I've had a few people ask me for a quick and easy rat care guide, so here is the finished product! I've created a .pdf file that's easy to download and read detailing the basics of rat care. Enjoy!
People often struggle with assembling Ferret Kingdoms, as the instructions they come with are fairly rubbish, if you get them in the package at all! So, I've written out a set of instructions for those people who are having a hard time putting the cage together :)
There is some confusion as to what bedding is the most ideal one to use in your rat (or mouse)'s cage. There are many different kinds available, however not all of them are equal, and some are even dangerous. Softwoods such as pine and cedar are readily available and are often advertised specifically as small animal bedding, but research indicates it is not superior to other litters such as paper pellets or fabric.
I recently introduced not one but two new rats to my mischief. I never felt that term for a group of rats was more appropriate than when I went through the motions of introducing the new babies to the older girls.
As usual, Kiri was very accepting of the newcomers. Kiri's accepting of almost everything (except for a thermometer in her behind at the vets, wasn't that a show!), however Ezri was most certainly not, and Dax followed her lead.
Ezri wasn't well at the time, she'd recently had a myco flare up. She's also fairly opposed to change in the cage. It took several attempts at introducing them in a neutral space before I tried to place the new babies into the main cage. They were met with the disapproval of Ezri, swiftly.
I was almost ready to resign myself to the fact that the new girls would have to live in one half of the cage and the old girls in the other, but then I remembered something.
I put Ezri and Dax in the smaller cage for a few days, letting Audrey and Ro live in the larger cage with Kiri. I then changed all the hammocks and liners and cleaned the cage with perfumed wipes. Once I tried introducing them again, it went well!
They now all live happily together. I really recommend trying the last method I used if you're introducing rats to your colony. Making the cage seem completely different in how it's arranged and how it smells makes all the difference. It turns it into neutral territory that's comfortable for them. As you can see, through this my girls have achieved cage harmony!
I have recently welcomed a new addition to my mischief, Ro. She was adopted from a pet shop (terrible of me, but I couldn't help it!) after I watched her over the week all by herself in the cage. I brought her home and I'm glad for it :)
She has a beautiful temperament and a lovely coat. I believe she's a Cinnamon Rex (as if I needed more Cinnamon babies... haha). She was accepted fairly quickly by the other girls, and now happily snuggles with them.
I introduced them by placing them all in a neutral area (the couch) and allowing them to interact. After half an hour it was going really well, and seeing as my girls are often happy to share space with any old random rat in their cage, I put them all in there to watch their behaviour. Dax couldn't care less and Kiri adopted her as her own, but Ezri wasn't a fan of sharing space with Ro. So, Kiri and Ro went into the travel cage for the night to be re-introduced the next morning, which went really well, and every one's been happy since.
Welcome home, Ro!
Good news!
Well, sort of. Nimh has a myco flare-up right now, so she's on a course of Batryil until she gets better. The vet visit was good, however I'm sure Nimh didn't feel the same way (needle in the backside, thermometer in the rear oriface... ouch!). She was already showing a huge improvement by the afternoon. We also got her a bit of dark chocolate too... that we can share... heehee.
Nimh being harassed by my ratlings
My friend's rat, Nimh, is a little under the weather at the moment. We're trying to get her into a vet today to find out what we can do. She's currently exhibiting signs of a Mycoplasma related illness, including gasping, laboured breathing, rattling and chattering sounds when she breathes. Hopefully the vet will be able to prescribe the right medications for her to ward it off.
Myco is a common illness among rats. Every rat has it, however some rats have a greater resistance than others. Daz and Ezri come from a litter with fantastic resistance. I have never heard them sneeze and their breathing is perfect. Nimh however has always had a few issues with sniffles and the like. It is important that if your rat shows signs of the illness that you see a vet, as more serious cases can lead to pneumonia and death. Prolonged illness will leave the rat with scarring along its respiratory tract.
Hopefully our vet visit will be positive, and Nimh will have a good recovery from this bout of Myco. I'll keep you updated!
This is just a picture I took the other day of Dax enjoying her nap time in her tube. Send me links you your cute things sleeping!
I also found this website:
www.cutethingsfallingasleep.orgIf you like cute things (in particular, babies and kittens), this is a good place to get your daily quota of 'aww!'
When rats are introduced, it's not uncommon for them to stand on their hind legs and stare each other down before boxing a little to decide on who is the boss. What is uncommon, however, is for it to last quite as long as this!
This video is pretty cute :) It's perfectly fine for them to assert their dominance. Just remember, when things get a bit rough and turn into an all out scuffle, have a towel ready to throw on the main offender to separate the fight and calm them down, so you can try again later. NEVER break up a fight with your bare hands, it's likely you will get bitten.
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