The Rat Lovers Club! ~MODS PLEASE LOCK!

[Centri]

Ok, maybe it is just the hairless rats we have here that have health issues. All of them will get a kidney problem sooner or later.

rachaelandrats: If the parents carry several reccessive colour genes in common, there will probably be many different colours in the litter.

And if everyone were to stop breeding and adopt rescues, the only rats left after 2-3 years would be ones bred in large scale for snake food/pet shops. I think it is ok to breed as long as you know what you're doing, try to breed for healthier rats and make sure to only sell to good, lifelong homes.

[ShadiSin]

Rosco is legit all better, but NOW he's trying to literally kill Oliver.

What do I do? ;-; they've always gotten along, even at Timberlake they were fine, but all of a sudden Rosco is a brute and has badly injured Oliver.

Oliver has a good 5-6 gashes to Rosco's 1. :C I'm so scared I don't know what to do, and atm I'm out of cages unless I want to put one of them in a carrier. I won't be able to buy another cage for at least a week.. we're having someone come look at my ringneck parrots & the money we get from that is going into my rats, but gah.

Rosco is bigger than Oliver, by a good one and a half maybe two inches and it seems he has gained weight overnight.

he's eating a lot now, and I'm just truly terrified he's going to kill Oliver. I really don't know what to do..

Should I take them both out, give them a bath, hardcore clean their cage and put them back in it? Like, would that do anything? That has always helped my girls when I introduced a new female, if I didn't do that they'd fight..

is there anything I can put on their owies so they don't get infected, or should I just let them clean their wounds themselves?

[heartleafed]

And if everyone were to stop breeding and adopt rescues, the only rats left after 2-3 years would be ones bred in large scale for snake food/pet shops. I think it is ok to breed as long as you know what you're doing, try to breed for healthier rats and make sure to only sell to good, lifelong homes.

I agree with this. Especially in places like where I live, where the closest place that rescues rats is close to 500 miles away, the only realistic place to get them from is breeders. And as long as they're being breed for health and and it's done in small amounts, I don't see a problem with it.

[mochi.]

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Username: xxdinobearxx
Have you ever had a rat?: Yes, two one named Timiothy and one named Button (R.I.P)

Well, just yesterday my dearest friend and beloved rattie Button passed away. My other rat Timiothy seems so lonely. I can't stand seeing him like this. Timiothy and me have been trying to cope with the loss by spending hours together. I have a few questions for other rat owners.

1. Should I get another rat?
2. How should I introduce the rats to each other?
3. Timiothy is about a year old how old should the rat I get be?
4. How can I help with the rats loss of his best buddie?

One more question. So I have a bunny who is currently laying in my lap gasping for air, he has recently suffered from an inner ear infection which caused his head to tilt to the side. My bunny Jack takes three medicines a day to help relieve and hopefuly heal his ear infection. Unfourtantley, when I came home from a hike today the bunny was in awful shape. I am 99% positive he has an Upper Respitiory Infection if bunnies can catch that. The past few days he has been sniffiling and if he is still alive tomorrow I am going to take him to the vet to release him from his pain. My both of my rats had Upper Respitory Infections. I introduced them to the bunny when they still had URI. Is it possible it's all my fault the bunny is having a URI (If thats what it is)?

1. Is it possible it's my fault the bunny is suffering?

EDIT: Jack just passed away.

[HellyBoo]

I left this group about... 4 months ago and the same thing is still going on...

Breeding isnt that bad aslong as they still get homes and stuff... The people who breed for no reason and just let their rats Breed like crazy is wrong. But those that breed for Colours, Personality and coats are fine...

[http.jerk]

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Username:I <3 1D!!!!!!
Have you ever had a rat?: :3YES i have 2 one is caramel and the other one is felix i love zen sooo much

[rachaelandrats]

It's not just as simple as breeding to get certain colours. Any good breeder would not be breeding dwarf rats.
There was a really good breeder on another forum (fancy rats forum) that started breeding hairless, after lots of planning, but she had to stop because of the small issues that cropped up. A good breeder would only breed the best of the best ratties.... ratties that they got from reputable breeders. It isn't as simple as sticking two rats in a cage together and knowing what colours you might get.... far from it.

[HellyBoo]

I know. I have a rep with rat breeding where I live and know the idea of it. I don't breed for colour but more for personality and healthy. So I know what you arr saying and i hatr those that do. I got a rescue female rat that was kept with the males and gave birth to a litter of 9. About 3 of them didnt turn out with the worse personality so luckily I handled them enough to keep them friendly.

Some breeds/pet shops/ rescue centres are irresponsible and have no idea about it all.

[ShadiSin]

Form to join
Username: xxdinobearxx
Have you ever had a rat?: Yes, two one named Timiothy and one named Button (R.I.P)

Well, just yesterday my dearest friend and beloved rattie Button passed away. My other rat Timiothy seems so lonely. I can't stand seeing him like this. Timiothy and me have been trying to cope with the loss by spending hours together. I have a few questions for other rat owners.

1. Should I get another rat?
2. How should I introduce the rats to each other?
3. Timiothy is about a year old how old should the rat I get be?
4. How can I help with the rats loss of his best buddie?

One more question. So I have a bunny who is currently laying in my lap gasping for air, he has recently suffered from an inner ear infection which caused his head to tilt to the side. My bunny Jack takes three medicines a day to help relieve and hopefuly heal his ear infection. Unfourtantley, when I came home from a hike today the bunny was in awful shape. I am 99% positive he has an Upper Respitiory Infection if bunnies can catch that. The past few days he has been sniffiling and if he is still alive tomorrow I am going to take him to the vet to release him from his pain. My both of my rats had Upper Respitory Infections. I introduced them to the bunny when they still had URI. Is it possible it's all my fault the bunny is having a URI (If thats what it is)?

1. Is it possible it's my fault the bunny is suffering?

EDIT: Jack just passed away.

If I am correct they can't catch it.. so it wouldn't be your fault. I could be very wrong, though..

I also know what it's like to have a rabbit pass away in your arms, as recently my baby lionhead Belle passed away in mine after only four days of having her. We did get another baby bunny so that my other girlie Hoda wouldn't be depressed and I'm pleased to say Giselle is happy, fat and Hoda couldn't be happier..

As for your rattie, I'd get two young males.. or that's what I've been told.

Speaking of males.. I HAVE to get rid of Rosco. He seriously injured Oliver while I was showering.. at first cleaning their cage and giving them a bath worked.. but then he just snapped for some reason. Oliver's tail is cut open, his lip is torn.. I'm so upset. I know I got Rosco first, but Oliver is in such bad shape now I can't rehome him for at least a few months. Rosco is fat & healthy now thanks to meds.. so I'm going to ask my friend to personally rehome him for me. I'm hoping Oliver will be alright, poor guy is a little traumatized ;-; I put my hand in the cage and he cowered down and started squeaking instantly. I picked him up, gave him a kiss and snuggle, a little yogurt drop and put Rosco (unfortunately) in a carrier.. I hate to have him in a small place like that but I couldn't risk Oliver being beat up anymore. I'm going to get two small males today (or well, they won't officially be mine until we see Oli gets along with them, my friend is allowing me to 'borrow' two from her recent litter to slowly introduce him to and see if he copes with them, if they do I'm keeping them) and.. just.. I'm a little heart broken about Rosco.. but I don't know what else to do.

[darkvoodoo]

Why would you breed when there are so many rescues?

Also to be 'expecting' so many different things.... you should know the exact colours that the litter will produce. Not just possibly this and possibly that....

As for dwarf rats, that is not normal... so you aren't breeding healthy rats at all. That's a genetic fault.....

Dwarf rats are not a fault.... its being bred for.

As for carrying so many things, they are called recessives, they are carried. No one can tell you 100% what will be in a litter. Even if a line has been bred for black over and over, a recessive can pop up and give you a color you had no idea would be there. I say "expecting" becouse I know thats what can pop up in the litter. I may or may not get all of those traits, but I know they could be there. Im not shocked when I breed 2 rats of the same color together and get a colorful litter,etc. I know what to expect. (of course you should always expect the unexpected,lol)

As for rescues, I do take in unwanted rats and offer them a forever home (non breeding of course), but yes I do still breed. Why? Becouse my rats are healthier and live longer then a rescue rat. People get turned off if they adopt a rat and it only lives a few months,etc. . If no one bred them properlly, then all rats would die in a years time instead of a longer lifespan that breeders are breeding for.

Hairless in many places arent healthy, but Im lucky and was able to get healthy line to start and keep working with.

I plan my breeding well in advance, theres so much more to breeding then simply putting a male and female together and hoping for the best. I study the pedigrees and the rats themself before even thinking of breeding.