Bitey Rats

The adorable Charmin, from Rat Balls, showing off his chompers

I'm grateful that I've never really had to deal with a bitey rat (yet). Aside from the occasional nip from an over-excited treat retrieval, I don't think Potato and Goma have ever really bitten anyone; they've always been pretty good about pulling back when necessary.

As you can see from these links, not everyone has been as lucky as me.

If you have had issues with your rats biting, there could be a number of reasons for it. The big one, of course, is due to fear or surprise. If you try to pick up a young rat who isn't used to being picked up - or to you - there's a good chance he'll nip you since he doesn't know what's going on. The same goes for surprising a rat who doesn't realize you're there. I've surprised my boys more than once, so I'm lucky that they're pretty chill most of the time. If one of your rats tends toward biting, there are some good suggestions for why, and suggestions for overcoming these issues, here and here. There are also some useful responses in the above links, too.

Some Rats Demand Change

Shephard the rat in action

I wanted to share this video with you a while ago, but managed to lose the link. Thankfully, today I was able to hunt it down once more. My rats have never been big on stashing things and, cute as it is, I'm somewhat grateful, since I imagine more than a few important items could disappear in the paws of a more enterprising rat. According to the video's thread on Rattit, this little girl managed to collect 54 cents before getting bored. What do your rats like to stash?

A Brief Look at Rats In Popular Culture

Image from Parlour Magazine

Yes, that's a picture of Remy from the 2007 Disney/Pixar film, Ratatouille. Why? Because it's one of the few major motion pictures to portray rats in a positive light. I mean, yes, Remy's ratty kin are not the cleanest of animals, but the fact that there's a lovable rat protagonist is still a step in the right direction.

Mice have been getting positive attention ever since Mickey took to the screen in the late 1920s, but rats have always seemed to be trapped in a negative light. I've made up a short list of the many times rats have had a villainous or negative role.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin features a plague of rats that overtakes a town, destroying food and driving people out of their homes. It's the people's desperation to rid themselves of the rats that attracts the piper.

The main antagonist in the Disney film The Great Mouse Detective is a massive rat, Professor Rattigan, who seeks to seize control of the British monarchy. While he's later revealed to be a mouse, it's his status as a rat throughout the film that establishes him as a villain.

In the film The Tale of Despereaux, rats play the greedy villains who kidnap the small kingdom's princess.

The beloved children's story Charlotte's Web features Templeton, a rat who is portrayed as greedy, gluttonous, and lazy. While he does help Wilbur quite a bit, it would be nice if he didn't have to be bribed into doing all of his good deeds.

The horror films Willard and Ben (Willard's sequel) feature hyper-intelligent rats with a penchant for attacking and occasionally killing people.

I'll leave you with that, but I think you get my point. Apart from Remy, the only rats I can immediately think of that are portrayed positively in pop culture are those in The Secret of NIMH (to a degree; they're still kind of scary) and Rat-In-A-Hat from the Australian children's show Bananas In Pyjamas.

I'll talk more about the reasoning behind these portrayals in a later post, so for now, tell me your favourite (or least favourite) movie, show, game, or book that features rats. I'm sure there are tonnes more than the ones I've mentioned.

Continuing with the Cross-Creature Interaction

I was going to try to come up with something more content-heavy to post this morning, but then I saw this video of a dog interacting with his three rat compadres and, well, what can I say? I'm a sucker for cute animal videos. 

Kitten-On-Rat Action

This video is adorable beyond words. It's clear from their behaviour that both animals are having fun. The kitten seems a bit concerned about its new playmate, but that rat clearly has no qualms with checking out her new buddy.

I only wish my cats and rats could interact as well as these two. As I've mentioned before, Potato and Goma would probably love some cat-related playtime, but one cat is terrified of them and the other would probably ignore them until he got hungry.

Hat Your Rat!

Viking hat from A Hat for my Rat

I recently stumbled upon this awesome online store, A Hat for my Rat. If you've ever wanted to outfit your rats in tiny accessories, whether for a photo shoot, celebration, or just for fun, this is the place for you! They have a huge selection of hats and costumes available and have clearly had fun with naming every one. Considering that these are all hand-made items, the pricing and shipping are also quite reasonable. And, on top of everything else, they do custom orders, so you can get the perfect outfit to match your (or your rat's) vision.

I'll definitely be ordering a few things for my boys to wear on Halloween. Be sure to let me know what your favourite ratty outfits are.

The Calmest Baby In the World

I can't believe how nonchalant this little guy is. I'm sure we've all wished for a rat as calm as him. I know I sure have. On the other hand, though, I imagine he'll turn into one snoozey, cuddly adult. Actually, that sounds pretty good after all.

The Empathetic Rat

Potato and Goma being "trapped"

This article shows another amazing way that rats are more than they may seem. Two rats were housed together for an extended period of time and were later moved into a new area in which one of them was restrained. It seems that the distress of the trapped rats affected their free cohorts to the point that they quickly began trying to free their cage mates. When placed in the same situation once more, an overwhelming number of free rats immediately moved to free the trapped rats, doing so even before opening a similar container full of food. Experiments like this have allowed rats to join a growing category of animals that are considered capable of empathy.

Keeping a Clean House and Home

Cage base and accessories soaking in hot soapy water

As a general rule, it's a good idea to spot-clean your rats' cage daily and then do a thorough clean each week. For me, this entails a full soak and scrub of the cage base and any loose items, such as shelving or dishes, that can get wet. Then, once a month or so, I also thoroughly wipe down the cage bars to remove anything that may have gotten on them while Goma and Potato were running around.

There are a lot of different ways you can clean your cage and the method you choose to use should be based on whatever's most convenient for your living situation. For example, in the summer, I'll usually disassemble the cage outside and set the rats up an outdoor play area while I literally hose everything down. I put some mild dish soap into the cage base to wash anything that needs a deeper clean. In the winter and on cooler days, however, I tend to load everything into the bath tub for an easy wash and rinse. The latter is clearly the better choice for someone living in an apartment or without easy access to a yard.

The size of your cage is also a big factor. When Potato and Goma were still little, they had a much smaller cage than they do now, and it was easy enough for me to carry it outside or to the bathroom. Their second cage was taller, but still skinny enough for me to manoeuvre fairly easily. Now, though, their cage is much too large for me to easily move by myself - I can manage it, but I need some help if I don't want to get stuck in doorways or bang into walls. I imagine a large ferret cage or something similar would require a lot more work to move or take apart.

One great thing about taking everything out to get cleaned is that, on top of the cage looking a lot nicer for a while and your rats getting out for a bit, you can also take the opportunity to reorganize the overall layout. Changing your rats' environment is a great way to stimulate them for a while as they figure out where everything's been moved to. Although, whenever I clean my rats' cage, they always act like they've never seen it before, reorganized or not.

For more information and suggestions about cage cleaning, check out this page from Rat Guide.

Fishing for Peas

If you've never let your rats fish for peas, I highly recommend it. The basic set-up can be found here. As you can see from watching Goma in the above video, fishing peas out of a bowl of water is quite the engaging activity for rats. Not to mention that it's a great way to help them associate getting wet with positive outcomes. I haven't graduated my boys to deeper water yet since, as I've mentioned before, they haven't had the best experiences with water in the past. Anyway, if you've been trying to think of a new game for your rats, definitely give this one a try (who doesn't want to play a game where the prize is food every time?).

As a side-note, my apologies for the upside-down video. I corrected it, but it flipped back after uploading, so I'm not quite sure how to fix it at this point.

Rat Addiction Comic

Title page of the Rat Park comic

If you recall my post about rats and addiction, you may like this excellent comic. It's based on the same study, but goes into much more detail than the original article I linked, as well as further expanding on the experiment's results. Not to mention that the art is great.

Rats and Chinese Food Safety

Photo from stock.xchng

If you don’t like to think about rats in any form of distress, I suggest skipping this one.

I’m sure many of you have already heard about the Chinese rat meat scandal, but, if you haven’t, here’s a quick rundown. Similar to the way some cultures see dogs as just another meal, it recently came to light that many people in China also consume rats. It’s uncomfortable to think of your favourite furry friends on someone’s dinner plate. Unfortunately, most of the people eating rat meat were just as uncomfortable with the discovery, given that they thought it was lamb. Long story short, at the beginning of last month, a huge crime ring was uncovered in which people were catching rats and refashioning them to resemble lamb meat. Not only were consumers being duped for who knows how long, but they also have no way to know where or what conditions the unfortunate rats came from. Obviously, this mess has caused a huge uproar over food and other regulations in China. You can read more about this event and some of the country’s past food safe issues in this article. It’s things like this that make me glad I live in a country with relatively strict food-related regulations.

Buying the Right Size of Cage for Your Rats

One of Potato's and Goma's first outdoor experiences was aided with the top of their first cage

If you're a new rat owner, you may not be entirely sure what size of cage your rats need to be comfortable. For instance, when I first got Goma and Potato, they had a pretty small cage, but it afforded them plenty of room since they were still young and small (you can see the top-view size pictured above). After that, they were upgraded to a cage with more height (but slightly less depth) so they had more space to climb. Unfortunately, the lack of floor space made their new cage feel cramped, especially once they started to look more like adults. Currently, they have a good-sized cage, about three times the size of their original home, with enough to space to accommodate a new ratty room mate, just in case.

If you're not sure about what size of cage you should be buying for your rats, you can use the cage size calculator found here to get an idea of what to look for.

Trust Training

If you're feeling a disconnect with your rats, I highly recommend checking out the video linked above (her other videos are good, too). Depending on their personality, rats can be fairly skittish and distrustful when you first get them and, if treated improperly, these traits can actually get worse. The video goes over some good ways to help gain your rats' trust and breed familiarity with them, as well as giving some suggestions about what you should avoid doing until they're more comfortable with you. I've been using some of the tips in the video to help with my attempts to train my boys and it really seems to help keep them calmer (although it'll take some more work to move their focus toward the words and actions rather than just the food).

Rat Addictions

Photo from Brin de Folie

Thanks to the help of a number of rats, this study uncovered some interesting possibilities in regards to the addictive qualities of some drugs. In the experiment, rats were split up into two groups; one group was placed in a spacious environment with plenty of food, accommodations, and stimuli (ie. "Rat Park"), while the other group was placed in standard lab cages. Before being split up, all of the rats were given morphine for over a month, then each group had the option of drinking clean water or water laced with the drug. While the caged rats tended towards the drug-laced water, the majority of Rat Park residents opted for the clean water.

Basically, the results of the experiment suggest that the rats' reason for choosing the morphine-infused water was based less on an already established addiction and more on unpleasant living conditions. The Rat Park rats were far more comfortable than the caged rats and so could derive comfort from other sources. Granted, some of the Rat Park residents chose to continue taking the drugs, but the difference between the two groups of rats is still quite surprising. Not only did this experiment open new doors for drug research (to a degree, as it was largely overlooked), but I think it also helps to illustrate just how important a positive environment is for an animal's happiness, whether they're rat, human, or otherwise.

Some Cute for Your Day

Last night, as I was cleaning up their play area (ie. my kitchen table), Potato and Goma tried to take refuge in a tissue box. Unfortunately for them, there isn't exactly enough room for the both of them. Needless to say, I think Goma was a bit disappointed with the outcome.

How to Make a Water Rat

If your rats are anything like mine, they probably aren't huge fans of the water. If you'd like to change that - to help your rats cool down in the summer, teach them new tricks, help them cope with baths, or just to provide them with some more engaging activities - then check out the video above. I think it does an excellent job of demonstrating appropriate set-ups while also stressing the importance of taking it slow and gradually easing your rats into the activity.

I may or may not give this one a try. I suspect that Potato and Goma have had one too many baths for them to ever be completely comfortable in the water, no matter how much time I give them to get used to it. Then again, they seem to have no problem fishing for peas, so there may be hope yet.

The Power of a Rat's Love

Potato and Goma cuddling

When I stumbled upon this story about a rat named Mr. Tiffany (Mr. T for short), I didn’t expect anything deep. I was there for a cute story, some funny anecdotes, and maybe a few photos of an adorable pet. Instead, I got to read about how a fast-paced couple living abroad took in a shivering rat, alone and near death, and nursed him back to health. In the process, they became enamoured with his boundless energy and addicting personality. Mr. T allowed them to stop focusing on work and start prioritizing time at home with each other and their newly-adopted pet, which, even after he was gone, allowed for his family to feel prepared enough to have a non-furry child.

It really is heart-warming to know that one lonely rat found in an alley could have such a profound effect on people. He completely changed their lives for the better. I like to think that all of our pets do the same. I know that my rats have become an integral part of my life – apart from being the focus of this blog, they also act as silent, yet cuddly, confidants, as well as being an endless source of entertainment for my entire family. A rat’s love is, indeed, a powerful thing.

The Rise of British Super Rats

Photo from Flickr

While I usually like to stick to more upbeat stories and stories about domestic rats, I do still like to keep up with general rat knowledge and information, too. For instance, I recently read this 2009 article about British “super rats.” It seems that poison is the typical means of extermination within the country, but just like with overusing antibiotics, overusing specific poisons has allowed for the development of resistance in the overall rat populace. Basically, some of the rats had a genetic predisposition against the effects of poison and, since they’re the only ones to survive said poisons, they’ve begun to breed and spread their resistant traits. So now most of the feral rat population is almost unaffected by traditional rat poisons.

I love rats, but I can definitely see why this is such a huge issue. In the country, large rat populations can affect crops, while in cities, they can infest homes and damage buildings. If there’s no longer an effective way to control their population, they could easily overrun everything. According to the article, most people have since turned to slightly less elegant forms of extermination – everything from traps to guns and dogs. While it does come across as fairly brutal, I imagine a trap general means a much quicker and less painful way to die than certain poisons. Not that any of it is very nice, of course.

I attempted to find an update on the issue, but I can’t seem to find any articles regarding UK super rats past 2009. Whether that means that a solution’s been discovered or that people have just learned to deal with it remains a mystery to me.

Potato Tests Out a DIY Harness Prototype

I decided to give yesterday's harness tutorial a try this morning. I have learned a couple of things from this experience.

The big one is that the tutorial video suggests cutting 60" lengths of embroidery thread will provide you with more than enough. This might be true for some people, but, if you're like me, the last two inches of thread are a write-off if you want to be able to tie them off. Therefore, after an hour of work, I wound up with a harness the perfect size for a juvenile rat, which doesn't remotely describe Potato or Goma anymore. I would highly recommend cutting at least 65" or more for an adult rat. On the bright side, I now have a pre-made harness if I pick up any younger rats in the near future.

After that small disaster, I decided to make a test harness so I could get a better idea of the right length "rope" to make in the future. As you can see from the video of Potato above, it seems to work fairly well, so I might recommend this method for a quick fix if you need a harness in a hurry. Basically, I just cut some twine (since it's thicker than normal string) a bit longer than I thought I needed and measured it by wrapping it around one of my (very squirmy) rats. I then tied the ends together with a tight square knot and wrapped the knot in electrical tape to keep it from pulling too much. The rest was done the same as in the tutorial.

A fun side note: Apart from running around like a mad rat, Potato also seemed convinced that he could get the harness off by vigorously washing his ears. Needless to say, it was both an adorable and very silly sight to behold.

DIY Rat Harness

In the past, I've attempted to use store-bought harness for my rats. You know the ones - they come in a variety of sizes for rats, ferrets, rabbits, and so on, and are built like tiny rodent vests. If you've ever bought one, you also know that rats can wiggle out of them like nobody's business. The main reason for their easy escapes is that their tiny front legs can just slip right out of the holes in the vest and then it's just a matter of squirming until the rest of their body is free. Every so often I go back and try the vest again, thinking that maybe they just weren't big enough when I first bought it. Nope; they're fatties now and it still definitely does not fit.

If you've had the same issues, you may be excited to see this awesome tutorial for a DIY rat harness. Because it wraps around their body and neck separately and meets in the middle, it's a lot tougher for them to get out of it. I imagine it's probably also a lot more comfortable since there isn't nearly as much bulk. I know what I'm doing this week.

Too Much Love

As you know, I love my rats. They’re smart, cute, sweet, and a number of other positive, doting owner-inspired adjectives. That being said, I don’t think I could ever become quite as obsessed as Chantal Banks, who was recently featured in TLC’s “My Crazy Obsession.” This article briefly discusses the sacrifices Chantal has made for her 19-strong mischief, including leaving her husband so she can take care of them without interference. On top of that, her son has apparently grown up being treated equally to her rats.

Now, I can understand wanting to get more rats. If I had the time and money to care for them, I would gladly adopt some buddies for Potato and Goma. I can even understand expecting your children to grow up respecting and helping to care for any household pets. I cannot get over the fact that this woman has apparently placed her rats before her human family. A person’s child should always come before their pets, no matter how much they love them. And relationships, especially ones as serious as marriage, are all about respect, and ignoring her husband’s request to pull back on the ratty love to satisfy her own desire to expand her mischief is far from respectful. Plus, losing her husband’s support could also negatively impact her rats, since they’re now down a caretaker. All in all, the article makes it sound very much so like this is one case of rat love taken way too far.

Then again, I have yet to see the episode, so perhaps some of this has been taken out of context. If you’d like to watch it and decide for yourself, you can find it on Youtube here or check it out on Netflix. Let me know your opinion on the matter.

Lixit Success!

If you recall, I posted a while ago about why I don't use a water bottle for my rats. Long story short: I had a water bottle for Potato and Goma when I first got them and it didn't actually work, so they wound up being without water for two days and I felt awful and vowed never to risk it again. Thus, they've had a water dish ever since.

Anyway, after reading the Lixit review I linked in my previous water bottle post, I decided that I should give the brand a try if I ever came across one of their products locally. And, last week, I wound up finding a Lixit brand water bottle at Animal House, a locally-owned pet store. It's not quite as fancy as the one in the review, but it's working just fine so far. As you can see from the video, Potato and Goma are both pretty big fans, too.

My only issue now is that I bought them a silent wheel so their running in the middle of the night wouldn't wake everyone up, and now their water bottle is louder than their wheel ever was. Oh well, I guess some sacrifices are worth making.

Tissue, the King of Rat Bedding

Here's a somewhat brief video of Potato grabbing at strips of (hypo-allergenic) Kleenex so he can "carefully" rearrange them in his cardboard box fort. This is definitely a good way to occupy a rat and entertain yourself along the way. However, I'll warn you that you might wind up supplying tissues far longer than initially expected. Of course, your rats might be like Potato and Goma - one can't get enough of it and the other isn't quite sure what the point is.

As a side-note, I apologize for the vertical phone video and the lack of background sound. It seems Youtube ate my ambience.

Mother Knows Best

Photo from Go Locol Worcester

Here’s an interesting article discussing research done regarding the effects of rat parenting on their offspring’s behaviour. Basically, it’s been found in several studies that rats whose mothers are incredibly affectionate when licking (ie. comforting/encouraging) their children will eventually become highly affectionate and encouraging themselves. Conversely, rat mothers who are less enthusiastic will wind up parenting less affectionate children. However, this outcome can be changed by exposing the less cared-for children to more affection from other rats (basically, giving them to a surrogate rat mom who is enthusiastic in her licking). 

I find it very interesting that, in a way, rat behaviour mirrors our own. It isn’t rare to hear about or know someone who, despite not wanting to, winds up “turning into their mother” (or father). I think the big difference here, though, is that humans do have the choice to change their behaviour, whereas rats rely largely on instinct. So, while passive rat-mom might be stuck that way, a human mother who realizes her parenting technique isn’t up to par can choose to try something else, even if it’s a bit difficult to change.

One thing in the article I don’t really agree with is the constant reference to the licking supposedly “unlocking” the rats’ DNA to allow them to be affectionate. That isn’t how DNA works. From the sounds of it, all of the rats are genetically predisposed to be capable of extensive affection; it’s their parenting that affect how affectionate the children become. That has nothing to do with DNA (beyond the predisposition) and everything to do with their environment. In short, the quality of rat parenting seems to rely completely on “nurture” rather than “nature.” I’m no scientist, though, so don’t quote me on that.

As a side note, while I was told Potato and Goma are brothers, I suspect that they actually have different rat-moms, since Potato is disinclined to lick, well, anything (even his food just gets immediately chomped), while Goma could probably spend all day licking anything – hands, Potato, you name it.

Still Not Creepy

Goma getting scritches on my shoulder

I just found this blog post by Rachel Dickson over on Offbeat Home & Life. It's funny - I wasn't even looking for rat-related posts and yet this one just happened to jump out at me and it's not even that recent! Clearly, the magic of the internet brought us together.

It's a pretty good read, just highlighting some of the major misconceptions about rats that she has experienced (remember my first post? It's kind of like that). I found it kind of entertaining, though, that we both experienced the exact same thing when bringing our rats home for the first time - a disapproving parent announcing that it would never be allowed under their roof. Unsurprisingly, though, both of my parents have come to find Potato and Goma to be entirely endearing (although I doubt my mom will ever quite get over their tails, nor will my dad ever stop inferring that I let my bigger cat "play" with them). It's nice to know that, when given a chance, rats really can win almost anyone over.

Bath Time Blues

For some reason, I have no photos of my boys taking a bath; I'll replace this once I do.
Photo by PKMousie on Flickr

While it generally isn’t necessary to give rats a full bath, since they tend to groom as frequently and thoroughly as cats, sometimes they just really need it. I’m not talking about wiping down their tails with a damp cloth because they can get a bit messy or rubbing off excess porphyrin. I mean a full-out, wet-whiskers, soggy-rat bath.

So, as usual, it’s story time. Around the end of November 2012 I noticed that both of my rats had developed a lot of scabs across their backs and even one or two on their faces. They had also started to scratch a lot, so it was impossible to tell if they were itchy because of the scabs or if they were scabby because of the itching. Turns out it was the latter, as a trip to the vet revealed they had lice. I was given Ecto Soothe Plus (I'd link their website here if I could find it) to treat them, which surprised me a bit since it’s actually a shampoo for treating fleas and ticks on cats and dogs. I imagine that’s why I was to only use it once a week, had to ensure it was all rinsed off, and needed to avoid any chance of ingestion (which, if you’ve seen a wet rat cleaning, you’ll understand is no easy task).

Thus, for four weeks in a row, once their cage was cleaned, Potato and Goma got to take turns being bathed. This involved placing them individually in one inch of water in the bathtub and then pouring more water over their backs. I then had to lather the shampoo on their backs while simultaneously preparing to rinse it off with the other. The bath was then drained and the rats scooped up into the safety of a towel so I could dry them off and finally return them home. It doesn’t sound like an overly-involved process and it really isn’t that time-consuming, but they’re almost guaranteed to produce at least one fear-induced poop and, more than once, Goma has thrown himself back into the tub from the towel, despite having just finished a desperate escape attempt. Rat baths can get a little crazy sometimes. At least they don’t have lice anymore.

How I Convinced Myself My Rat Was Dying A Day Into Owning Him

Potato silently laughing at me

Rats are pretty small in the general scheme of things, so it’s not terribly surprising that they can suffer from some pretty terrible conditions. Okay, so, in reality, size has very little to do with things, but, generally, smaller things/creatures/etc. come across as more delicate and that’s where I’m headed with this. To make a long story much shorter, in their (far far too) short lifetimes, many rats will suffer from tumors, respiratory illness, or both. Oh, and cancer. Today, though, I just want to focus on the respiratory infection deal since that’s the one that I’ve been the most affected by and it’s the one that I heard about the most about when I was doing rat-related research in my first few months of ownership.

So, yes, rats have very sensitive respiratory systems. That’s why it’s usually frowned upon to keep them in a cage with solid walls – they can get sick from breathing in the fumes from their own urine. Yes, I know, now you just want to frantically clean your cage immediately because that is both an awful and scary thought. It doesn’t help that almost all rats are born with a respiratory disease pre-installed - Mycoplasma Pulmonis is a genetic disorder that can cause quite a bit of distress if it goes untreated (also, hearkening back to the insurance discussion, medication and treatment related to it probably aren’t covered by pet-insurance since it’s something they’re predisposed to). It can be pretty serious, so I highly recommend reading up on it; there is a very thorough write-up about thedisease, symptoms, and treatment here.

Now then, the reason I’m telling you about this is because I was positive that Potato was already suffering from this illness when I brought him home. He was super sneezey and I had no idea what a large porphyrin build-up looked like, but some was present, so that was enough for me. In my mind, he was already on death’s door. Of course, I could have just brought him back to the pet store, but that was just too cruel in my mind, so to the vet we went. We don’t have a specialist in my city, as far as I know, but my usual vet has treated rats before and would just have to do. Anyway, he gets a good once-over and I have to answer a bunch of questions about their food and cage and bedding. After all of that, Potato has never been happy with getting picked up and there wasn’t actually anything really wrong with him, either. He just sneezes a lot for no apparent reason. It’s weird, but I guess it’s better than any other outcomes. And, now that I know it’s not life-threatening, his sneezing’s actually pretty cute.

How 'Bout A Drink?

Image by Tanya Bond

This is rat-related in name only, but I thought it might be a bit fun.

I was mixing a drink this evening and wondered if there were any inspired by our little furry friends. A quick visit to a search engine later, I have some new drinks to try. Admittedly, they don't have the nicest of names, but, as I'm sure you already know, rats don't necessarily have the best reputations with the general populace. Oh well, they still sound pretty interesting.

First off is the Rat Shooter from Drink Nation. It consists of two alcohols I've never tried before, so it might take some time before I give it a go. Apparently Rumple Minze is a peppermint liqueur, so maybe I can substitute some Peppermint Schnapps instead.

Next is a shot called the Rats Brain, from Bar None Drinks. This one actually sounds pretty tastey - it's a combination of Baileys, Kahlua, and vodka. I don't want to know what feature gave it its name.

Then there's the Dead Rat shooter from Mario's Bar (the list is alphabetical). I don't want to know where it got it's name. I also clearly need to brush up on my alcohol knowledge since I can't even pronounce the first ingredient, let alone tell you what it is.

Continuing on with the negative connotation names, let's finish up with the Sewer Rat from idrink. While I recognize everything that goes into it, I'm not sure I like the idea of Kahlua and orange juice. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that this one's name definitely has some ties to its flavour.

If you're brave enough to try them all, it could be fun to make a night of it. Have a few friends over for a rat-themed cocktail party and see who's brave enough to try them all first. Or find out which one(s) you enjoy and just stick with those. Of course, don't let your ratties try any of these - I'm sure they'd be much happier with some fresh lettuce and a bowl of peas (or a bit of yoghurt or peanut butter if you really want to spoil them).

Rights of the Lab Rat

Photo from lab-rat.tumblr.com

I recently ran across this rather disturbing article. Needless to say it left a bad taste in my mouth. 

Animals not covered by the Animal Welfare Act are not subject to the “3 Rs.” Basically, there are virtually no restrictions on experiments performed on any rats, mice, or birds used for scientific research – scientists don’t need to look into possible alternative research methods, they can use as many animals as they want, and they don’t have to minimize any potential suffering.

Now, I can understand – and accept – that, sometimes, it can be necessary to experiment using animals when it concerns something important and there are no other alternatives. Cancer research comes to mind, or the scientists who grew a human ear on a rat a few years back – that was actually an incredible feat. Weird, but incredible, and I imagine that the rat was still able to function all right despite its extra appendage (though for how long, I don’t know). However, the examples listed in the article simply astound me. It almost sounds as if the experiments in question were selected specifically for their elements of cruelty rather than their necessity. I find it incredibly sad that an animal’s size (and possibly some twisted sense of tradition for the classic lab rat/mouse) can determine whether or not its comfort is considered important or not. As any rat owner knows, they can be intelligent and inquisitive as any dog. So, why can’t they be treated as well as dogs? Definitely food for thought.

Awesome Rats Doing Awesome Things

I didn't have access to my computer this weekend, so I also didn't have access to any of my awesome post material. Thus, to apologize, I have found you this amazing video of rats performing some great tricks. It really goes to show that, with a bit of patience, perseverance, and time, rats can be trained to do almost anything. My favourite by far is doing the laundry.

I can't wait until I have some more spare time so I can work more directly with my boys. Currently, they know their names (when they feel like listening) and recognize the sound of the treat drawer (no surprise there). I've tried giving them peas in water, but I think their "water equals bath" sense is too strong right now. I'll have to work on that.

The Adorable Videos Continue

Here’s a bit of fluff for your day – a rat who discovers a new game while trying to get to her owner's shoulder. The climbing up is pretty impressive on its own, but her sliding down is what makes it. No training involved, apparently.

If rats ever form cohesive little rodent metropolises I think this little girl will be first in line for their fire department if only for access to the building accessories. My favourite part is that she wraps her tail around the lamp post while sliding down.

Running Free

Photo from Imgur

It has been very difficult to motivate myself to write this post. Why? Well, because, for some reason, I decided to write up my litter training post in the same file and managed to delete the entire original write-up about free-ranging rats. It was a truly heart-breaking discovery. Okay, now that I’ve had a chance to mope, let’s see if I can remember anything that I initially said… nope. 

Something I’ve read about time and time again since I first got my rats is free-ranging; that is, allowing them to run loose in your house, or in a certain room or area. Eventually, I would like to try this since I’m sure Potato and Goma would enjoy it (if they can ever get over their whole “put me back in the cage right now!” sort of attitudes), but currently it’s not terribly feasible. There are a number of factors contributing to my hesitation.

First of all, there’s the cat issue. I have two cats (okay, I actually have a feline-shaped dog and a bundle of fear packaged inside whiskers and fur) and, while it’s nice to think that I could just lock them in a separate room or outside, there’s much too high of a chance of someone forgetting why they’re locked up/in and opening the door. Next thing you know – wham – rat sandwich. While I’m sure Monkey (the fear-bundle) would probably just re-enact this hilarious video, Basement (the cat-dog) would probably take his curiosity a bit too far; as in, to the point that he got rat breath. So, yes, cats equal a problem.

The next issue is that there really isn’t an appropriate room for Potato and Goma to safely run around in. I mean, yes, the kitchen/dining room would be ideal since they’re open and have easy-to-clean tile floors, but they don’t have any doors and, really, not much resembling doorways, either. This same reasoning, on top of the carpeted floor, is why the living room won’t work. As for the other rooms in the house – there are way too many places they could hide where I could never find or reach them and far too much stuff on the floor. I imagine rat-proofing my bedroom would take several days and would likely result in almost all of my possessions sitting in the hallway. But, wait, what about the bathroom? Surely it has tile floors and a working door? Why, yes, it does. It also has an unfixable leak behind the toilet that they would probably find and bathe in (they have actually run around the bathroom a couple of times, but I wanted to be a bit dramatic; I swear I’m not a terrible owner).

Reason number three is short, but kind of sad and mostly just an I-really-don’t-want-to-risk-that-incredibly-unlikely-but-unfortunate-incident-happening-again sort of thing. Basically, when I was young, we had several hamsters in succession (over a few years; don’t worry, we didn’t have to replace our hamster every other week or anything like that). Almost all of them managed to escape at one point or another and one of them happened to break free at the same time we were having our vents cleaned. The hamster went missing and the vent covers were replaced. Guess where the hamster was? Needless to say, it was highly unpleasant and I never want to experience that sort of trauma again.

All that being said, I do still intend to allow my rats some freedom outside of their cage, whether they like it or not. I am going to try to construct a rat run, like the one discussed here (there are also some other great free-ranging tips in that link, too, if you’re interested) once I amass enough clean cardboard. I’m also going to let them experience the great outdoors (ie. my backyard) by putting the top of their spare cage in the grass, although they’re not terribly fond of going outside, so we’ll see how long that lasts. I think I’ve mentioned trying to leash-train them before, too, but that’s a ridiculous tale I’ll get into at another time.

To Insure or Not to Insure

Photo from stock.xchng

Pet insurance has always been one of those things that I’m very on the edge about. I’ve had cats for most of my life, as well as various rodents and a dog, and my family has never considered getting coverage. Why? Well, mostly because trips to the vet have always been few and far between, and, when we have had to take an animal to the vet, it’s almost always for something that isn’t covered. Pet insurance usually tends to only cover the unexpected – accidents, unforeseen illnesses, and basically things that aren’t preexisting or genetic. I’m sure, for a lot of people, that this type of coverage would be the perfect incentive, but, for me, it comes down to overall affordability. I could spend $300 (this is just a guestimate) a year on insurance or I could just cover the vet bill when I need to. So far, with my rats, the latter has proven to be a far better choice. Since adopting them just over a year ago, I’ve had to take them to the vet twice – once when I first got them and Potato kept sneezing (it turns out he has nothing wrong and is just a sneezey rat), and once when they got lice from an unknown source. Including vet fees and the cost of lice shampoo, I’ve spent just slightly over $100 on vet time and I don’t mind covering future costs if and when they come up. That’s just what works for me. If you think you’ll be better off with insurance (say, if you have a clumsy animal or a cat who just can’t seem to stay away from your rats), then I do recommend looking into it just in case.

If you want a more in-depth look at the value of pet insurance for your rats, check out this post on the Rat Whisperer.

Thirsty?

Lixit Water Bottle

I have not had the best luck with water bottles for my rats, not at all. When I first brought Potato and Goma home, back when I had only the tiniest idea of what I was getting into, I had a glass water bottle for them. It was almost identical to the water bottles we had for our hamsters and guinea pig when I was growing up, save for a different size, so I was under the impression that it was one of the few things that I could understand. Too bad it didn’t work. I set up the cage, got everything in place and let the boys in, comfortable with the knowledge that they had cozy bedding and a fresh supply of food and water. The next morning, the water level hadn’t moved at all. So, okay, I filled it wrong or put it together funny, nothing some quick adjustments wouldn’t fix. Nope. Nothing worked. I could release the water by pressing on the stopper ball with my finger, but it didn’t budge for the rats, despite their best efforts. I tried exchanging it for another one, which also failed, before I decided it’d just be safer to use a dish.

Now, open dishes, even ones that attach to the side of a cage, aren’t recommended for rats for a variety of reasons. In short, they’ll probably climb all over it; poop will wind up in it more than once, as will fur and bodily fluids; it will spill, guaranteed; they might decide to drop their food in it, so that it will slowly fill with an unpleasant rat kibble-based paste. It is not all that fun, but at least I know they can definitely reach their water.

However, I recently read a great review of the Lixit Bird Deluxe Glass Water Bottle on the Rat Whisperer blog and I am intrigued. It sounds like a really excellent, trust-worthy product and she does tend to know her stuff. While I’m not going to run out and buy one right this second, I am seriously considering trying it out since it would be a much more mess-free alternative to my current set-up. I’m sure the boys would be happy to see a throw-back to their child-hoods, too.

A Case of the Giggles

This video is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while. The basic gist of it is that rats are actually capable of laughing when they’re tickled! How awesome is that? If you watch the video, you’ll also know that it sounds incredibly adorable when lowered to a pitch we can hear. I feel like it makes the connection between humans and rats that much closer. I mean, if we can react to tickling in the same way and enjoy similar interactions, then who’s to say how many other undiscovered mutual interests our two species share?

That being said, when I tried tickling them, my boys did not react like the rats in the video. Instead, they got huffy and ran away. I can’t blame them, though, since I do the exact same thing. Like owner, like rat, I guess?

The Artful Rat

Art and photo by philosophyfox on Deviantart.com

I love artistic endeavours  whether they’re mine or someone else’s. You have a sketchbook you need filled? I’m your girl. You have fabric just begging to be a dress or a stuffed animal or both? Sure, no problem. You just finished making something spectacularly artsy and craftsy and wonderful? I’ll be there with bells on to ooh and aah and cheer you on (and possibly ask how much it costs to get one for myself). You’ve combined rats and art into one amazing masterpiece? Brace yourself because I’m already on my way.

That’s why I so excited when I saw this lovely sculpture of a pair of hooded fancy rats. The level of detail is wonderful, with every hair carefully sculpted into place. Their expressions, too, are fantastic. That rat on top is making exactly the same face Goma makes at me every time I walk by their cage without offering up a treat. The awesome doesn’t stop there, though – this artist’s gallery is chock full of beautiful ratty sculptures. It took me half an hour to actually start writing this post because I got so distracted trying to decide which is my favourite (they all are, by the way, because I simply couldn’t decide on one).

Fancier Fancy Rats

Photo by Tom Callan for the Wall Street Journal

This is just a quickie.

 I came across this photo of a very fabulously-dressed rat from the Wall Street Journal in 2011 (the blurb is at the very bottom of the webpage). Apparently it’s from a fashion show held during the “first-ever Fancy Rat Convention.” I’m a touch sceptical about the first convention ever, since people all over the world have been keeping rats as pets for decades, but I wouldn’t be surprised it was the first rat fashion show ever held. I’m actually impressed by the event on two levels – first, the fashion student in me is excited at all of the design possibilities for rat clothing and, second, the rat owner in me is amazed that anyone could get their rats to wear something for more than ten seconds. I can’t even get Goma into his harness long enough to shut all of the closures. I guess my boys just aren’t cut out for the world of rodent modelling.

Oh, and here’s one for the road: Do you reckon they called the runway a “rat walk?”

The Many Uses of Litter Trays That Don’t Actually Involve Litter

Photo from Rattit

I know, I know, what a long-winded title. But it’s so true. Ask any rat-owner who has attempted the supposedly simple task of litter training and they will tell you that rats love their litter pans to death. Just not for their intended purpose.

I’ve looked at a lot of tutorials and how-tos for litter training rats. One of my favourites, of course, is the one from the Dapper Rat. I find it to be very straight-forward and thorough. It gives you a good idea of what you’re in for and some excellent techniques to try in order to teach your rats that litter trays are the place to go when it comes to pooping.

However, no one told my rats that they’re supposed to follow along with the plan. It is a long-standing fact that male rats are more difficult to train than females. I suspect my boys take this to a whole new level. After a couple weeks of regularly transferring any stray poop into the litter tray and praising any attention they gave it, Potato and Goma did, indeed, learn that it marked the pooping location. Unfortunately, in their minds, this meant that they should poop on the platform beside the tray and then sleep in the litter instead. Strike one.

My next attempt involved using two completely different materials and lowering the tray to the bottom level of their cage. I honestly (and naively) believed the location was the main problem since their old cage didn’t have much floor space and so couldn’t fit a litter pan on the bottom level. The process continued much the same as above and resulted in basically the same thing. Well, except for the fact that they decided to mix the bedding and litter together, along with anything they’d shredded, and turned the litter tray into a luxurious rat bed far surpassing the first. Strike two.

So, here I sit. My rats are not litter trained and seem hell-bent against it. Frankly, they tend to be hell-bent against any training. They’re not big on being actively, unless they’re actively trying to get back to their cage because someone had the gall to try to remove them. In any case, I’m currently preparing for attempt number three. I’ll share the link once I find it, but there was an interesting post on Rattit that was a bit more extreme than my past approaches, so I’m thinking it might be just what I need. Essentially, I have to clear out all of the bedding from their cage and only put it in their litter pan. The bottom needs to be left bare for easy cleaning and maintenance while training them, which I’m a bit unsure of, but I’m willing to take the risk and it might help reduce Potato’s sneezing anyway. After that, it’s just a matter of diligently moving any and all poops into the bedding area. They also suggest using a tissue to wipe up any urine and leave it in the tray so the scent stays in that area.

I have high hopes for this one. Internet research, don’t let me down.

Rat Your Service

Michaelangelo, one of Dani Moore's two service rats

I recently came across this Tumblr post from about a month ago. A student managed to get approval to use his rat as a service animal at school, assuming it has the proper shots and is kept on a harness. I can’t help thinking about how awesome that is. I mean, service dogs and other medium-sized animals can be wonderful, but it can be tough moving with them in a busy environment. With a rat, you basically have your own pocket therapist. Not to mention that it’s a lot easier to avoid bringing attention to yourself if your disability involves having trouble in social situations.

I wound up doing a bit more research on rats as service animal and found some interesting information about a woman who uses her rats to detect and prevent seizures. Apparently there was quite the battle after a change to the Americans with Disabilities Act prevented any animal other than dogs and miniature horses to be recognized as service animals. Read more on it here and here.

Two by Two

Potato and Goma

One thing that I’ve always known about rats – and rodents in general – is that it’s definitely much healthier for them to be kept in pairs (or more if you have the room). When I was much younger, my family and I had no idea. Many a hamster lived out its life with only us for company. Unless you can literally spend almost all of your time with a rodent, you can’t possible give it the companionship it needs to be happy. Thus, I brought home two squirmy balls of fur into an unsuspecting household instead of one (but that’s a story for another post).

I just wanted to make a quick point for any prospective owners that it’s important to do some research before deciding to adopt a rat because you might wind up with twice as much responsibility as you expected. If you don’t want to take my word on it, there’s a great video on Youtube that shows just why it’s so important to buy these guys in pairs. Make sure you read the description, too.

Rats Against Discrimination

One of several adorable rat protest photos

I am absolutely enamoured by this series of rat-based“protest” images. Not only is every critter featured quite adorable, but their tiny picket signs really do address some of the most common misconceptions and just overall bias regarding pet rats.

Personally, the ones I run into the most are connecting pet rats with their wild street-based cousins and the “oh-so-gross” tail. I guess I can understand why someone would be so uncomfortable with a rat’s bare tail – I mean, it is kinda, sorta almost a little bit snake-like and it can be harder for them to clean, so it can also make them look a bit dirtier than they are (it doesn’t help that one of my rats has splotchy markings all down his tail). Luckily, so far, everyone who’s been introduced to Potato and Goma has remarked on how easy it is to overlook their “gross” tails for the rest of their lovable selves. Sounds like a win to me. As for the street rat equals pet rat misconception, almost everyone who even sees photos of my boys either admits that they might be wrong in disliking rats or, at the very least, says that they’ll make an exception for mine. It’s not perfect but I’ll take. Well, at least until I can wear them down.

As you might have noticed, too, this set of photos is the second in a series, so hopefully I can track down the first to share with you.