need some advice on my rats
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G
Guest
·Yes two rats can be fine together (although a trio is always better), but I am sitting here open mouthed that you are seriously considering splitting a bonded group (with NO issues) just so your friend can have two....... :incazzato:
As for the rest, every rat is different just as people are different. As the babies came from another pet shop they could have come from a genetically skittish line, or it could just mean they are girls that like to keep themselves to themselves.
As for the rest, every rat is different just as people are different. As the babies came from another pet shop they could have come from a genetically skittish line, or it could just mean they are girls that like to keep themselves to themselves.
G
Guest
·If you have time for two (as you say you free range in the shed so 4 take up no more time) then you have time for four.
If you don't have time for them well you know my answer to that one....
They all 3 came from the same place, most likely litter mates or from the same/similar lines. Pet shops don't care about genetics remember
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4,618 Posts
You don't have time for them? Well maybe you should of thought of that before you went out and got them.
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206 Posts
how old are your girls? remember that babies and does don't always like sitting still and have more of a go go go attitude (this can mellow with age). how have you tried taming them? i usually sit (or stand if they like to run away) with them on my shoulder, in my hood, or in my hoodie pocket for about twenty minutes 2-3 times a day. This allows them to see you as a safe place.
its very difficult to have too many rats :laugh:, separating them will do nothing, i have had large groups in the past, and all were lovely and tame.
The small store would have got their rats from a similar place as pets at home, where rats will have had no handling, or human contact. GOOD breeders are always the best bet for rats that are tame and handled from birth, but rememberer any rat can become shy if not handled enough/correctly. Rescue rats can also be lovely and tame.
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thats the biggest load of crap ive heard in a long time. i work, i work bloody hard in my job, its exhausting mentally and physically. i travel 15 miles to work and then another 15 miles back again, i do shift work in a elderly care home, yet i still have time to run my own flat, pay the bills and look after 28 rats. i have rats who are cage aggressive and bite when you put your hand near them, i have others who run when i come near the cage but will sniff my hand when i stay still, i have others who hate being held, ones that squeal when i pick them up, others who flock at the cage door to see me and give me kisses, ones who climb up the bars to sit on my shoulders. rats have different personalities, many rats dont like being picked up, you just perseveir. you dont just give up and keep threatening to give them up because they have different personalities.
i wonder how you are with your hamsters and if you threaten to get rid if them too. there cages take up more room and it takes more time to freerange individual hamsters.
i think you need to grow up and actually think before you get these animals that need your time and care. by all means give them up, we wouldnt expect any less.
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3,522 Posts
Like all animals rats are individuals and some wont' want cuddles whereas others will. The fact that they weren't handled properly at a critical age will be making handling socialising harder, it's all just down to perseverance and patience, just as it is with any animal.
As for using the excuse of not having time with your new business as a reason to rehome them, I for one don't find that acceptable and I'm sure most people would agree. Most people who think about going into business for themselves properly will have taken many months to plan it before even considering taking that step. And in that time you should have considered allowing the time needed for your pets. Certainly, given that you only got these rats in March/April, I would have imagined that you were at least considering a business at that point, so you shouldn't even have considered adding more animals until you decided what you were going to do. Now that you have these animals you have a commitment to them and 4 rats do not take up anymore time than 2, if you can find the time to let one cage of two rats out to freerange and be handled, cleaned out and fed etc in one night, then a cage of four rats will take no longer to deal with given that they all live together and can be dealt with at the same time. If you find that your new business is taking up so much of your time, I certainly hope that you don't plan to add any new additions, which is something that you seemed interested in doing not that long ago with accaia rats. Many people have numerous small and large animals and work well beyond normal UK working hours (whether working from home or an office or what not) and still manage to find time for their menagerie. Take my vet for instance who works a minimum of 50 hours a week and yet still finds time for her ferrets, cats, gerbils and all 40 odd mice, not counting all the litters she breeds and the pregnant groups she is taking in to help out a rescue. It's all about setting your priorities and managing your time properly.
As for using the excuse of not having time with your new business as a reason to rehome them, I for one don't find that acceptable and I'm sure most people would agree. Most people who think about going into business for themselves properly will have taken many months to plan it before even considering taking that step. And in that time you should have considered allowing the time needed for your pets. Certainly, given that you only got these rats in March/April, I would have imagined that you were at least considering a business at that point, so you shouldn't even have considered adding more animals until you decided what you were going to do. Now that you have these animals you have a commitment to them and 4 rats do not take up anymore time than 2, if you can find the time to let one cage of two rats out to freerange and be handled, cleaned out and fed etc in one night, then a cage of four rats will take no longer to deal with given that they all live together and can be dealt with at the same time. If you find that your new business is taking up so much of your time, I certainly hope that you don't plan to add any new additions, which is something that you seemed interested in doing not that long ago with accaia rats. Many people have numerous small and large animals and work well beyond normal UK working hours (whether working from home or an office or what not) and still manage to find time for their menagerie. Take my vet for instance who works a minimum of 50 hours a week and yet still finds time for her ferrets, cats, gerbils and all 40 odd mice, not counting all the litters she breeds and the pregnant groups she is taking in to help out a rescue. It's all about setting your priorities and managing your time properly.
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8,595 Posts
I am gobsmacked too Laura!
I work 4 nights a week 10 hour shifts.
I come home and get all 7 rats out in the rat room for half an hour while I feed them and do waters up.
I go bed then get up and do what I need to do then at 7pm all the rats come out again!
Girls are more on the go it's just there nature to not sit still.
You can't really keep one of the youngsters becuz Tia is 15 months old when she dies your left with the youngster on her own. This is why 3 is better than 2.
As for the pet shop you bought the 3 from did the owner or breeder of the rats tell you if the mum and dad rats he bred from came from healthy back ground? Did he show you the paper work as to which rats he's used in the past and the ones who have suffered with respiratory infections or tumours? No? Well this is why most good rat owners go to a good reputable rat breeder so that you get healthy rats! This is the reason why you shouldn't buy from pet stores.
Laura I've lost 4 rats this year all from pet shops two were from pets at home and they died of a pituitary tumour on the brain and the other one had a massive tumour on his side which burst! Now if I had gotten these 4 from a good breeder they would still be with me now no doubt. The youngest was 13 months old!
I shall never buy from pet shops again, I have two rats here from a breeder and they are fine.
If you really are serious about giving two away becuz you haven't time for them then I'd suggest letting all 4 go!
They must have such a close bond by now and you want to go in and split the group up just because you can't manage 4???
Advertise them on fancy rats forum rehoming and let someone else take all 4 on.
I work 4 nights a week 10 hour shifts.
I come home and get all 7 rats out in the rat room for half an hour while I feed them and do waters up.
I go bed then get up and do what I need to do then at 7pm all the rats come out again!
Girls are more on the go it's just there nature to not sit still.
You can't really keep one of the youngsters becuz Tia is 15 months old when she dies your left with the youngster on her own. This is why 3 is better than 2.
As for the pet shop you bought the 3 from did the owner or breeder of the rats tell you if the mum and dad rats he bred from came from healthy back ground? Did he show you the paper work as to which rats he's used in the past and the ones who have suffered with respiratory infections or tumours? No? Well this is why most good rat owners go to a good reputable rat breeder so that you get healthy rats! This is the reason why you shouldn't buy from pet stores.
Laura I've lost 4 rats this year all from pet shops two were from pets at home and they died of a pituitary tumour on the brain and the other one had a massive tumour on his side which burst! Now if I had gotten these 4 from a good breeder they would still be with me now no doubt. The youngest was 13 months old!
I shall never buy from pet shops again, I have two rats here from a breeder and they are fine.
If you really are serious about giving two away becuz you haven't time for them then I'd suggest letting all 4 go!
They must have such a close bond by now and you want to go in and split the group up just because you can't manage 4???
Advertise them on fancy rats forum rehoming and let someone else take all 4 on.
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Yer, but you have to consider the chances of change before ou get an animal
G
Guest
·Now why was that again.... Oh yeah because you decided to go out and acquire one rat to "See if they are for me or not"
Maybe it has turned out that rats aren't for you then, maybe just stick to the hamsters and mice that you seem to rave on about being so good all the time..
Why is it these days that as soon as life starts getting a little bit difficult the poor pets are the first ones to be rehomed/got rid of (pick whichever one applies), why can't people just accept their responsibility? You buy a pet, then you care for that pet until they no longer need you.
Yes there are real genuine cases of animals needing to be rehomed due to certain circumstances, sorry Wobbles dearest your excuse isn't a valid one to split your bonded group up. And quite frankly considering you told me that you are older than 18 (it's a shame the thread where you said you were younger has been deleted huh?) your attitude towards your pets disgusts me....... :thumbdown:
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3,723 Posts
no i would not get rid of half my rats. i have half of those rats because people like you couldnt look after theirs properly, so people like me, and many others on here take them on instead, most of the time in awful conditions with illnesses that cost alot to heal.
but thats alright, because a silly little girl on a forum wants me to get rid of half my rats i will just give those rats up again, shall i? :rolleyes5: :rolleyes5: :rolleyes5: :thumbdown:
ive bought some of my rats from breeders and some from pet shops. but many are rescues, some that i travelled 280miles to get.
a few years ago me and another breeder who rescues travelled to rushden to get 21 rats from a women who got 3 rats from [email protected] and let them freerange together resulting in babies, she then let them freerange together again and have another litter. they had 27 rats that her 6 year old son was looking after, but the reason she gave them up was because she couldnt afford to feed them. when we came they were on sawdust so soaked with urine it was a mass of it, the only toys they had were a tube each which was so chewed they wouldnt play in it. there were 8+ rats in a mary sized cage, all were so tiny they would have been mistaken for 8 week old rats. they were 6 months old and older.
i took 6 of those boys myself, made them healthy, feed them, cleaned them, gave them what they need.
i got 1 boy from my vets after another customer dropped him off after finding him in her garden. the owner had let him loose. they knew i had male rats so they gave him to me to foster until the owner came forward, they didnt so a year later i still have the cage aggressive, rat aggressive rat.
or the elderly boy i have who i got from a 'rescue' who had over 125 rats due to hoarding, and had to give half her rats to another rescue as she couldnt cope. i took the lone male on, he is rat aggressive while showing no signs of hormones.
or the pet shop boys who they couldnt sell because they were older and skittish, they dont like being held and run when you try to touch them.
or the rescue that was given to a breeder who was dominating to other rats, human shy and aggressive. now he will come to the bars of the cage, let me stroke him, pick him up, and he lives with the 2 pet shop boys above.
or the other rescue i have were a young boy suddenly decided to get 2 rats from a store, 4 weeks later he decided he couldnt look after them, didnt have the time, so he wanted to get rid. i ended up with them, 1 died at 5.5 months, the other is now just over 1 and living with a group of breeder bred and pet shop boys.
ive got plenty of other stories i could tell you about the rats ive rescued, and you think i should just give up on them :thumbdown: you simply have no idea at all do you? do you know that there are other people out in the real world who pick up the pieces after people who suddenly decide to go and get a pet on impulse, then they pick up the pieces and the bills that go with it.
you want ideas to help you with these rats? spend time with them like everyone else on here does.
but thats alright, because a silly little girl on a forum wants me to get rid of half my rats i will just give those rats up again, shall i? :rolleyes5: :rolleyes5: :rolleyes5: :thumbdown:
ive bought some of my rats from breeders and some from pet shops. but many are rescues, some that i travelled 280miles to get.
a few years ago me and another breeder who rescues travelled to rushden to get 21 rats from a women who got 3 rats from [email protected] and let them freerange together resulting in babies, she then let them freerange together again and have another litter. they had 27 rats that her 6 year old son was looking after, but the reason she gave them up was because she couldnt afford to feed them. when we came they were on sawdust so soaked with urine it was a mass of it, the only toys they had were a tube each which was so chewed they wouldnt play in it. there were 8+ rats in a mary sized cage, all were so tiny they would have been mistaken for 8 week old rats. they were 6 months old and older.
i took 6 of those boys myself, made them healthy, feed them, cleaned them, gave them what they need.
i got 1 boy from my vets after another customer dropped him off after finding him in her garden. the owner had let him loose. they knew i had male rats so they gave him to me to foster until the owner came forward, they didnt so a year later i still have the cage aggressive, rat aggressive rat.
or the elderly boy i have who i got from a 'rescue' who had over 125 rats due to hoarding, and had to give half her rats to another rescue as she couldnt cope. i took the lone male on, he is rat aggressive while showing no signs of hormones.
or the pet shop boys who they couldnt sell because they were older and skittish, they dont like being held and run when you try to touch them.
or the rescue that was given to a breeder who was dominating to other rats, human shy and aggressive. now he will come to the bars of the cage, let me stroke him, pick him up, and he lives with the 2 pet shop boys above.
or the other rescue i have were a young boy suddenly decided to get 2 rats from a store, 4 weeks later he decided he couldnt look after them, didnt have the time, so he wanted to get rid. i ended up with them, 1 died at 5.5 months, the other is now just over 1 and living with a group of breeder bred and pet shop boys.
ive got plenty of other stories i could tell you about the rats ive rescued, and you think i should just give up on them :thumbdown: you simply have no idea at all do you? do you know that there are other people out in the real world who pick up the pieces after people who suddenly decide to go and get a pet on impulse, then they pick up the pieces and the bills that go with it.
you want ideas to help you with these rats? spend time with them like everyone else on here does.
G
Guest
·As usual you fail to see the point, your obviously not thinking of the rats best interest if you're considering splitting them up
I will put it in simple terms because maybe I'm not explaining myself properly...
If you don't have time for your rats then rehome the GROUP together, if you're not willing to do that then man up and deal with the fact life changes.
Personally I don't get why your first thought was to split an already bonded group that live in one cage, rather than a few of your multiple hamsters that live in INDIVIDUAL cages that can't be free ranged together. It just doesn't make sense to me, in fact I will even go as far to say that to me it looks like the ONLY reason why you considered the rats was because they didn't fulfill YOUR needs (i.e. they don't snuggle up to you like you want them to) so might as well get "rid" huh? :incazzato:
I will put it in simple terms because maybe I'm not explaining myself properly...
If you don't have time for your rats then rehome the GROUP together, if you're not willing to do that then man up and deal with the fact life changes.
Personally I don't get why your first thought was to split an already bonded group that live in one cage, rather than a few of your multiple hamsters that live in INDIVIDUAL cages that can't be free ranged together. It just doesn't make sense to me, in fact I will even go as far to say that to me it looks like the ONLY reason why you considered the rats was because they didn't fulfill YOUR needs (i.e. they don't snuggle up to you like you want them to) so might as well get "rid" huh? :incazzato:
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1,941 Posts
People on here made you go and buy more rats? As in frogmarched you to the pet store & stood there whilst you bought 3 pet shop rats? If you didn't want to take their advice you didn't have to go to the pet shop and buy more rats. You could have ignored the advice. You have ignored advice before so what was different this time. Things are never your fault are they? I feel sorry for your animals, I really do. You have an attitude that beggars belief.
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