I'm getting groomed!

[Judith]

I'm typing one handed cause I'm holding one of my new pet rats in my lap an he's alternately grooming himself and my hand. And this one is the shy one! Awwwwww.....he loves me!

[grinner]

Rats... :scare:

[AgentSun]

and here i had a few thoughts:

you were tackled by a groom at a wedding.
a group of monkeys was picking at your hair.
you were typing from the hairdressers.

[BrowderChick]

Have you got pics of them yet? I want to see them. :)

[Judith]

Originally posted by grinner
Rats... :scare:

Grinner...surely you're not afraid of rats?:rollin:

[chri-baby]

when you say Rat I hope you mean of the human variety...otherwise :eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

[Judith]

Originally posted by BrowderChick
Have you got pics of them yet? I want to see them. :)

No, we took pictures, but they didn't come out well, but I'll have more soon.

BC...do you have any tips on training rats to respond to their names, or any other tricks?

[grinner]

Originally posted by Judith_Shakespeare
Grinner...surely you're not afraid of rats?:rollin: not really... I just grew up in a city that had REALLY BIG rats.

[Judith]

Well these are the domesticated kind. Totally different.

They eat the eyes first.

Nothing to worry about.

[BrowderChick]

Originally posted by Judith_Shakespeare
No, we took pictures, but they didn't come out well, but I'll have more soon.

BC...do you have any tips on training rats to respond to their names, or any other tricks?

Actually the way I trained mine was similar to a dog....treats and alot of attention and say the names alot to their cute little faces....

Seemed to work for all of mine.

I gave them lots of attention and they responded to it...

Treats do wonders....

[BrowderChick]

Originally posted by Judith_Shakespeare
Well these are the domesticated kind. Totally different.

They eat the eyes first.

Nothing to worry about.


HAHAHA the ones he is talking about will eat your whole head first. I have seen some of those......*shudders*

[tribsaint]

Yay! Can't wait to see pics, J_S!

[BrowderChick]

I also bought a ferret leash for mine and took them out with me...

[eta_carinae]

A leash! Wow. I wouldn't trust mine not to wriggle out of it. I taught mine the same way as BrowderChick- treats. I've found yogurt drops are a big hit, but be careful not to overdo it..... it can get kinda gross if you do. If you plan on giving them treats to train them, you should definetly feed them something other than the usual "rat/hamster" mix they sell at stores- it's full of junk! Mine get lab blocks; kinda boring, but way more nutritious, and they don't get as fat :D

[Antrobus]

Willard or Ben? Have you picked a name yet?

"Ben, the two of us need look no more,
We both found what we were looking for......la,la,la":ewink:

[BrowderChick]

Originally posted by eta_carinae
A leash! Wow. I wouldn't trust mine not to wriggle out of it. I taught mine the same way as BrowderChick- treats. I've found yogurt drops are a big hit, but be careful not to overdo it..... it can get kinda gross if you do. If you plan on giving them treats to train them, you should definetly feed them something other than the usual "rat/hamster" mix they sell at stores- it's full of junk! Mine get lab blocks; kinda boring, but way more nutritious, and they don't get as fat :D

The yogurt drops work great and yes they can be messy...I have found that some small bits of veggies work too as well as cheerios too...They love cheerios...The leash is like a harness that also goes under the belly too. Never had a problem. My rats didn't even want to try to slip away...Duke was content enough to just hang out on my shoulder...He got too big for that after a while though...

[eta_carinae]

Originally posted by BrowderChick
The yogurt drops work great and yes they can be messy...I have found that some small bits of veggies work too as well as cheerios too...They love cheerios...

Yeah, cereal has been a big hit here too, but I've had very few rats who liked veggies. Fruit, on the other hand, has always been popular. Especially bananas.

Some of my ratties like to ride on my shoulder, others not so much. But I've found one of the gratest feelings in the world is a kiss right on the ear. There's just something about those little whiskers tickling you.....

[BrowderChick]

I love their little "hands". That is so cute. Ducke and Lady used to ride along in my pockets til they got too big...

[JadedLegend3]

Can't wait to see your new additions! Rats can be a whole lot of fun, though I do know the kind that BrowderChick and grinner are referring to. The next town over had a serious problem with rats about 25 years ago, if not more. Huge, cat sized rats used to roam the streets. From what I understand, it was horrible. My friend grew up there during that time and is still scared of any rodent to this day.



Jacqui :love:

[grinner]

oh the rats I am talking about are way bigger than cats... you should see some of them in Chicago... wow.

[Johnsgirl727]

Originally posted by grinner
oh the rats I am talking about are way bigger than cats... you should see some of them in Chicago... wow.
I cannot fathom rats being bigger than a cat!!! :eek2:

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by grinner
oh the rats I am talking about are way bigger than cats... you should see some of them in Chicago... wow.


There is always the story my grandfather told me about this couple who went to Mexico and found this "dog." They brought it home with them. A week or so later, their cat disappeared. When they took said dog to the vet, the vet told them it was a sewer rat...an autopsy discovered where the missing cat had gone...



Jacqui :love:

[KozmikBloo]

I had a rat named Ben when I was a kid. He was awesome.

The first night I had him, he busted out of his pen and I woke up to find him sleeping on my chest. We'd let him run around the house and he'd come when we called him. He also liked to chase our cat and dog around the house. He was a smart little guy. His favorite treat was a cheese and peanut butter cracker. He'd run up to me while I was eating them and steal one (or two) out of the package. :)

After Ben, I had three more Amanda, Daisy, and Rick. They make great pets.

[harveywhispers]

rats=====> :eek: :yuck:

[BrowderChick]

Originally posted by JadedLegend3
There is always the story my grandfather told me about this couple who went to Mexico and found this "dog." They brought it home with them. A week or so later, their cat disappeared. When they took said dog to the vet, the vet told them it was a sewer rat...an autopsy discovered where the missing cat had gone...



Jacqui :love:

The rat mistaken for a dog? OMG and it ate the cat....? OMG OMG

[Judith]

Originally posted by BrowderChick
Actually the way I trained mine was similar to a dog....treats and alot of attention and say the names alot to their cute little faces....

Seemed to work for all of mine.

I gave them lots of attention and they responded to it...

Treats do wonders....

I've been trying the treat thing...but they have about a fifty percent response rat...cause they get distracted and wander off. And of course, I've been paying them tons of attention. One of them is totally outgoing and loves everything and everyone. The other is more shy, but he really loves to cuddle up to my shoulder or sit in my lap. He's also fallen in love with my best friend...he'll run and leap into her lap.

I'll keep it up with the treats...they're probably still overstimulated cause they're in a new place.

[Judith]

Originally posted by BrowderChick
I also bought a ferret leash for mine and took them out with me...

I got one, but I think mine are too small yet, cause I tested it in the apartment and they wriggled out on the smallest setting.

[Judith]

Originally posted by eta_carinae
. If you plan on giving them treats to train them, you should definetly feed them something other than the usual "rat/hamster" mix they sell at stores- it's full of junk! Mine get lab blocks; kinda boring, but way more nutritious, and they don't get as fat :D

I've been feeding them the SueBee diet...the woman I got them from at the resuce warned me about the small animal mixes. I've been giving them veggies and yogurt drops for treats. They love brocoli and soybeans.

I think they're eating more nutritiously than I do.

[Judith]

Originally posted by Antrobus
Willard or Ben? Have you picked a name yet?



Their names are Jake and Calvin.

I actually had a kitten named Willard once. When I took in my cat, she was pregnant. I named one of the kittens Willard, but he turned out not to be the one we decided to keep. We gave him to my boyfriend's dad, who changed his name to Michigan. (Willard/Michigan was a six toed kitty, and my boyfriend's father thought the cat's feet looked like the state of Michigan).

[BrowderChick]

I couldn't use the leash til they were about a year and a half old or so. Duke got so big but Lady stayed a more normal size....

Duke was more outgoing than Lady..Lady was content to just hang out while Duke needed to see everything.

:cry2: Now I am missing them....I will have to go out and get some new ones really soon....

[fermicat]

I clicked here because I thought you have come up with a low-cost alternative to the hair salon!! But getting some sugar from your pet.... that's priceless.

I love it when my cats lick me, but unfortunately the two I have left now rarely bestow such love. One prefers to head-butt me whenever he wants to be petted and the other is just lap fungus who rubs herself all over everything. No kisses from those two.... Makes me miss my little Dixie all the more (she talked a lot and was generous with her kisses).

[eta_carinae]

Originally posted by fermicat
One prefers to head-butt me whenever he wants to be petted and the other is just lap fungus who rubs herself all over everything. :rollin:

My cats are like that too! Lap Fungus :aok:

[scrape_medic]

That ear tickling thing is great. My rats used to jump onto my shoulder if they felt threatened, it was nice to think that they felt I was their safe place.
Watching a rat run off with a banana is the funiest memory I had of my rat Moon. It jammed in the carpet and flipped him like a pole vaulter. He stood there looking at it for a while, as if he thought it might do another trick.

[BrowderChick]

:rollin: I wish I had a video camera for all the stuff my little guys did. At one time I had so many of them. I was a breeder.... But my two faves were quite the couple. I liked when I brought them out in public and the reactions I would get from them...

[eta_carinae]

Originally posted by scrape_medic
Watching a rat run off with a banana is the funiest memory I had of my rat Moon. It jammed in the carpet and flipped him like a pole vaulter. He stood there looking at it for a while, as if he thought it might do another trick.

:rollin: Oh that's a good one. Tee hee!

[Digger]

not really... I just grew up in a city that had REALLY BIG rats. rats of unusual size? I don't think they exist.

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by Digger
rats of unusual size? I don't think they exist.

I love you for saying that!!! :smooch: Greatest movie ever!!! Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but still!




Jacqui :love:

[eta_carinae]

Inconceivable!

That was my favorite movie when I was a little girl. Good job! I didn't even think of that ;)

[Digger]

Originally posted by JadedLegend3
I love you for saying that!!! :smooch: Greatest movie ever!!! Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but still!
Jacqui :love: I couldn't believe that no one else had beaten me to it. It's the first thing I thought of when grinner mentioned big rats. The Princess Bride is among my favorites too. It's one of the first DVD's I ever bought.

[La Bomba]

My little sister saw that movie when she was about 5 or 6, and for a month afterward she was convinced there was odorless, colorless, undetectable poison in her food, drinks, toys, ...everything! It was a nightmare!

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by La Bomba
My little sister saw that movie when she was about 5 or 6, and for a month afterward she was convinced there was odorless, colorless, undetectable poison in her food, drinks, toys, ...everything! It was a nightmare!

Iocaine Powder! I'd bet my life on it!



Jacqui :love:

[Judith]

Originally posted by La Bomba
My little sister saw that movie when she was about 5 or 6, and for a month afterward she was convinced there was odorless, colorless, undetectable poison in her food, drinks, toys, ...everything! It was a nightmare!

When I was a little kid...this was before Princess Bride came out, I used to be afraid that if I let my cup of water out of my sight, my parents would put poison in it.

My parents are very nice, by the way. I was just a weird kid.

[eta_carinae]

It's contaminated!

[JadedLegend3]

Originally posted by eta_carinae
It's contaminated!

AHHH! I love that movie, too!


"Besides, he licks his butt every day, I don't think he'll mind." :rollin:


Jacqui :love:

[TheThirdStooge]

WOW!I just got a mouse and it had babies on 5th.What a coincidence JS!!!:huh: :huh::multi: :beergood: :crazydanc

[Judith]

Originally posted by TheThirdStooge
WOW!I just got a mouse and it had babies on 5th.What a coincidence JS!!!:huh: :huh::multi: :beergood: :crazydanc

Awesome...were you expecting her to have babies? Congratulations!