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Original poster

Enter the Ratcave

71 replies

Kaloki · 10/11/2009 15:26

Any other rat owners on here, or just rat lovers?

We've (Kerriko and me) got 4 rats currently. Two albino boys called Hugo and Ralph who are rescue rats from the RSPCA. They are giant animals, and are about a year old. And we've got two tiny little girls who are about 3 months old, Clio is chocolate brown and Lillith is white with a coffee coloured stripe down her back.

There are pictures of them all on my profile

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Original poster
Kaloki · 17/11/2009 18:17

haggisaggis > I'm so sorry to hear that!

We lost one boy about 4-5 months ago, it was a combination of old age and a respiratory infection. Was heartbreaking watching him fade away, but we didn't want to distress him by taking him to the vets. So we tucked him up in his hammock and he fell asleep.

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Original poster
Kaloki · 18/12/2009 01:50

Just in case anyone is interested, I'm sure this is more amusing to me than anyone else, but we thought we'd introduce our two girls to snow

Video here

Who'd have thought they'd try to stash it?

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muggglewump · 18/12/2009 13:10

I chose our rats today. I'm so excited.
I'm picking them up on Christmas Eve.

I've still to build the cage but I've got everything I need and I'll put it together and hide it under a sheet in my wardrobe.

The rats will be put in before I pick up DD from CM on Christmas Eve, and then I'll bring the whole lot down as soon as she's asleep.

She'd going to be soooo happy, she has no idea she's actually getting them.

Original poster
Kaloki · 18/12/2009 16:14

Aww that's so exciting mugglewump! What are they like?

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muggglewump · 18/12/2009 21:54

Sort of slightly darker than honey and white.
There were 5 and I chose those two as they were the cutest.
I was allowed to have a hold and wanted to take them straight home!

I'm a single parent of an only child and I think pets (we have fish and a cat) make our home seem more whole.

I'll post pics of them on Christmas day

Original poster
Kaloki · 18/12/2009 22:44

Aww, I look forward to seeing pictures!

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JasHook · 22/12/2009 16:51

Awww, ratties. I love ratties. Sadly I lost my elderly buck Anton last month. He was 3. I'm now left with just his equally geriatric but lovable brother.

I'm already making plans for new rat kittens, which as I'm pregnant myself should make the early months of next year interesting!

steamedxmaspudding · 22/12/2009 17:00

Ooh, ratties! I love rats too. Don't have any at the moment although reading this thread is really tempting me to get some more... not sure it's wise with two cats in the house though!

muggglewump I am very jealous of your DD - she will be so excited!

JasHook · 22/12/2009 17:03

steamedxmaspudding I have 5 cats as well as my aging ratty! Things seem to muddle along OK, though I never have the rats out of the cage in the same room as the cats.

Original poster
Kaloki · 22/12/2009 18:08

I wondered how people got on with rats and cats. Hopefully in the future I can persuade my DP to let me get either a cat or a ferret. JasHook I may hunt you down in future for advice!

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steamedxmaspudding · 23/12/2009 09:18

JasHook, that gives me hope! Actually, when we kept rats when I was younger we had a cat, and they never seemed to take much notice of each other. Hmmm

JasHook · 23/12/2009 09:57

steamedxmaspudding the rats seem interested in the cats but not afraid, whereas once the cats worked out the cage wasn't crackable they got bored...

Kaloki Do feel free to ask anything you like and I'll try to help! I've been around both cats and rats for years and had no problems.

muggglewump · 25/12/2009 17:59

Well we have our ratties!

No pics unfortunately as the camera I had was borrowed from my Dad and he asked for it back earlier

We just gave them some sweetcorn and they went mad for it. Sitting up and eating it like little squirrels and then cleaning themselves like cats.

They are still a bit nervous, so we won't try and get them out for now, until they are settled and have got used to us.

We are in love with them already, they are soooo gorgeous.
I can't wait to get a camera (I'm going to order one later), so I can show them off

muggglewump · 25/12/2009 18:13

Oh, and they are called Pumpkin and Squash.

MistletoeNoelPresents · 25/12/2009 18:32

My old rats would freely give the cats and dogs what for, as would the ferrets!

midori1999 · 26/12/2009 10:21

Um, yes... I have a few rats... currently 21, plus two litters of babies, and am making a 600 mile round trip to collect three new boys in the New Year. I also have two bucks I bred back here to stay fro a month as the owner is visiting family in Spain. (I also have around 50 mice and multimammates)

I have black hooded, fawn hooded, black berkshire, siamese and buff.

We have cats, but have a whole room for our rats and rodents, (well, they share it with my snakes) so the cats are kept out. In the spring we'll be building an insualted, heated shed in the garden for the rodents.

Original poster
Kaloki · 26/12/2009 11:15

That sounds amazing midori

We really want more but don't have space for them

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midori1999 · 26/12/2009 11:51

We don't really have the space, I made it by having two of my children share a bedroom.

midori1999 · 26/12/2009 11:55

PS. when you say your boys are 'albino', do you mean they are pink eye white, or Siamese? I have looked at your pics (gorgeous boys, btw!) but they ar etoo small so I can't really tell. Albino isn't commonly used in rat terms, and quite a lot of owners aren't sure and feel if it has pink/red eyes it is albino, hence I ask.

Rat varieties listed here, with pictures if you are unsure:

www.hawthorn.org.uk/varieties.asp

MistletoeNoelPresents · 26/12/2009 13:30

Midori what is a multimammates?

Have had Jerds in the past who were great.

Original poster
Kaloki · 26/12/2009 16:00

Is there a difference between pink eye white and albino? We were told they were albino when we got them, and they are pure white all over.

We're now trying to figure out what one of our girls counts as. She's white with pink eyes and the palest coffee coloured stripe down her back.

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midori1999 · 26/12/2009 16:01

Mulit-mammates are also known as 'African Soft Furred Mice/Rats'. I suppose they are more mouse than rat like, but much bigger than mice and smaller than rats. Their care is similar to mice. They have gorgeous soft fur.

if you google you will find pictures.

MistletoeNoelPresents · 26/12/2009 16:06

Thanks, they look lovely tho on several websites it mentions that they aren't very handleable?

midori1999 · 26/12/2009 16:33

They can and do/will bite. HARD. But I wouldn't say they were unhandleable. I haven't yet been bitten whilst picking them up/holding them though, but if my hand is in the tanks/cages andd I am changing food bowls etc. I'm careful and have only been bitten a few times. I have also found the ones I kept from babies are more tame than the ones I bought as babies/juveniles.

The main advantage they have over mice and rats is that they do not smell at all. I would say they are more handlable than fancy mice, as not so 'skitty' or fast.

Original poster
Kaloki · 21/01/2010 22:48

Just an update, got three new rats. A friend of a friend had them and couldn't look after them anymore so we've taken them home with us. They are all girls, although the friend was sold them as boys somehow. And they are all hooded, two brown and one black.

They are now called Zemo, Lucy and Hannah (short for Hannibal as she took a large chunk out of my finger yesterday).

Zemo (the black one) unfortunately has two large lumps, one behind her front leg and one under her belly. She's having them removed tomorrow, so fingers crossed they wont grow back. Although we know the chance is high that they will. Which is gutting as she's really sweet natured.

Lucy is the friendliest and the daftest.

Hannah is the scaredy, bitey one. Both me and DP have been bitten twice, looks like she's got me bad enough that it'll scar!

Because Hannah and Lucy have identical colouring we are having to be very very careful lol!

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