1. Which is better...males or females? 2. My babies are biting me. How do I curb this? 3. Is it true that wire cages cause bumblefoot? 4. What does Dumbo and Rex mean? 5. My rat is sneezing, what should I do? 6. I think my rats are fighting. They're leaving sores on each other. 7. My rats have mites. What should I do? 8. Do I need to bathe my rats? What's the best way to do this?
I get asked this question quite a bit. It's certainly a personal choice. I was going to make a pro/con list, but pro and con are also personal opinion, so here's a list of 'points'. Rats are individuals, so most of the things attributed to one sex or another are 'general rules' and there's always exceptions to any rule. I would be hard pressed to pick my favorite. I tend to recommend females for young girls that are new to rats and males to young boys just starting out. But it's such a personal choice. I do know that you'll fall in love no matter what sex you end up with :-) Both are equally attentive and affectionate. Both are equally intelligent and trainable.
One cage, with a pair or trio of rats is the best way to go. You have one cage to clean once a week and your rats have all of your attention. It's a win/win situation. 2 cages to clean and having to worry about equal time out makes the experience dangerously close to something akin to work :-) 2. My babies are biting me. How can I curb this? Your babies are testing and tasting. It's quite normal for babies to do this. They're like toddlers or puppies. Everything goes into their mouths. They're actually learning. They'll be familiar with the feel and taste of your finger and you're less likely to get an accidental nip when they're adults, when it would really hurt. As babies, they don't have the jaw strength to really hurt you even if they wanted to. If you have a kiddo that's scared by this behavior, explain to her that he's playing with her like a puppy would and sit with her and show her that he's playing. Let him grab your finger, play with him, shake his head a bit and then tickle him all over. Let her offer a knuckle and do the same so she can see it doesn't hurt. When they put their teeth on you, you don't want to jerk back in fear. You might get an accidental scrape from the teeth and it'll scare and confuse the baby. There's also no need to reprimand the baby. He'll grow out of it on his own. If he does get a little rougher than you like, just make the universal "ACK" noise. You know, the one you make at your husband when you catch him trying to stick his finger in the frosting of the cake you just made for company. This noise seems to work well for animals, children and husbands alike. :-) 3. Is it true that wire cages cause bumblefoot? This is an on-going debate among rat fanciers. It's a common notion that walking on wire causes bumblefoot. There is simply no evidence to support this. Bumblefoot is a staph infection. The germs enter thru tiny cuts or abrasions on the feet. Certainly, if a rat is constantly on wire, it's going to hurt his little feet. But if he has a place to get off of the wire occasionally, he'll be fine. Completely solid shelving is easy on the feet, however, walking around or laying in dried urine is absolutely a breeding ground for infection. Tiny cuts or abrasions can happen in lots of different ways. So if you have solid shelves, you will have to be diligent in keeping it clean. So with all that said, the truth is that it's a personal choice. If you choose wire shelving, make sure they have a solid bottom and places to get off the wire (fabric, hammocks, etc). If you choose to go with solid shelving, make sure you wipe it down daily. 4. What does dumbo and rex mean? Dumbo refers to the ears. A dumbo rat has ears that are set lower and rounder than the normal top eared rats. This does NOT change anything else about the rat. Rex refers to the coat. A rex's fur is curly. More accurately, a rexes hair is wavey, fuzzy or poofy. :-) Here's a page with picture examples on it. 5. My rat is sneezing, what should I do? All pet rats carry mycoplasma. This is the bane of all rat fanciers. Hopefully, your rat's immune system will be strong enough to fight it. However, certain factors in your rats life can significantly lower the immune system and allow the myco to take hold. When this happens you'll notice sneezing, perhaps some red discharge around the nose. This is poryphin, not blood. It's the normal color of rat tears and nasal discharge. IMPORTANT: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRY SNEEZES. IF THE SNEEZES ARE WET AND THERE IS A LOT OF THE RED STAINING AROUND THEIR NOSE AND/OR EYES, OR IF YOU HEAR CONGESTION IN THE CHEST, IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO AHEAD AND GET THEM TO A VET FOR SOME ANTIBIOTICS. THEY CAN GO DOWNHILL SO VERY FAST.
Here is a list of factors that can lower your rats immune system: 1. poor diet. That's all I can think of at the moment :-) I'm sure there are others. Never hesitate to contact me if you have questions. 6. I think my rats are fighting. They're leaving sores on each other. If the wounds are more on the rump and tend to be slashes or cuts instead of tiny puncture wounds, then you might have a true aggression problem. If they've lived happily up until now and one rat seems to be the aggressor, it might be hormonal changes in your boy. It tends to hit around 5-6 months of age. Neutering is a big help here. If the rats are new to each other, it's important to introduce them properly. Here are some links about that, until I can write up my own. 7. My rats have mites. What should I do? The best treatment for mites is simply Ivermectin 1.87%. It's sold as horsewormer and comes in a giant syringe. 8. Do I need to bathe my rats? What is the best way to do this? If it's just a little freshening up that they need, you can use a damp cloth or a baby wipe. They also make special bath wipes for kittens and ferrets. You can use those.
As far as bathing them on a regular basis like you would your dog, that isn't necessary. They constantly groom themselves and stay fairly clean (if they're cage is clean) But, sometimes the little stinkers get into something and it becomes necessary to give them a helping hand. Note: If your rat has recurrent respiratory problems or is extremely stressed by the bath, it's best to use the wipes. First, have everything on hand that you'll need. A sink of warm water (Test it with your elbow like you would for a baby), shampoo (baby shampoo, kitten shampoo, or for your adult males, you can use Dawn dishwashing liquid..it works great on the buck grease. Just be sure to rinse it very well.) and two towels. You might want to wear long sleeves and wrap a towel around your neck (trust me lol) Some rats don't mind and some of them will think you're trying to kill them.
Dunk the rat's body in the water and get him wet. Of course, you don't want to put his head under water. Take him out and put him on the towel and soap him up. Again, don't do his head. He's probably squeaking and carrying on pretty good. Just talk to him and assure him he'll be fine. He won't believe you, but do it anyway :-) Several times, I've soaped up my little guy while he clings to my chest...whatever works :-)
Now, dunk him back in the water and rinse him as well as you can. Pull the plug and now you'll need to run some warm water from the tap. Don't turn it on too hard. This part usually scares them. But you'll need to rinse them in the running water to make sure you get all the soap off. Wrap them in a towel and dry them as good as you can. He's probably be pretty pissed at this point. But if you think he'll let you, you can fluff dry him a little with the cool setting on the hair dryer. But unless it's drafty in your house, I usually just let them air dry. He'll go off in a corner and groom himself and give you dirty looks. Sometimes, I'll have a load of towels waiting to go in the wash. I throw the towels in the bathtub and let the freshly washed rats burrow in them while they dry and pout. That works great. A favorite yummy treat right now would really speed up the forgiveness process :-)
Warm Fuzzies Rattery is Located in Mineral Wells, TX (DFW)
"You become responsible forever for what you have tamed."
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