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UH OH! I made a big mistake and need some advice

Just wanted to update every one on these little guys. They are eating just fine and growing like weeds. It looks as though Patch is a girl too! :crazy02:
 
That's great, Becky. I'm sure you were heartsick over your mistake. Good to hear that the babies are doing well. Patch is absolutely adorable...she'll make beautiful patchlets for you!
 
bekers71 said:
Just wanted to update every one on these little guys. They are eating just fine and growing like weeds. It looks as though Patch is a girl too! :crazy02:
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I'm really glad to hear this! :crazy02: I figured everything would be okay. :D

And send Patch to me.


Please? :p
 
Been raising rats for quite awhile (13 yrs on and off) and I'll tell you this: I no longer record dates for the babies as I have learned to recognize when they're weanable (often moms will continue nursing huge babies WAY past weaning age.) If they're ears are mostly standing up, they're FINE, you don't need to supplement ANYTHING. If they're young, timid and their ears are still mostly flattened to their head (assuming open eyes), they're still FINE, but you might add a little goat milk to their food for a few more days (ears up = 3 1/2 wks, perfect to wean...ears down = 3 wks, okay to wean, but might need some supps.)
Sorry to hear you lost a good female, but sometimes we forget & feed off ones we planned to save! (I've done it too! But...I have far too many rats anyway...they're just too easy to keep!)

Take care & good luck!
 
Hey Becky, are your rats fairly good tempered? My little sister is gonna be looking for a pair of females in future (could be a year or two) as pets. They would be VERY well cared for... Just sayin'. :)
 
Green Oasis Reptiles said:
Been raising rats for quite awhile (13 yrs on and off) and I'll tell you this: I no longer record dates for the babies as I have learned to recognize when they're weanable (often moms will continue nursing huge babies WAY past weaning age.) If they're ears are mostly standing up, they're FINE, you don't need to supplement ANYTHING. If they're young, timid and their ears are still mostly flattened to their head (assuming open eyes), they're still FINE, but you might add a little goat milk to their food for a few more days (ears up = 3 1/2 wks, perfect to wean...ears down = 3 wks, okay to wean, but might need some supps.)
Sorry to hear you lost a good female, but sometimes we forget & feed off ones we planned to save! (I've done it too! But...I have far too many rats anyway...they're just too easy to keep!)

Take care & good luck!
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Thanks for the information. It may come in helpful if some thing happens in the future.

Emily1188 said:
Hey Becky, are your rats fairly good tempered? My little sister is gonna be looking for a pair of females in future (could be a year or two) as pets. They would be VERY well cared for... Just sayin'. :)
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Actually they are pretty calm. My kids can't help but to start holding or touching them when they are pretty small. I guess the cute little baby faces are just irresistible. :)
 
Emily1188 said:
Hey Becky, are your rats fairly good tempered? My little sister is gonna be looking for a pair of females in future (could be a year or two) as pets. They would be VERY well cared for... Just sayin'. :)
Click to expand...

To add on to Bekers' answer, rats are overall one of the most mild-mannered small animals I've ever encountered. I've had about a dozen of them in the past, and only been bitten twice. Both times it was because *I* was doing something stupid. (For instance, bringing home new babies, popping them into their new cage, and then immediately putting my face up against the bars to get a closer look. Poor scared ratties!)

While any small critter can be just as sweet, I've just found that rats are more tame to start out with. And also, even when I think I've finally figured them out, they will still surprise me with how smart they are! They are a lot of fun that way.

Of course, there are always exceptions, but IME with rats & other small critters... the rats are much more friendly and forgiving, and develop very strong bonds with their owners. :) The only bummer is that their lifespans are so short... it's unfair!


Sorry, to threadjack a little from the OP, but I hope it helps! :D
 
I met ONE nice rat in my life. He was a released lab rat that a guy I knew had adopted from a rescue. The rat was blind and the vet was fairly sure he could no longer smell, but he was the most cuddly thing I ever saw. I had 2 girls of my own for 5 months. The whole time (post adjust period) I got bit no matter what. Changing the water- bit, feeding- bit, giving a new toy - bit. They may have been badly inbred though. The breeder did not give me the promised pedigrees. So, it depends on the rat and the source.
 
Rats are by far one of the most intelligent and social animals out there. It's almost a shame to use them for feeders, but we do (I said "almost"!) ;^)
I had a rat here a few months ago that I had meant to euthanize with a bunch of others (was just waiting for him to get a little bigger) & then I forgot to euthanize him & he got TOO big. I brought him in to show hubby, who exclaimed, "WOW, what a monster!" Two-year old (human child) went crazy over him (he's a pretty beige), and we decided to let her "keep" him for a pet. Now, mynd you, that this guy had been pretty much on his own for a couple of months, not messed with, not played with...just fed & watered...but he is the most MELLOW & sweet rat you could ever want. (In fact, you can do a search on youtube for "Emily & Her Pet Rat" & see!) I don't know if it's just good genetics or the fact that he was lonely for so long, but he just loves attention. Whenever I stick my hand in to feed or mess with stuff in there, he just sits and waits for me to pet him (he especially loves the "ear rub"!)
We try our best to breed for personality as well as looks (even if they are mostly feeders, I still want nice & pretty rats!), so if I have one that is particularly anti-social or bitey, I euthanize them rather than letting them continue to pass on that trait. Some of them, of course, just don't care for the initial "pick up" and that's okay, they're just not used to the handling, but once they get used to that, they should be fine.
If you want to see a great demonstration on the intelligence & trainability of rats, while you're at youtube, you can do a search for "trained rat", "rat training" or "rat basketball" (Yes, they can even learn that!)
 
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