The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread!

[halloween.egg]

i've got four rattie boys! once i have enough money to get a dcn (Double CritterNation, an amazing cage) i'm gonna get a few more!

I could never have snakes for the same reason! I love them, but after owning rats, no way!
Your boys sound cute. Perhaps you could adopt from a breeder instead of the pet store? Just a suggestion. That's definitely what I plan to do for my next boys.

i would absolutely love to adopt from a breeder but there just aren't any near me that are ethical. i do rather like getting them from the pet store, because although they do have health problems, i'm capable of taking care of them and plus, i'm rescuing them from either being snake food or being stuck in a tank for their whole lives. <3

[.Middy.]

Finally adding guinea pigs again! Once again self control wasn’t my thing so I agreed to take 5 😂. Who can say no to free cavy? Especially since I’ve already got cages and everything from my last pair.

The dal boar doesn’t have a name yet, but the sow is Anevia. I’ll have to upload pics of the other three later on lol

[MotherMother]

I need some help/advice on a rat suddenly freaking out.
I was with her when it happened, she was right in front of me. Suddenly she freaked out and ran everywhere, and not just to escape I mean she ran back and forth knocking down everything in her way. When I picked her up she arched her back and grimaced and squinted her eyes, and shook her hands in the air. She seemed like she was in a lot of pain. When I put her in the cage she ran to the top floor and hid, then stayed frozen. She did not fear poop during this (she often does if she gets scared). She sat staring into space for about 10 minutes, meanwhile I researched everything I could.
I checked on her again and she felt quite warm and was drooling quite a bit. I gently handled her and checked if she had maybe broken a nail and gotten spooked or something. Nothing seems broken and physically she appears fine.
A few minutes later she started eating on her own, and moved around more. She reacted when I called her and started acting like herself again. Though she is more responsive, she is still hiding and peeking out at me. She is definitely more relaxed and seems about ready to sleep. Her sister is comforting her but giving her space.

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing or know what could have caused it?

My main concern is a possible seizure but she did not have convulsions nor did she feel stiff or cold.
I also feel maybe she was spooked by something, but I don't know what could have possibly scared her to such an extreme extent. We have a great bond and she is not afraid of me whatsoever. I was not currently touching her when she freaked out, so I couldn't have accidentally hurt her. I heard about the possibility of a bug biting her, but again she was with me and I would have seen it.
Obviously her health is my top priority and a vet visit is always the best choice. But it is currently 1:30 AM and there are no exotic emergency hospitals. I'd rather get her a visit with a proper rat vet in the morning than stress her out all night with someone who will treat her like a dog. Meanwhile if someone has any input I'd appreciate it.

[gamorasass]

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing or know what could have caused it?

Take her to a vet immediately. In my experience, it sounds like a seizure. There are many different ways that rats can sieze, but running around, batting the air with her paws, staring into space, and drooling is a sure sign. Keep a close eye on her. I'm sorry that both you and your baby had to go through that.

[Kisiel]

I don’t have any good pics of the does yet, but here’s one from her breeder.


Why is BEW banned? I swear I’ve seen BEW in the UK...

These guys will be part of my new DWS line, though I am tempted to make a separate BEW line since I do love them so much haha. My main goal is always improving on temperament in each generation, and working on health. The undermarked variegated doe will be bred to my undermarked variegated buck to prove that he’s variegated and velveteen like we think.

And nope not named yet. I’m horrble at naming them, so it will probably be ages before I get them all named lol. I’ll probably get a friend to name them if I can’t think of anything lol.

I don't think BEW are outright banned as I'm almost certain I've seen a few before, but I hear they're not allowed to be shown at NFRS shows and the such due to the fact that they are apparently extremely prone to epilepsy and deafness, among other health issues. At least that's what a rather angry breeder told me when I mentioned that I too really quite liked BEWs on a forum some time ago.

Yes you have the right idea. BEW as well as hairless and manx rats are banned from attending and being shown in the UK, but any breeder found breeding them would quickly be shunned from the community. It has been found impossible to breed out the deafness and epilepsy issues out of these rats and it is no longer considered ethical to breed them here. Don't even get me started on hairless.

Gremlin, if you want something that looks like a BEW but is actually healthy, look into ivory. There are a few registered ratteries who get ivory in their lines and they're honestly stunning. I've only ever seen them in person once and I really liked them.

Middy, I'm concerned about how small that does eyes are. Good temperament and health are what most people breed for anyway (or should do), but what about goals in terms of the varieties you're breeding?

[MotherMother]

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing or know what could have caused it?

Take her to a vet immediately. In my experience, it sounds like a seizure. There are many different ways that rats can sieze, but running around, batting the air with her paws, staring into space, and drooling is a sure sign. Keep a close eye on her. I'm sorry that both you and your baby had to go through that.

Thank you for your help. I will take her to the vet asap and hope they can treat her.
Do you know if seizures tend to be a one time thing or recurring throughout their whole life?

[gamorasass]

I cannot wait until next pay day because Nicodemous, my almost six month old rat, will be getting neutered. His aggression is at the point where he's injured some of my boys and I have witnessed it first hand. Even yesterday, as I was feeding them baby food off my hand, he attacked one of his brother's for coming up to me. Enough is enough and I really hope the neutering helps him.

Thank you for your help. I will take her to the vet asap and hope they can treat her.
Do you know if seizures tend to be a one time thing or recurring throughout their whole life?

From my experience, it usually isn't a one time thing. I've had many pets go through seizures, and it never was a one time thing. I would ask you vet about it though, as they are more knowledgeable, and they should also be able to prescribe medication to help your baby.

[.Middy.]

Her eyes are normal, guess it’s just that photo looking odd.

Goals depend on the line, my marble line for instance I’m working on improving size and their degree of marbling. Im also starting to breed towards AFRMA show standards since my state is looking at starting shows up. Hoping to pick up some nice rats from a show breeder in the future.



Another of my new girls! Cynthia here is also pregnant we think which is exciting! I’m so excited to get to go meet all my new piggies next week! It’s been way too long since I’ve had pigs, I’ve missed having them a ton!

[gamorasass]

Another of my new girls! Cynthia here is also pregnant we think which is exciting! I’m so excited to get to go meet all my new piggies next week! It’s been way too long since I’ve had pigs, I’ve missed having them a ton!

How many pets do you have? You should totally become one of those Pet Youtubers. That's all I watch these days on YouTube xD
Can you show us your setups for all your animals?

[.Middy.]

Another of my new girls! Cynthia here is also pregnant we think which is exciting! I’m so excited to get to go meet all my new piggies next week! It’s been way too long since I’ve had pigs, I’ve missed having them a ton!

How many pets do you have? You should totally become one of those Pet Youtubers. That's all I watch these days on YouTube xD
Can you show us your setups for all your animals?

Right now I have 3 dogs, 2 cats, 22? Adult rats, 11 babies, 3 rabbits, and 2 mice. Then 4 guinea pigs are coming home (friend decided to keep one of the sows) and 3 more rabbits.

I currently don’t have any pics of my set ups lol. I can get some when I get back from vacation though. I’ve got to get cages cleaned and everything prepped for my leaving, so won’t have time for photos until I return.