Dexter is a 22 month old male, who was always a bit dominant. He lived at a friends home but wasn't her rat. He lived with 2 other boys, of which one was his brother. The owner, a younger girl, decided that vet care was only for her dog, because they were "only rats" :doh: So when the 2 boys living with Dexter got terrible URI's they were not treated. They both died horrible deaths within days of each other. The 2 other older boys were not as sick but after the deaths of Dexter's family I finally got a call from the friend, asking for help. She convinced the owner to let me take the boys so I went late one night on public transit to go pick them up. Sadly Wiley died soon after we got home, but Cesar rallied and is still with me today, gently and happily lording it over 2 girls, while I manage his ongoing pulmonary abscesses.
I was asked to take Dexter too later on, but I just couldn't at the time. Poor Dex was kept on his own as they said he was too aggressive for other rats and the owner refused to give up "her" rat.
Finally Dexter bit his owner and she tossed him onto my friend and said "he's yours now". Dexter was taken to the vet for his bad URI, and my friend thought she had made a love connection but eventually he bit the friend twice very badly. A real chomp down,not-letting-go-ever type of bite. She wanted to have him pts...
We gave her ideas on how to take care of him.
Last night I was over checking over a little girl she had and picking up my 2 bags of Harlan when I asked to meet the Monster. He had been put in an upstairs bedroom where he was all alone until the daughter came home to sleep. As soon as I touched him I felt the terrible URI through his body and she told me she had stopped medicating him because she was scared of him. I told her I would take him home.
I sat down on a chair and put him in my lap, and 5 minutes later he was actually bruxxing and boggling to everyone's amazement and delight.
When I meet a potential biter, especially a male, I put them in my lap facing away from me, and stroke them from the neck down, often stopping my stroke before I hit the rump...slowly and calmly. I watch the head/ears and body for tension on anything I am doing...each rat will have its own triggers. I do not pat over the head until I am sure the rat is not going to react and turn quickly and chomp. Once the rat seems more relaxed then I lengthen the hand stroke and see how they react to that. Dexter responded really well to this approach and I soon had a pancake rat. Then I add a bit of pressure and most rats take comfort from this. Massaging over the shoulders works, its a spot the poor rat can rarely reach on their own and probably feels really good...but you don't start this way as it may rile them up before they are calm and relaxed.
Then he turned around in my lap and faced me (a good sign with him all relaxed, not so much if he's tense and stressed). It got to the point where if I stopped stroking he would lift his head as if to ask me "Why did you stop?". He pushed out his hind feet, made those little swallows that are a sign of relaxation,and after that I didn't watch him so much, we just talked about things and I stroked Dexter in my lap.
The car ride was awesome, he actually slept in my arms in the car.
Getting home and putting him on the bed with all the new rat smells and new environment...he was a bit tense but nothing dramatic.
I had him out for a bit with no issues, then put him to bed.
This morning he took his abs better, and I stroked him for awhile and then took pics
You can see his age in his stance...almost but not quite hock-walking, the whole sole of the hind foot almost on the ground and the toes starting to tip up.
Beautiful boy
and while he was in my lap, Hermes came over to claim his leg as usual. I watched Dexters reaction carefully and he sniffed Hermes all over which H didn't care about a bit. Then Hermes sniffed him (I am stroking both of them at the same time now) and even gently groomed the back of his neck,which I think Dexter enjoyed, since he got flatter and started contented swallowing again.
I got this pic as proof... :heart:
According to an AC friend, he is "sad, hurt, feeling misunderstood and upset/angry about that but relaxing feels like he's come home"...he also calls me The Listener. :lol:
