The Big Boy Rat Cage

Posted on July 28th, 2007 in by Cassi

Last night I was able to upgrade the ratties into their “Big Boy” cage! It took a lot less time than I thought it would. I can’t believe how fast they grow! After only 2 weeks they’ve grown about 1.5 times their size. I’m sure it won’t be long before they’re big squishy lazy rats. :D

It seems like they’re really enjoying the new cage. They’ve been spending most of their time in the bottom of the cage where the litter is, but that’s okay. They’re used to mostly being on the litter. I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to climb to the top levels of the cage, but it wasn’t long before they were chasing each other from top to bottom. Hopefully they’ll get the hang of their hammock soon. It doesn’t seem like they understand what it is yet. Maybe I’ll get some pictures up soon!

Ratsitting

Posted on July 26th, 2007 in by Cassi

Last weekend I went on vacation to Michigan to visit my grandparents. I felt so bad for leaving my rats so soon after I got them, but fortunately my sister was a wonderful ratsitter and I was only gone for 3 days. There were a few things I had to think about before I left, and these are things any rat owner should think about before leaving their rats with someone else.

1. Food - Make sure to leave enough food to last the duration of your trip. Also give detailed instructions on how much to feed, when to feed, and what not to feed.

2. Water - Let the rat sitter know how often to check the water bottle/bowl and how full to fill it. Since my ratties are in a temporary cage and I can’t use a real water bottle with it, I had to make sure Ronnie checked the water bowl twice a day because the ratties kick litter into it.

3. Litter - If you are going to be gone long enough that the litter needs to be changed, leave instructions on how to do it. You may need to write them out.

4. Play time - If your ratsitter is comfortable with your ratties and vice-versa, let her know what is acceptable play and what toys the rats like to play with. Also make sure she knows what items might not make good play toys.

5. Other Animals - Find out if there are other animals in the house that your rats will be staying at. Ronnie has 3 cats, so we had to pick a cat-free room to put the cage in. Animals like dogs and cats that aren’t used to rats should be kept away from them.

Hopefully this list gets you thinking about what to do if you have to leave your babies with a sitter. Don’t forget to call and check-in!

Lolcats? No! LolRats!

Posted on July 18th, 2007 in by Cassi

You’ve heard of lolcats… what about lolRats!!

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I’ve been groomed!

Posted on July 18th, 2007 in by Cassi

I had the ratties out for play time tonight. I took them out for a while yesterday too, but they seemed a lot more comfortable and happy tonight. It seems like they’re getting used to their new home.

I noticed yesterday that they were trying to nibble on my fingers a little bit. I kept pulling my hand away because I was afraid they would bite harder if I let them keep going. Tonight I decided to see what would happen if I let them keep nibbling since it wasn’t an aggressive nibble. So I put my hand in they started nibbling my finger nails and finger tips and then started licking me! It was crazy! It was like when a puppy kiss-licks you. After that they didn’t seem as nervous around my hand, and Pixel came over and climbed into my hand on his own a few times.

My new rats!

Posted on July 15th, 2007 in by Cassi

Ronnie and I went and picked up Pixel and Pica today. They’re soo cute! And so small! I have to keep them in a big plastic bin for now, until they’re big enough to live in their normal cage. Right now they can fit through the bars - I think the bars are 3/4″ to 1″ apart.

Here are the pictures:

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All of these were taken in their little travel carrier before I came home. Unfortunately, I can’t take pictures here at home because I can’t find the charger to my camera battery. But anyways, Pica is the Blue one, and Pixel is the brown/white one. Not sure on the “technical” name for his markings. His hood looks like a really light tan color, much lighter than these pictures make it look.

Well, there they are. More updates tomorrow after they get all settled in.

Tomorrow’s the day…

Posted on July 14th, 2007 in by Cassi

Only one day to go now. My sister’s going with me to get Pixel and Pica tomorrow morning. I just called the breeder and they said they’d reserve 2 little guys for me. I hope I have everything ready for them… I’m sure I’ll be making a quick trick to Petsmart when I realize I’ve forgotten something.

In the meantime, check out how cute my gerbils, Ares and Apollo are:

My Gerbils

Rat Food Plans

Posted on July 13th, 2007 in by Cassi

The past couple of months I have been doing a lot of reading about rat food and learning what’s best for the ratties. There’s a lot of bad info out there, and a lot of terrible commercial food! I can’t believe pet food companies get away with selling such nutritionally poor food.

I’ve decided the way I’m going to go is with the Mazuri lab blocks and add in about 25% fresh “people” foods. The reason I want most of the diet to be lab block is because I know it’s nutritionally complete. I’d be worried about mixing my own food and not meeting those needs. And from what I’ve read, Mazuri is the second best lab block (after Harlan Teklad, which would be difficult to get). I also picked up some all natural granola, whole grain cereal, and pasta spirals. Plus we always have fruits and apple sauce around the house. I’ll probably get some frozen fruits/veggies to keep around, too. I want to work in some meat, but that’ll depend on how often we have something suitable in the house. I know a lot of people use dog food, so maybe I can try that to work in extra protein. Does anyone visiting my blog have suggestions?

Only a few more days until I go pick them up!

Cage Set-up

Posted on July 8th, 2007 in by Cassi

I worked on setting up the rat cage today. The rat cage calculator says it will hold 2 rats, and since I’m getting 2, it should be okay for now. Maybe as they grow older and bigger I can afford to get them a bigger cage (especially if I decide to get more rats… shhh… don’t tell Kevin I just said that.) Here’s a pic of what the cage looks like right now:

Rat Cage

I took this pic yesterday, and since then I added a hammock near the top. I also plan on somehow covering those wire shelves. For now I might fasten towels over them, but I’d like to find linoleum or something that’s easier to clean. The big dish near the top will also be lined with a towel to make it a cozy place to sleep. And you can’t see the bottom of the cage very well, but there’s a layer of Carefresh down there.

Cute video about rat laughter!

Posted on July 6th, 2007 in by Cassi

Meet My Rats!

Posted on July 5th, 2007 in by Cassi

Hello and welcome to my new blog all about my pet rats, and caring for rats in general. In less than 2 weeks I’ll be a new rat owner. I’ve been learning so much about caring for rats. I almost have their cage set up and I’m working on getting the food, bedding, toys, etc. ready for when I go pick up my new little boys - Pixel and Pica! (Yes, I know I’m a nerd for naming them that!)

Anyways, I’m really looking forward to getting my new little ratties. I already have 2 gerbils - Aries and Apollo. They’re great little pets.

I’ll be posting as many pictures as possible, and I’ll be posting about everything I learn. Hopefully anyone who is interested in getting rats will be able to benefit from my experience. I’ll be posting again soon with pictures of their cage set up!