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 seefromthese 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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
