Questions, Update, and Pics - Paw Talk

Perfect · #1 03-14-2007, 06:37 PM

Yes yes, I am posting AGAIN about my new ratties

But I can't help it, I am excited! So I got them. They seem to be pretty nice....kind of. I put my hand in their cage so they could sniff me and ended up getting bit. It was not super hard or anything but it still kind of hurt. I would say it was border line between bite and hard nibble. Every time I put my hand into the cage they nibble but sometimes they nibble too hard. :\ I have not held them or picked the up yet.

Well, I got the ratties for free! The lady ended up giving them to me because she said there was another woman going in to drop off 15 - 20 rats! Woowie!

ALSO, the rats have been itching a lot and I saw that one of them had a flea. UH OH...so they have fleas. How do I get rid of them? One of my dogs is super allergic to fleas and breaks out in hives if she gets bit, so I will have to be extra careful.

I need to move the rats into their new cage here at home but after that biting incident I am wondering how they will react whenever I pick them up. They seem pretty frightened of me right now. So I am wondering if I should just wait?

Well here are some pics of the cage that they were dropped off in:
(what they are in now)

And here is the cage that they are going to be moved into:

The cage that I am moving them in to used to be the hamster cage but I bought the hamster a new cage and I am giving that cage to the ratties.

Well any suggestions, opinions, thoughts, or anything would be helpful and appreciated

Wow, I have not owned rats in a long time

Thank you!

angel_baby · #2 03-14-2007, 07:14 PM

Sounds to me like they may be nervous, thinking about it they were dropped off at the shelter and moved around from their origanal home to the shelter and now to your house. Of course they could be trying to give love nibbles but I doubt that beings you said it was kind of hard. Try putting gloves on and holding them a little bit to see if you can get them to understand your not going to hurt them...also giving them treats could help. I'm not sure about the flea's because I've never seen them on rats before but maybe someone else here will know more about that.

Moving them to the new cage would probably be a good idea, it looks a lot better then the one they came in that's for sure.

Kendalle · #3 03-14-2007, 07:24 PM

i WOULD NOT move them to the new cage!! infact i would take the new cage out of the room.. you dont want fleas in the new cage to get rid of as well sence it is smaller and easier to care for.. i dont know how to get fleas off your rats id call the vet. it shouldnt e something that they need to see the rats over... just tell you how to do it.

then you can treat them and put them in the other cage.

angel_baby · #4 03-14-2007, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kendalle


	i WOULD NOT move them to the new cage!! infact i would take the new cage out of the room.. you dont want fleas in the new cage to get rid of as well sence it is smaller and easier to care for.. i dont know how to get fleas off your rats id call the vet. it shouldnt e something that they need to see the rats over... just tell you how to do it. then you can treat them and put them in the other cage.

EEK! I didn't think about that, now I feel stupid.

Kendalle · #5 03-14-2007, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angel_baby


	EEK! I didn't think about that, now I feel stupid.

Nah.. i just would worry about having it get out of hand in the other cage and to other pets and things.. fleas are bad

Vanilla_Rat · #6 03-15-2007, 02:21 AM

CongRATS again on taking in the newbies!Of course they are still going to be stressed from the move and change of enviroment! Talk to them and offer treats,that way they get to know your voice and realize your not a bad person! It does take abit of time...some rats adapt quicker then others!

As for fleas...are you sure they are fleas and not lice??? I know there is a big difference in the way fleas and rat lice look,but sometimes people make that mistake!

I personally NEVER dealth with fleas on rats,so unfortunatly i don't have very good advice about it.I would say tho,take them to the vet and the vet should be able to give you something rat safe to kill the fleas.And well obviously you will need to treat their surroundings too.

As for the new cage...the bars look a little wide.I had some females that could squeeze out of really small places and the bars on that cage look escapable! The cage they came in is okay for a little bit.I actually have a cage exactly like that which I use for introductions,sick rats and quaratines.It is an okay cage for temporary use!

Kendalle · #7 03-15-2007, 11:44 AM

ooo when you move them and to kill any bugs in the empty cage an easy way is to put it in a garbage bag all tight (a black one) in the sun or bug spray it and put it in there, it cooks em

Carissa · #8 03-15-2007, 04:29 PM

Congrats!

Turkeyman · #9 03-15-2007, 04:49 PM

If you want to move them to the new cage, definitely do so. Just move them and then clean the old one out vigorously outside or in a bathroom, away from the dog. The other suggestions here would probably work too(interesting w/ the trash bag and the bug spray). For transferring them, if all else fails and you end up getting bitten or it looks like you'll be bit...remove the platforms from the first cage so you have open access. Place the new cage next to the old cage, with the doors close as possible. Then, just grab the base of the tail or a little lower(no more than 1/3 lower than the length of their tail), and quickly pick them up and place them in the new cage. They won't know what hit em if you do it smoothly. Don't jerk or anything when you do it...and no it won't kill them to hold them like that if it's absolutely necessary =]. Good luck with your rats, I kinda hope you don't have biters because those are always a bit of trouble to deal with. I used to have one and well I could never really be its friend...even though I'm sure it licked me, it probably had a problem where it couldn't control the force of the bite or it just thought everything in its way was food...that was long ago though and so my first experience with rats was bittersweet. Okay before I go down memory lane, good luck =]

Perfect · #10 03-15-2007, 05:35 PM

Thank you every one! I have just been putting my hand in their cage so they could sniff me and the gray one started nibbling a little bit but the black one just sniffed. I think they are starting to calm down a little bit. The gray one will still not let me pet him though, but I think the black one is getting there

As for the spacing on the cage, thank you! These rats are very chubby

but better safe then sorry. I will try and find something or some type of rat safe mesh to put on the cage. I just recently put some carpet on the wood and alternate between two carpets and clean them whenever they get dirty. They seem to like it really well

Hm, it may have possibly been lice but I am pretty sure it was a flea. But if it were lice, does anyone know how to go about getting rid of them? I will call the vet tomorrow, because today I have some family visiting, and see what they say. I will still probably take the rats in just in case they have any other problems.

I have one more question though (I know I know...when do they stop lol) but the rats seem to be making a hissing type of noise. That is normal right? I think it is but I was just wondering what that meant.

Thank you everyone for all of your help!

-Taban

Turkeyman · #11 03-16-2007, 12:39 AM

Hissing? Like exhaling really hard? Mine make that when I'm holding them and they're terrified and want to get away haha. Kind of like they're supposed to be squeaking but no sound coming out. Hrm...it's also possible they're breathing really hard and have lived a previous life in not so nice bedding and unlean conditions...I fostered a rat like that too. We called her preggers...she was HUGE and probably had 2-3 litters in her lifetime...she panted and wheezed all the time...probably the result of poor breeding conditions(someone just wanted to sell the babies). I just made sure to put her in a cage without bedding and cleaned out her towels t-shirts weekly. Haha anyways best of luck!

Kendalle · #12 03-16-2007, 12:54 AM

mine havent ever hissed

pinkie1205 · #13 03-16-2007, 01:11 AM

I think they need a vet. If there is ever a question in their breathing then it's something to not take lightly.

As far as the "fleas"...I've never really heard of that. I just took on lice with my rats and have taken care of it.

You should make a vet appointment and see what they have to say. They might need some antibiotics for the respiratory and something for the lice. I got revolution because it's safer the ivermectin.

Vanilla_Rat · #14 03-16-2007, 03:04 AM

I agree...I think you should take them in for a check up at least.Hissing...I have NEVER had a healthy rat "hiss".It sounds like it has something to do with their breathing,which means...RI most likely!

Lice are reddish brown in color and tiny.You will be able to see them crawling along the skin,when you part the fur and sometimes crawling along the hair folicles.You will also be able to see the nits (eggs) hanging onto the hairs...they are white or clear.I have dealt with lice before and they can be buggers to get rid of!

Good luck! I love the chubby rats the best!

Perfect · #15 03-16-2007, 08:42 PM

Well, they went to the vet today and and the hissing was because they were scared. He said that more then likely they do that because they are frightened.
As for the fleas, he gave me some meds to put on them. I forgot what it is called but I will look later.
Thank you everyone for all the help and advice. I have been letting them out and they are getting more used to me now.
OH I have names! Nibbler and Kibbler! Yay!