Our Crazy Rat Adventure
Our Crazy Rat Adventure - Washington Rat Breeder
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The Rat Community

8/30/2016

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I got a call yesterday from a fellow breeder, "I am heading home - my kitchen is on fire! I may need some help with the animals" I am kind of stunned so all I say is , "Okay, call me if you need me and I will be right over"  A few minutes pass and I face palm myself as I am calling her back, "Never mind that! I WILL be over as soon as I drop my daughter off at home."  

When I arrived there, the firetrucks were gone, the dogs were at the neighbor's home but the ratties were still inside. They still had inspectors inside and wouldn't let us go in to get any outside. When we were finally allowed inside we could see the soot all along the walls and covering the ceiling in the rat room. I kind of just stood there in shock for a few minutes amazed that there was no 'flame' damage except just in the kitchen (Koodos to an observant neighbor!) Soon I realized that these little guys had soot not only in their lungs but all over their bodies and cages.

After we did a quick look over everyone, getting two buckets and got got to work. One bucket was filled with hot water with a little dawn, the other just fresh hot water. Starting with the boys we began washing them off. After just 3 boys the water was BLACK.  We kept this up until all the rats (except for new mama's - see note below **) were completely clean. We left them wet not bothering to dry, knowing that it was warm and with grooming the extra clean water off it will help give them a bit more hydration. *What is amazing is we only had maybe 4 stress poops in these buckets after dozens of ratties were cleaned.  By the end of the evening I think 10 ratties were lost to the smoke inhalation. I am still a little fearful more may become ill from the smoke. 

Okay so why is this titled, The Rat Community?  I am getting there...... You see the rat community is a very unique one. It is one where you will experience support and encouragement from someone you have only talked to on fb or through emails from a website. It is a place where people of ALL backgrounds, religions, gender expression/identity, various ages, marital status, or disability can reach out to support an encourage each other, especially during their time of need. The LOVE of rats brings us all together.  I cannot believe how in less than two hours she had calls & messages of support and encouragement from others trying to help find homes for these rats. There is still such a need for homes for many of these guys. I know today we are even helping coordinate transport for several later this week 5 hours south. I am hoping there will be more people who can take some of these cuties over the next few days. 

Personally, I am not set up to have many more ratties in my home. However I have a empty TCN in my bedroom retreat for quarantine/ emergencies etc. I think this counts as an emergency!   I couldn't take a more than 3 separate cages of ratties. So of course I took 4 cages worth. The fourth is her heart rat in his own cage.  We got all the ratties settled in our home. (9 total) After giving everyone a cacao chip and lots of kisses we helped our friend and her son get settled in a hotel for the next 2 nights with their pups. 

I brought home several bags of hammocks/fleece to wash off. I could only sleep 2 hours, worry about ratties will do that to you.  In just a few hours, we will head back to the home to see what else we can do as she has more of an idea of what needs to be cleaned verses thrown away. That means I need to head back to bed for a bit!

Here is alink to an Update 

​
**Note -
except new mama's
** This is totally a miracle. All of the rats were in cages but these girls were in a tub rack. They were only separated from the fire by 6" of a wall. The opening to the kitchen was right along the edge of the tub rack. When I buried my face in those tubs I only smell rattie - no soot, no smoke.  The mamas had stuffed their babies into cups, bowls etc and buried them. They were not just nests but a new arrangement to protect the babies. 

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2016 Fall Astronomy x2 Litter 

8/29/2016

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It is that time to be on pregnancy watch. We are looking forward to what these two might throw again. Mama, OCRA Llyra, gets weighed each morning. Since the 18th we have kept her with OCRA CRUS Apollo. Giving them both long breaks to visit their colonies and a chance to run around a bit more. Her weight was 410 grams when we started pairing them both. It has fluctuated from that up to 420 grams for the past week. Friday morning we thought we may have seen a mucus plug (Link takes you to post talking about mucus plus under Courtship heading)  This morning she was 428 grams. We are not confident she has taken yet but will make sure to keep the fb page updated as soon as we can confirm. 
Link to Facebook Album
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Comfort Item - Really????? Yup!

8/27/2016

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Yesterday, we got the news that two of our six month old boys could no longer be taken care of by their adopter. As a breeder, I am responsible for these sweet precious lives and will take them in, and/or find new homes right away. I usually prefer to find a home right away so the little pipsqueaks do not have to transition twice.  I have only had to do it a few times. Once there was an asthmatic allergy developed to the rats. Another time, the kids got 'bored' with their girls after a year, wanting to do stuff outside with their new dogs instead.  One boy became hormonal and angry towards his brother. (He was needing to be neutered and the family didn't have the funds.) A group of girls got 'kicked' out of the family rental by the landlord. However, these girls are simply in a 'foster' situation with me. Their owners visit and are involved with their care. They were supposed to go home this summer but the house their humans are getting won't be ready for a bit longer - all in all they will be here a total of 8 months.  When we took them in, we brought all of their toys and cage. Since they are not going to be here 'forever' we didn't re-introduce them to our girls. In fact when we do cage, toy swaps, both of these established colonies fluff up a bit not happy the other was in their space. Finally, these two boys, 'Personal Stuff' which led up to the owner no longer able to care for them.  I know the above families LOVED the rats. Do not get me wrong, in the owners eyes all of these are valid issues to have to re-home their pet. Even if I am really disappointed the adoption didn't work out for everyone involved, I would NEVER lecture the adopter. I know it was a difficult choice to make for them.  I am so thankful they felt they could talk to me about what is going on. In fact, personally, I would rather them contact me than have these precious ones become neglected due to the circumstances. That is why there are so many animal rescues out there. Why the Humane Society takes in countless critters of all shapes and sizes. Why I really felt I needed to talk about comfort items for even the smallest of all critters. 

​Whenever ratties leave our home, we always send either a hammock or snugglie, and a bit of fleece that smells like the mischief. If it is a single rattie going to a new established mischief this is especially important. Can you imagine being taken away from the only thing you have ever known and put in a room filled with different smells and items, without a way to contact your loved ones. For a rattie, especially during the 3 week quarantine a comfort item is important.

People will often have larger pets with comfort items. A dog that has a favorite toy, a cat that snuggles on a 'special' towel or even a bird that cannot seem to part with a certain toy in it's cage. All of these are things that most owners would want to take to the vet, if their pet was going in for a procedure or to be re-homed. Why not the same for a rat?  The boys that came yesterday, came with bags of food, toys, hammocks and fleece. I took most of their fleece that was dirty and threw it into the laundry, making sure to keep one piece for their cage. I didn't wash their hammocks or their toys. A
fter I got a ton of kisses and love, I put them in their old cage and let them snuggle up with each other. This morning, when I woke up, they both were laying on top of their blue fleece, not hiding in the cage but actually holding on to it like a bear hug right by the door. My heart broke a little for them. Yes our home had familiar smells and noises but it has been five months. This image only confirmed to me we are doing the right thing sending 'transitional objects' with our babies when they leave the home. 


(A comfort object, transitional object, or security blanket is an item used to provide psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations...) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_object Granted, some may say I am looking at this as a human needs a comfort item not an animal, I will always continue to provide something with their mischief's smells to help in the transition. 

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OCRA Orbit & OCRA Hubble making the most of their selfies
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Reviews - Pumice Chew

8/22/2016

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To chew or not to chew? That is the question.

Did you know that the word rodent is from Latin rodere "to gnaw". All rodents are characterized by their nonstop growing incisors. A rats front and lower incisors grow on average almost 3 mm a week. If trimmed they can end up growing a whopping 1 mm a day! I find it amazing that if one is broken, it has been shown to grow faster to play 'catch up'. 

To keep their teeth down to an efficient size they will gnaw on hard items along with bruxing. (Bruxing is when the rat will basically grind their teeth) When they brux they are moving their lower jaw in front of upper jaw, in a back and forth rapid movement.  Another name for this is 'thegosis'  meaning to sharpen teeth. [Greek Thego - sharpen]  


Now that the mini science lesson is over, what do we do to help the ratties in our mischief keep a healthy tooth length? Overall, our ratties do not chew on too many things in the cage. Certain types of plastics seem to be fair game. They also like some of the hard wood products we use in the cage. The one thing we discovered by accident, happens to be another product by Critter Ware - their Lava Star.  We pick one up at the feed store for $1.50, last year, when we were wanting to decorate for the 4th of July.   The girls went crazy for it and now insist we buy them a new one every couple months.  Of course to be fair the boys get one too!   We have bought other blocks, but this particular one seems to be used up completely every 2 months. The others are often just dragged to their litter box and peed on - lol.  

***** Overall, I would rate the Critter Ware - Lava Star - 5 out of 5 stars!    


(Links may not be the current cheapest around but will give you an idea of what we are talking about. All of the Amazon Smile links can benefit Best Friends Rodent Rescue. It is simple to set up - follow directions at the top of the Amazon for 'Amazon Smile' then find their non profit charity. Once you set it up, save a bookmark for every time you use Amazon)

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Reviews - Water Bottle

8/16/2016

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PictureWare 14037 Critter Carafe Premium Glass Water Bottle 26 oz
How do our rats get their water?

We use glass water bottles. Changing the water every 2 days. We like the glass better than the plastic because we are able to sanitize them completely with boiling water every couple weeks. They are also dishwasher safe. With the small opening, I do not recommend using the dishwasher as the only way to clean your bottles.  A bottle brush works great for the weekly cleans. Make sure to wash the tube with a twisted pipe cleaner. Don't forget to wash the floater really well too! 

As many of you know finding a bottle that doesn't leak is important. The type we discovered we like best was Critter Ware. They have 10 oz and 26 oz glass water bottles to choose from. Due to the size of my mischief, I use four 26 oz and two 10 oz bottles.   They come with a handy floater inside to keep track of the water level. They also have great hardware to attach to the cage. The bottle has a completely flat side that makes it convenient to use either inside the cage or on the outside.  We found the larger bottles do stretch the 1/2 bars on our DCN, but they will fit if in the middle of the vertical lines.  The tube is able to twist around to be in the correct direction needed once the lid is put on tight.  At first when we put the bottles up, we get a few drops of water. Don't worry, this is just creating the vacuum to prevent further leaks. The washer in the bottle works really well at keeping them from leaking after the vacuum is created.  I know this because I forgot to put it in once!  What a wet mess!  Luckily, it was right after I cleaned cages. 

***When we switched to the larger bottles, one of our boys, OCRA Beast, didn't like the larger tube of the bigger bottle. To solve this, he simply pushes on the ball with his hand to fill it up, then drinks it from his hand.

Overall, I would rate the Critter Ware glass water bottles 5 out of 5 stars!    

(Links may not be the current cheapest around but will give you an idea of what we are talking about. All of the Amazon Smile links can benefit Best Friends Rodent Rescue. It is simple to set up - follow directions at the top of the Amazon for 'Amazon Smile' then find their non profit charity. Once you set it up, save a bookmark for every time you use Amazon)

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Our Adoption Pamphlet 

8/12/2016

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Litter Box Training

8/7/2016

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There are as many different ways to litter box train a rat as there are varieties of rats. The way we have litter box trained our rats has worked for us for several years. Now that we have an established mischief, the older rats tend to help in the training process with all of our new additions.

What to Get?
  • To begin with, you'll need litter boxes appropriate for the size of cage you have.
    • We have used anything from the gladware soup containers, plastic shoe boxes, litter boxes made for rodents, to even a milk jug cut open. All of these containers are clipped to the side of the cage with binder clips.
How Many?
  • The more rats you have the more litter boxes you will need because inevitably someone will pick a different corner than everyone else.
    • We have Critter Nations with plastic shoe boxes in the back corners on every shelf. So that basically means each level has three litter boxes. Now you may think well this takes up all the room. It doesn't have to, they don't have to be large. Remember the small gladware containers mentioned above? They only need to be big enough for the rat to basically sit in. If you have big boys like we do, the plastic shoe boxes are perfect! (Just counted - in our TCN with 1 level removed, we have 7 litter boxes in each. That is 14 litter boxes we empty a week.) I have completely removed a couple off and on that were not getting used but overall with the numbers of rats we have, 20+ babies, it is easier to keep one in each corner.
Litter?
  • Now that you have your litter boxes, you need have to have a different material in the litter box versus the rest of the cage.
    • Personally, we used fleece throughout our cages and a wood pellet in the litter boxes. Also it is very important to avoid Pine and Cedar.
How Much?
  • You will need about 1” of the the litter if it is a wood pellet (it is compressed it will ‘fluff out’ when wet.) If using something like Carefresh paper bedding, you will need about 2x more than the compressed wood pellets.
    • We end up using about 20 pounds of litter a month in our 14 litter boxes.
What’s a Pee Rock?
  • When we started this process we were told to use smooth rock for them to pee on. Having a hard time finding rocks for this purpose, we ended up using the tops of our large glass candles which worked out really well. They are about the right size and could be easily cleaned each week.
    • We no longer use the candle lids since they are pretty much trained now. They sure came in handy when we were first starting. Occasionally, we will find some of our marble tiles, that we use in the cage during the summer to keep them cool, will be peed on more than other places. Do not forget, it is their natural desire to mark things.
Scoop the Poop
  • Now that you have your cage all set up you will have to be diligent. This means daily picking up stray poop and putting it into their litter boxes. It is hassle but it does work!
    • Just yesterday, we were watching one of our 6 month old rats closely after he woke up. He climbed onto the litter box balancing on the edge, then pooped. We were so proud of him even though he pooped on the outside of the litter box he knew that was where it needed to go. After he walked away, we simply scooped it up with a little spoon and put it into the litter box.
How Often to Clean?
  • Now this really depends on how bad it is. What have they put into their litter box? Extra papers? Food? Toys? Fleece? (Using the litter pans we only clean once a week verses every 3-4 days due to odors and mess)
    • Extra paper tends to absorb the urine smell. We will pick this out to throw away as we notice it. We we do our cage cleaning once a week, we throw away almost everything out of the litter box. As they are learning, we always leave just a little bit in there. When it is time to do a deep clean everything gets wiped down and washed really well - including the litter boxes. Our boys are the only ones that tend to have a hard time getting back into the groove of where to go after deep cleans. The girls are spot-on going to their favorite box/ corner.
One Final Helpful Hint
  • Personally we believe this is the secret to our success - Encouraging the rats to go potty in the litter box before taking them out of the cage.
    • Simply put them in the little box and tell them go potty. You're thinking, ‘Okay I'm talking to my rat telling him to go potty” This works especially well if you are waking them up and then putting them in the litter box before you take them out of the cage. Just like what you would do to potty train a puppy. Perhaps this is why we have been so successful in potty training? Taking this extra step of waking them up, then putting them in the litter box.
Good luck!

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Emergency Kit Just for Ratties

8/5/2016

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I have been asked frequently what I have in my emergency Rat Kit box and where I have gotten things. I just now pulled it out and am going to list everything in here. (Links may not be the current cheapest around but will give you an idea of what we are talking about. All of the Amazon Smile links can benefit Best Friends Rodent Rescue. It is simple to set up - follow directions at the top of the Amazon for 'Amazon Smile' then find their non profit charity. Once you set it up, save a bookmark for every time you use Amazon)
  • Kitchen Gram Scale
    • This gets the most use out of everything in our kit. We track everyone’s weights weekly. Pregnant mom’s and under 2 week old babies daily.
  • Syringes in different sizes
    • .5, 1ml and 5ml are what we use most often - A great thing to do when young is to fill a syringe with honey water and feed the rat this as a treat. They will then know yummies come from the thing that may hold medicine one day.
  • Dark Chocolate chips
    • We give these to our ratties once a week as a treat along with being great to use when they are having a little myco flair up. The dark cacao contains theobromine with is a natural chemical that helps stimulates the cardiovascular system. It also contains theophylline, this relaxes the lungs and opens the air passages making it easier to breathe. Together they help the rat be able to breathe better.
  • Cool mist Humidifier
    • The best humidity for a rat’s environment is at least 50%
  • Coconut oil
    • We use coconut oil for just about anything. It is amazing for dry skin, and feeding those that need just a little more.
  • Saline Wash
    • We like this formula but just the liquid in a squeeze bottle works fine
  • Baytril
    • Do not refrigerate this. Once opened VERY short shelf life.
  • Amoxicillin
    • 250 mg
  • Doxycycline
    • 100 mg
  • Benadryl
    • Capsules also work great.
  • Infant Ibuprofen
    • You can substitute children’s but you will have to give them A LOT more. Often not easy when not feeling well.
  • Styptic Powder
    • Cornstarch works really well too!
  • Cotton Balls and Q-tips
    • NEVER put anything into the rats ear. Only use to clean along the outside
  • Extra Fleece
    • Try to buy remnants this will save you a lot of money!
  • Salted Caramel Torani Coffee Syrup
    • We have tried several flavors but find that our ratties prefer this flavor over all others
  • Revolution
    • We treat all of our ratties 4 times a year to coordinate with our litters leaving and shows. This gives both those babies in their new homes with new bedding etc and the ones we bring to the shows a bit of protection from picking something up.
  • Airtight containers for mixed meds
    • We really like the spice jars for this
  • Stethoscope
    • Many hold a rat to their ear to see how lungs sound but once you use a stethoscope you will understand the need for one. The air flowing through the lungs in a healthy rattie will sound like a whoosh whoosh like wind blowing. In a rat that is fighting something you will still hear the healthy whoosh noise but may also hear crackles, wheezes, squeaking, clicking or other things that do not belong.
  • Pedialyte
    • Love that this comes in powder now! No more having to freeze the extra in ice cube trays.
  • Flashlight
    • A good led light to see things - phones lights are great but I often need the light held by someone while I am trying to take a good picture to send to the vet or ask on RRWK fb group.
  • Fingernail clippers
    • We use just regular clippers to trim the ratties before adoption and before shows
  • Eyedroppers
    • Do not use these very often but have to flush out a small wound.
  • Peroxide
    • Used very sparingly. Always diluted
  • Socks with Toes cut off
    • These come in handy when dealing with a rat that is scared/hurt to protect my hands and arms. I have also used it to put on a rat to keep them still while I cleaned a wound.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
    • We use this in our water bottles along to clean off the cage.
  • Scissors
    • Small, sharp are always a must!
  • Tweezers
    • A good pair is hard to not loose!
  • Heating Pad
    • You can also stuff rice into an old sock and heat it up in microwave.
  • Wire Cutters
    • For a rattie stuck in the cage (it happens)
  • Emergency cage
    • for transport to vet/or separating the injured. Often use a cage carrier or one of our show boxes
  • Can of Pumpkin
    • This is used when we are treating with antibiotics. It really helps with their stools.
  • Bene-Bac Probiotic
    • We give this to our weaning ratties along with the mama. We also use this after a round of antibiotics.
  • Baby Food in Jars
    • Always good to have ‘just in case’ you need to supplement a rat that needs just a bit more
  • Neosporin
    • Very rarely do we use this on the rats - often it ends up expired and never opened.
  • Raw Honey
    • There are so many different types of honeys. It is great to use on small wounds. Also to make sweet water to teach the ratties how to lick from a syringe.
  • Vetericyn Utility Gel
    • We LOVE this stuff. It has been used on all of our animals from rats, chickens to dogs and horses
  • Soy Formula for Babies
    • There are many different types of this. I have not found any without iron (that is what is recommended for orphaned ratties) I use this mixed with powdered rat block to feed not only our babies but the older ratties that are needing a bit of calories.
  • Mini Miracle Nipples
    • We just discovered these and love them!
If you are wanting even more ideas of what to add to your own Rat Kit check out Real Rat Lovers Want to Know fb group. They have a more detailed list in their files. You can also look at The Rat Guide which has helpful information for your veterinarian along with a detailed emergency kit listed.


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