Posted by jorats on Saturday Oct 8, 2011 Under Daily with Rats
That would be Gera. He was named Begera. He was bred in the US, came into this world on February 14th, 2009. He ended up in rescue not long after. In May 2010, Gera and his mom took a trip to Canada. He was destined for someone else but that home fell through. My sister and I met Gera at a rat group meet up in Toronto. Nic fell instantly in love with him. A couple of days later, when we found out that Gera was available with his little buddy Meeko, we jumped at the chance to have him. What a lucky break! Nic wanted him real bad but circumstances within her colony couldn’t accommodate Gera at the time. She had a very sick boy with severe head tilt, an intro at that time could have been detrimental to Chance. So I greedily and eagerly accepted this little man into my life. Gera was a rat like no other. I’ve had my share of strong rats, good rats, calm rats, sweet rats, people rats and rats’ rats. But Gera was all in one. He was the whole deal. Many times I would look at Gera and ask him, are you sure you were meant for me? I know rats already, so to be given a rat that encompassed peace, love and harmony was a shocker. My specialty is the misunderstood male. Gera was to me what Daddy was to Cesar. Those in the dog world will know what I mean. Gera was special in so many ways. I’m not the only one who knew this… all the rats knew this. When we were in the middle of intros, rats would flock to Gera, to soak in his calm, peaceful energy. They found comfort being near him, some rats would even try to spoon him. He allowed all rats to take in his energy. All rats were Gera’s buddies. Including all humans. During out time, that’s where Gera wanted to be, with his human. In the last few months, Gera slowed down. He had reached 30 months, he was greying at the nose, but he still had full mobility, full capacity…just slow. He started to sleep out in the open a lot, and when he chose the bottom of the ladder for his bed, I knew it was almost time. This morning, October 8th, I found Gera had peacefully left this earth. In true Gera fashion, no complaints, no gasping fits, no issues. He knew it was his time and he was quite fine with that. I took a few pictures yesterday, I had a feeling… I’m sure he told me, Mom, I’m going tomorrow. I cuddled him yesterday. I told him I loved him. And I always will.
The house is empty today.
Gera with Nic at the rat people meet up in Toronto, May 2010
Gera, fit in quite well.
Gera during intros, not a care in the world… he remained calm as always.
We’ll never know. Did you ever have a friend? Probably not. Did you ever have the right food, and comfy fleece in your cage to keep you warm? Sure doesn’t look like it. Did you get any care at all for your illnesses and injuries? Definitely not.
We are all so sorry your life ended before it could begin again like it should’ve. It looks like your nakie skin was chilled on a metal pan in an old fashioned dog kennel, I don’t see bedding, toys. I do see you, your eye damaged, probably gone septic, probably suffering badly until finally your spirit had to let go of your weakened body.
A friend of mine responded to an ad on Kijiji, a typical ad that goes like this: I have up for grab is my hairless rat FREE, yes free.
Just him no accessories and must be gone today as
we are leaving …
BRING YOUR OWN CONTAINER.
The little guy never made it. This is no way to treat a rat. Rats are not toys or possessions, they deserve love and respect, they deserve proper care.
There are countless ads online of owners who no longer care for their rat or perhaps never cared for them at all. There are even ads that states the rats will be left outside in the woods… what? Why do people think rats can live outdoors, in the wild? Pet rats were born and raised to be with humans. Domesticated rats have different needs.
Please… if you want a rat, do your research. If for some reason you need to rehome your rat, please take your time and find the right home for him.
Rats are beautiful, social and loving animals. Be kind to them.
This little guy clearly never had a chance. RIP wee one.
Posted by jorats on Saturday Sep 24, 2011 Under Health
Klebsiella is a little known bacterium that hides away in your rat’s gut as part of the flora living a comfortable life until for some reason it decides to flourish. A heavy growth of this bacterium along with other factors can kill a rat, factors such as a weakened immune system or in combination with another bacteria like staph.
Klebsiella is not a contagion but it can be spread via acquired contact from rat to rat. It is imperative that you clean your cage and disinfect the habitat regularly when maintaining large colonies or rats.
It should also be noted that klebsiella can be transmitted to animals from humans or from a hospital type institution.
Klebsiella pneumoniae can present itself with pneumonia like symptoms along with mycoplasmosis as we all know causes havoc on the lungs.
But klebsiella is also seen in abscesses where it can become an opportunistic infection.
No amount of quarantine can safeguard a colony from a rat susceptible to a klebsiella outbreak. There are drugs available to combat this bacteria and infection if caught early. A long term treatment and at high dosing seems to be the most effective method of treatment.
Posted by jorats on Wednesday Sep 14, 2011 Under Daily with Rats
My colony has suffered a couple of losses recently but I underestimated how important these rats where to the others. Ferdinand was affected by Chief’s passing, he became more forceful. Doc’s loss was a complete and total shock to me and to his buddies. Doc was young and strong and I believe he kept the buddies feeling safe and comfortable. I’ve since had to separate the cage and close it off in half. With the losses, the cage has gone into chaos with no clear leader to take charge. Gera and Bianca are old now and not in the best of health so I need to protect them from all the ongoing scuffles. I also added George to them since for some reason, Ferd has decided that he must hunt down George and torment the poor boy. Yes… you read that right. In the beginning it was George who ran after Ferd, making Ferd scream like a little girl, constantly but with George, I knew he meant no harm, he only wanted a forced grooming from Ferd. But this time around, with Ferd, I believe he’s out for blood. I can only think that the loss of Doc has thrown Ferd into the alpha role which doesn’t suit him in the least. Ferd has no idea how keep a happy colony.
For now, I’m keeping the cage in two colonies but they continue to have out time together. Because at some point, I will be returning them together, once Bianca passes and if Gera is strong enough. I do believe that with time Ferd will calm down.
Not only did the loss affect the colony but I also believe the addition of the girls changed the dynamics. Unfortunately, one of the girls my feisty Sansa is not a sweet girl. She’s very bossy and a bully. Ferd is the only one who is able to stop her from throwing the whole gang into a tizzy.
That’s always the chance you take when you bring in new rats. You must be prepared to accept who they are and their characters no matter how frustrating they can be. We must accept and accommodate. And above all, have patience… most rats do calm down with age, with socializing, daily interactions and continued love.
Posted by jorats on Monday Sep 5, 2011 Under Daily with Rats
A member of the Rat Shack is quite a dedicate rat girl. She’s worked hard and put in some time with her rats in training them. We were all treated to a video of their tricks. All I can say is it was AWESOME! These rats are certainly healthy rats, with one of her boys reaching 3.5 years old… that’s what mental and physical stimulation will do to them.
The training keeps the rats on their toes, keeps them thinking and working… Rats are very intelligent, show them a way and it will be done.
Most recently, I’ve just seen pictures which a member has shown on the Facebook group The Rat Shack, from 1953 where scientist studied rats and their behaviour. They have found the rats to work together to accomplish a common goal. Teamwork! Of course us rat lovers already knew that rats need their buddies.
Then don’t get the pet. Yes, I’m preaching today.
I don’t think it can be said enough… when you adopt or buy a pet, you must set aside a vet fund. These animals will get sick. It’s a given. At some point, your healthy pet will need vet care, by a professional doctor of veterinarian medicine. Rats truly are resilient and adapt quite well but when they are hit by something like mycoplasmosis, they need the proper medicine for a quick and complete recovery. There are many websites out there that give alternatives to vet care, these sites are WRONG. Please, don’t give your rat, fish medicine when he is sick. Don’t give your rat, bird medicine that you can buy in pet stores. They don’t work. They simply alleviate the symptoms but it will come back stronger thus making it even harder to treat. On average, I’d say a rat will run you about $500, that’s if you don’t get your rat altered, or get check ups or any surgeries. On average rats remain healthy until about 18 months of age. That is not an old rat. That is a middle aged rat. Rats can live beyond 2 years, they have the potential to make it to 3 or even 4. There are circumstances where even the most dedicated pet owner with all the vet care in the world still can’t prevent an early death but the point is that some rats, many rats will live beyond 2 years old.
Lets talk vet prices for altering your pet, tumour removals… you are looking at an average of $300 for spays, $200 for neuters, $500 for tumour removals. In some areas, it is much cheaper but the bottom line is, it’s expensive. So when you pick up that sweet, tiny baby rat(s) do yourself and your baby a favour and start your vet fund immediately. Put away $15 a month. By the time they reach 18 months old, you’ll already have over $250 saved up. You’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll know your rat(s) will get the care he/she deserves.
Recently on The Rat Shack, a member brought up the question about moving rats. Is it stressful on them, is it a good idea? From my experience, it all depends on the rat or the colony. Some rats are so bonded they really shouldn’t be moved away from their cage buddies. Yet there are other rats who really aren’t attached and don’t mind going through changes. There are also rats who need the simple routine in their lives and a change causes them much stress.
There comes a time when a move is necessary. This would be the time to observe your rats and really make sure that the move is required and that you won’t be posing too much stress on them. When should one consider a move? Some aging rats develop Hind End Degeneration. Once a rat has HED his habitat should be changed to accommodate him. A lot of people choose to create a retirement home for their oldies. Of course you shouldn’t pull your rat away from the colony to live alone but you observe your rats and find a buddy that would also benefit the move.
There might also come a time where in some cases, like what I chose to do was to pull a rat from a colony to pair up with a rat from a different colony in order to avoid a rat living alone. This I do with a lot of thinking and planning. I am usually totally against breaking up a colony. Rats bond and it would be a shame to break such bonds. So you observe your rats and you make sure that the rat has a good stable energy and temperament and wouldn’t mind so much the change.
Soon, I will be moving three girls from their single Critter Nation home into the colony cage. Intros are going so well, I know that the transition will go smoothly and will most likely be welcome by the three.
Here are some pics of the cages and of the rats exploring each other’s cages.
I’ve always been a huge advocate of only one sex homes or altering different sexes. It is human nature to want to reproduce and hook up with a mate. I’ve always had my females spayed so it was never an issue in my home. The primary reason for me was always to be very secure so accidentals litters are 100% prevented. In June I adopted some older males and didn’t need to have them neutered since my one female is spayed. But then I adopted 3 females, middle age I would say but certainly in their prime. They are awaiting their spay which is this coming week. (thank god) My rats are safely separated in proper cages so I’m not worried for an accidental mating. But… more so than anything else, is the changed behaviour in rats. They are constantly trying to get to each other. The one intact male is getting all stressed out over the smells of the girls. He is relentless and has become quite the bully. I’ve also noticed a slight change in the girls. They too are stressed out and needing to visit the intact males. People might not think their rats are stressed out due to the intact two sexes in the home, but don’t be fooled, they are. All animals left intact will have the natural need to mate. It’s a strong need and can change behaviour into an aggressive determination. All I can say is I can’t wait for my girls to be spayed. I’m not used to this kind of havoc, it’s quite unpleasant for all involved.
Posted by jorats on Saturday Jul 23, 2011 Under Daily with Rats
My mom gets a call from our vet clinic. It seems our local SPCA was trying to contact us, the rat people. They had two girls come in. Of course we just couldn’t say know. When I saw them, gauged their age at about 15 month, I knew they would be perfect for shy little Bree. Doing an intro eventually with the whole group will be less daunting for Bree if she already has a couple of girlfriends to support her.
These two girls will be a great addition to the crew, especially Jenny. I can already see she’s another Chu. Full of life, stable and brave… she’ll be the glue the group needs. My crew have suffered through a few losses, adding buddies will be a welcome change for them. Sansa is a bit more laid back but doesn’t take no crap. She’s not in your face but there’s no pushing her around which will be perfect for Teddy and George. George is already quite fascinated with the newcomers. I can’t wait for the spays… I really hate having two intact sexes in the home. That’s just asking for trouble, especially with how I see George is already reacting to the scent and heat of the new girls.
So… Please welcome Jenny a black variberk and her sister Sansa, a pearl merle hooded.
That’s the title on a kijiji ad. Might as well have put up a big neon sign saying: SNAKE FOOD.
So I emailed them and went and picked up the little biter. The female silver fawn rat is an older rat, already with muscle loss near the spine and darkened under feet. I’m placing her at about 18 months old. She’s shy but that’s to be expected but definitely not a biter. This sweet little girl will cuddle and close her eyes while enjoying head pats. She’s tiny, only 230 grams but otherwise she seems in good health. I’m having her spayed on August 2nd… and then she will be introed to the colony. I’m sure she will be a most welcomed addition especially for Ferdinand. I’m sure Teddy and George will forget he exists with this beauty around.
