Posted 05 August 2013 - 03:43 AM
The second set of four - I decided to wait a bit to start them on the c60 mostly to spread the cost out, they are younger (8 months or less)
All females
Age wise, the only thing I know for sure is that all of them were four months or less on April 11, 2013, which is when they came to me. They were babies born from Momma rats that were rescued from another closing rescue, after the babies were born that rescue closed and they came to our rescue. They were my fosters until I decided to adopt them. Genetics play a part in life span... if these rats came from "feeder breeders" or a pet store, where rats or bred with no concern for health and often in terrible conditions, there is no telling how good or bad their genetic history is. Two of my girls (Casey and Mila) walk with their back legs lower than all of my others. They are way too young for this, this is usually a sign of age and something called Hind End Degeneration. There is a demyelination of the nerves back there and it makes them weak. However, they have strong legs so I don't know exactly why they walk like this.
Minnie - female, black berkshire
she is the smallest and I personally believe that she was 2-3 months when I got her, I'd est. her DOB in Feb 2013
spayed on 6/25/13
current weight is 317 g
She's a very friendly girl, loves people, likes to be held and to play. Very energetic.
Willow - female American Blue
I think she was about 3 months on April 11,13 est DOB March 2013
spayed on 6/25/13
current weight 352 g
She is very friendly and loves playtime. She is a strong jumper and is very daring. Energetic.
Casey - female Russian Blue
prob 4 months on 4/11/13 est DOB Jan 2013
spayed on 7/23/13
current weight 392 g
She loves people, loves to hang out on your shoulder. Easy going. She sometimes gets picked by more active girls. She's more vocal than most rats. She is one of the low walkers. Her walk looks a little like a waddle in the back but she gets around just fine. You wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it.
Mila - female Black Berkshire
est DOB Jan 2013
spayed 7/23/13
current weight 392 g
She's the most skittish rat, but is coming out of her shell. You can tell by the nipples on her belly that she's had babies. (Rats can get pregnant as early as 5 weeks old). She's has a rougher coat than the standard coat so she probably has some rex in her. In pictures her coat may appear to be unhealthy compared to the others but it's just her coat type.
*Lucy, in the first four has a Velveteen coat, so she also will never appear shiny like a standard coat.
All eight live together in a Double Critter Nation. It's 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide, and 2 ft deep.There are two full levels and three or four half shelves at any given time. I constantly rearrange their cage to keep them from getting bored. All the ramps are taken out except for one fixed one to encourage more activity. Most of them are litter trained. They have a large wheel in the cage - Measha, Mila, and Minnie use it the most. The others hardly at all. They also have lots of toys, hammocks, tunnels, and things to climb. The floors are solid plastic pans that are covered with a towel (or other absorbent layer) and then fleece. Their little boxes have paper pellet cat littler in them. I take them out every day. They have a play area with lots of climbing toys and I usually get in there and sit and play with them. I try to keep them out for about an hour for exercise. They also individually get taken out and played with by me and other members of the family at random times.
There are two water bottles, one on each level. Twice a week they get a water bottle with vitamins in it which they drink up very quickly. I feed them once a day, late at night (10 or 11 pm). They get a mixture that is mostly Oxbow Regal Rat with a lot different types of grains. They get 130-140 g of this food (I'm still working out the perfect amount of food for them). I scatter and hide their all over the cage. On top of this I give them a bowl of veggies (this frequently includes blueberries as well). The list of various veggies is very long, but the staples are kale, dandelion greens, broccoli, tomato, and bell peppers.
As for the first four and their behavior and social description - All four are very relaxed with people, they are super sweet and love to be held and played with. Health wise - I am hyper-sensitive when it comes to their health. They were likely on antibiotics more than they should have been in their first year. I've gotten better and have learned from some people about what to worry about, and what is not a big deal. I think they are generally in good health but I worry all the time. I worry the most about Lucy as her mother had a very hard time taking care of the little early on. The whole litter had to be sent to another person for several weeks for round the clock help and monitoring. There were two runts who almost didn't make it, she was not one of them though.
The two boys, Jasper and Pip, will make on and off make a whistling sound when they breath. They saw the vet for it, he says that it is possible scar tissue in the upper resp system from prior infections. It could also be an allergy to something. Lucy occasionally makes a chirpy/grunting sound - same thing, possible scar tissue or congestion. I have noticed it less in the past three months though. Measha is probably the healthiest of those four, I've had very little problems with her.
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