 months), tends to be straightforward.

At 18 months he could have another 12-18 months left to live, so a significant proportion of his life to spend continuing to be lonely.

Anyway I wish you all the best with him OP, hope you can find some suitable company :D

[Bekki2308]

I thought id update this, wee ratty boy spent about 4 weeks with me before being rehomed to a pair of almost identical coloured and sized rats to him in York, arranged via pixie rodent rescue :-) he settled in straight away and as far as I know is still going now.

[icklemunch]

Awww what a lovely happy ending :). Great news. Made my day!!