[Vladina]

So happy and relieved that Hector is okay! You and Tonya must be relieved too. Whew! I know how it is when your baby is not acting right..it can be very scary and worrisome. We have all been through that. Very cool that you paid such close attention to him and were able to tell right away that something was not right. Otherwise Hector would still be laying around with gas and not feeling good. I am so glad he got some medicine from the vet, great! Yeah, as Lilspaz said, there are so many similarities between humans and rats that often the same kinds of foods that cause upset tummies and gas in people is the same for our rodent family members! Broccoli is the first thing that comes to mind...my boys loved chilled raw brocolli (or cooked) but we had to be very careful and just give them a teeny bit only now and then, as we heard it could cause upset tummy and uncomfortable gas.

You and Tonya should not worry about being newbies...you are already so on top of things with Hector and so attentive to his actions that you got him to a vet right away. Well done! I am sure he will be feeling better very soon now!

 

[Vladina]

The theories on whether or not chocolate is not good for rats seems to go on, depending on whose opinion you are listening to and it seems to be a controversial one. I have seen arguments on the forum about this. I have also read different articles from the internet saying either, "Chocolate is dangerous and a no-no for rats" and also, "Chocolate is not good for dogs but it is not harmful to rats" and so forth. So that is a hard one! I used to just play it safe and keep my boys away from junk food and sugar in general. For sweet treats, I kept it to a slice of banana, a frozen blueberry, things like that, trying to keep their treats healthy. Better safe than sorry was the motto I went by.

(Frozen blueberries were always a fun treat, especially in the summer. Like a little frozen blueberry ratty popsicle! )

 

[Vladina]

Ha ha, I am sure your vet's kids will attend good colleges, eh? Well, that just shows you are a good animal mommy though. I used to do the same with my gerbil boys and rat boys, so I know what you mean.

 

[Vladina]

Ha ha, exactly! I wish I had made myself eat as healthy as my boys did. That would be a great people-diet regimen, you are right.

How is Stan doing with his cleanings? Is he getting more used to them? I felt so sorry for him when you said he got all embarrased. I was just imagining him saying, "Oh geez, this is embarrasing..quit messing with me down there!" My poor lil guy!