The Rat Lovers Club! ~MODS PLEASE LOCK!

[ShadiSin]

Few pages back, and semi-off subject, but..

I more or less just 'rescued' a baby lionhead rabbit. She was with guinea pigs, a good six of them to her one (besides two other rabbits, one of which being another lionhead, albino, though, that I may buy here pretty soon if shes still there as shes in the same condition now..) and they bossed her around so badly.. the first time I held her, when they got her in, she was nice & plump. Now the poor thing is skin and bones due to them not allowing her to eat. The albino is more dominate than her and pushes her way in, but little Belle is the most submissive.. just laid back rabbit I have ever had the pleasure of owning/being near. Hoda is double, if not triple Belle's size but she LOVES this little girl half to death. If I pet Belle she hops over to her and begins licking her =p to get my human-ness off her, I guess, Lol. This is Hoda & Belle. They are perfectly fine together, despite people saying rabbits aren't social animals and shouldn't be together. Hoda more or less grew up with dwarf rabbits so she has no problem with Bellybugs tiny size. None the less I keep a close eye on them.

I think it's alright to have Guinea pigs and rabbits together for PLAY TIME only, but not together in the same cage. There are some guinea pigs easily bigger than my rabbit Hoda. She weighs a whopping 3 & a half pounds, where as the current 'jumbo' guinea pigs my pet store has are 4-5lbs.

Hell, I even let my rats play with my rabbits because Hoda & Belle are so docile all they do is literally lick/groom on my rats. Hoda admittedly gets a little bouncy sometimes and will hop around, but I'm always watching them.

My boxer and pittie HATE the cat, but they adore both my rats and rabbits, even my mice, which I find really odd. Maxx will give Syria, my youngest rat kisses, sleep with her and everything if I let him. Same with my pittie, Saké - but, if they even see the cat they spaz. Saké more or just wants to play, but Maxx got into a 'fight' with a cat and has scars all over him from it.. he just hates them.

Anyway, back on track, I AM getting a ferret soon and I plan on allowing it to socialize with my rats through cages, but since they're nippy I don't think I'll let them play together.

Other than that.. Shark & Sadie are getting OLD for feeders, a good year and a half almost two years.. and it's starting to show. I hope they'll be here for a long, long time to come.. but for now all I can do is love on them and spoil them until it's their time. I plan on giving all the rats a little bath (since they're dirty.. running through the bathroom that my friend got mud all over lol) today, so hopefully pictures will follow.

[Lilycloud13]

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Username: Lilycloud13
Have you ever had a rat?:Yep, sweetest animal in the world... :3

[ShadiSin]

Meet Rosco. . my new boy.

I knooow I knoww. "Why is he ALONE?"

Well, I plan on having him neutered soon. I'm trying to get some weight on him (as he is VERY skinny.. poor guy..) and allow him to settle in, so on. So far he's been a total sweetheart, just a little nervous.

He's a big ball of love once he warms up to you, though. ^_^

[iHolli]

Meet Rosco. . my new boy.

I knooow I knoww. "Why is he ALONE?"

Well, I plan on having him neutered soon. I'm trying to get some weight on him (as he is VERY skinny.. poor guy..) and allow him to settle in, so on. So far he's been a total sweetheart, just a little nervous.

He's a big ball of love once he warms up to you, though. ^_^

{Aww, he's adorable!}
{I finally got pictures of my boys .3.}

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/392496_237882719656836_939168190_n.jpg
Remy is in the tissue box, Bowser is over next to it <3}

{That's the best one I could find, so far :3 They are a handful, and are quite rambunctious when I play with them >3<}

.Holli.

[ShadiSin]

Rosco is refusing to eat or drink..

I'm really worried.. I noticed he was skinny when I got him.. but.. I don't know.. I checked his teeth, they're fine. so it isn't that, he just isn't wanting to eat or something.

I can't take him to the vet at this moment, I have no vehicle.

What do I do? ;-; Do I try to force some fluids into him with a syringe? He's denying everything my girls would usually be ALL over. I gave him treats, applesauce you name it. He just pushes it aside and curls up in the corner..

I'm honestly risking having one of my girls bred to give him a buddy to see if that'll cheer him up. I think that's what has him down.

I'm going to talk to dad about it & see if I can get the one male (if he's still there) that Rosco got ALONG with at the pet store. And yeah, I know. Pet store rats aren't good blahblah. I got him for super cheap and I took him as more or less a rescue due to his bad health. I always take the weaker ones and do my best to nurture them, I'm just REALLY stuck on Rosco here.

[Centri]

Maybe he is depressed because he is lonely, but you should not let him live with one of your girls. It's not worth risking getting her pregnant, especially not if he turns out to have poor health. Try to get another male as soon as you can instead.

[rachaelandrats]

I'm honestly risking having one of my girls bred to give him a buddy to see if that'll cheer him up

Wow... definitely do not do this! It isn't worth putting your girls through that at all.

It is not as simple as just chucking two rats together, either breeding them or giving them company.

How long has he been home with you for? What foods have you tried? Was he with other boys at the pet shop? How does he seem in himself?

[ShadiSin]

I'm honestly risking having one of my girls bred to give him a buddy to see if that'll cheer him up

Wow... definitely do not do this! It isn't worth putting your girls through that at all.

It is not as simple as just chucking two rats together, either breeding them or giving them company.

How long has he been home with you for? What foods have you tried? Was he with other boys at the pet shop? How does he seem in himself?

I figured it wouldn't be a good idea. They had a single pregnant female in with him along with a good eight other boys. I do believe the female was his 'partner'.

He's very depressed, you can see it. I've tried applesauce, sunflower seeds, cereal.. really everything rats CAN have. fruits, veggies.. you name it I've tried it. I've even tried cat & dog food. I've had him for a mere two days.

Problem is, he acted the same way at the pet store. It should have been a huge red flag to me not to get him, but dad wanted him too so I just honestly gave in. I've always been able to get 'depressed/sick/injured' rats to come out of their shell.

He isn't even wanting to be held now. I can pick him up, and he'll just stare at me for a few seconds and allow me to rub his belly, give him kisses.. but then he wants down back into his cage, where he immediately goes and curls back up. ;-;

I don't think giving him a friend will cheer him up at all, honestly.

I'm going to talk to Emily & Nicole about 'exchanging' him for either the pregnant agouti female or the silver fawn male they have. I figured it'd be best to get the pregnant female because once the babies are old enough she could go with my other girls and I have multiple friends whom breed/care for rat litters that could help me through it..

The male I WANTED originally, the silver fawn hooded, is rather social and would need a friend. ;/ so I don't know about him. I know if I get the agouti female I could place Syria with her to keep her company as Syria is EXTREMELY gentle. Possibly even Sharkie, as Shark is even CALMER than Syria in her old age.

Emily promised me if I exchanged him they'd keep a close eye on him, possibly even take him to the vet if he declines.. which is what I want. I want him to go to the vet. I'm afraid they'll say he'll need to be put down but maybe some medication will help, I don't know.

[Centri]

Well, if you can only get one rat, get a female. That way the new rat doesn't have to be alone.

[ShadiSin]

I talked to mom about it, and she said I COULD get the pregnant female if she were still there. If not I'm getting the silver fawn male and having him simply neutered.

I really like the silver fawn male, I've been eying him for months and he's a total sweetheart, but dad dislikes his coloring and his eyes. He has, legit, the most red colored eyes I've ever seen. Like those cherries you put on sundaes. And then his fur is literally orange. I find it incredibly adorable.

The agouti female that I want, too, though, that's pregnant.. she looked like she'd pop any day when I picked her up so I'm hoping she hasn't had them yet or I won't be able to get her as they won't sell her with the babies due to the fact she might /eat/ them from the stress of moving and so on.

Overall I want the female, really bad. I'd like to experience a litter all my own, and having friends that could help me or possibly even take ALL of the babies off my hands in the end takes a lot of pressure off of me. If the closest one can't, I can always bring them back to the pet store I got them from (as they're a small home-owned business, not like Petco) because they'll simply watch them for me and make sure they're sold as pets and not feeders. The agouti female was with Rosco, and he's a black berkshire.. then with a TON of albinos, and then the two silver fawn hooded males. I'm really hoping that a colorful male tagged her so I can try to talk the parents into allowing me to keep a few of the babies. In general I'm hoping she has a hooded or marked baby period. My dad has a soft spot for berkshires, as that's what Sharkie my eldest female is. Shark is technically mine, but dad calls her his rat, and he LOVES her to pieces.

When I go back to Timberlake I'm simply going to tell them I've tried everything and that I can't get food or water into him. I've been going to them for over seven years straight for my stuff, we don't even get receipts anymore because they know us so well.

If Emily is there she may even let me keep him, and just give me medication for him. They've done that before, because she refuses to sell a 'sick' animal with the others.

That's how I got Fluke the disabled male I had, the one that ended up having the tumor that simply killed him in his sleep. I had him a mere four days, but in those four days I got food and water into him and he started getting better. I was going to call a vet up within a week of him doing better but he only MADE it four days ;-; I was so looking forward to keeping him.. he was definitely my baby..

I guess I'll keep everyone updated. I didn't get a clear look at the pregnant female as she was very iffy on being held, but I think she was an essex mark.

Edit:
I was too late to get the female, she already had her babies. She had four little hooded babies T.T I'm so sad I couldn't get her in time. HOWEVER, I got Oliver my silver fawn male ^_^ so happy to have him! I'm going to try forcing some doxycycline in Rosco ;/ they wouldn't let me return him or anything, Emily wasn't there.. and I got the rude older lady that dislikes me. oh, joy.