Starting a family

[_dogma_]

Originally Posted by Takhisis

I want an Explorer They look fab!
(Just as bad as GMR is GMC )

I have an Explorer *giggle with delight *

It's not built yet though, they're not moving till we move!

[Tak]

Originally Posted by _dogma_

I have an Explorer *giggle with delight *

It's not built yet though, they're not moving till we move!

My friend Jayne has one too - nooooo fair!!!

[SidewinderINC]

Originally Posted by Takhisis

It does look like a very nice cage - plenty of space for hammocks and ladders and toys Using the cage calculator it says it can hold up to 6 rats too Free p&p too

Also has wheels, so if I'm being loud in the living room, they can go to the bedroom.. or would moving their cage around be ill advised?

And I'm guessing they'd keep me up at night if they were permanently in my room?

[Tak]

I can sleep through them but Piggy and Des had problems with Rincewind attacking the wooden toys and evicted them to the hallway

Mine don't have too much of a problem with either noise or being moved (but the old boys don't like the cage being at ground level as they can't see what's going on and then they sulk :/ ) but I was tempted by the Furet XL Ferret cage because of the wheels - easier for me to clean out when I'm all on my lonesome

[SidewinderINC]

If they're ok with noise then it'll be alright - obviously I don't wanna traumatise them with a weekend of COD4 and booze when adam comes over once every 6 weeks - that gets quite rowdy (yes rowdy, not raunchy or randy!!!)

[Tak]

It might take a few times for them to get use to it. With any skittish rats I've gotten into the habit of leaving the tv on kerrang during the day and slowly, over a few days, turning the volume up, so they get use to different loud noises.

(cut and paste from my facebook note)
So last night Lois and Claire dropped round Reg, the rat formally known as Harry.
Of all the new names I had thought of before hand, Reg wasn't one of them but when Claire mentioned he had had some necrotic flesh after his de-nadding, it seemed fate that he was going to end up named after a discworld zombie.
Mr Slant didn't just have the right ring to it, so instead he is Reg Shoe (this does follow on my my recent stint of using names from the watch too).

[Snuggle Ferret]

(cut and paste from my facebook note)

Strange .. can't see that

Welcome, Reg, to the rat house :-)

[Tak]

Well intros with Reg aren't going too well yet, Vimes has lost a chunk of fur, Cmot got a nice scratch to his rump and I got a bloody knuckle separating them Even when all wound up no-one has deliberately gone for me though *touch wood* so that's a good sigh at least.

Reg was denadded about 4 weeks ago and it took Cmot 2-3 months to start to calm down so I am hoping the same will happen with Reg. He has always been a lone rat but I really hope he doesn't stay that way. Because of the lack of hormones, his fur has gone super soft (which makes him look ever so funny when he fluffs up as he does just look like a poofball).

Out of curiosity I stuck Carrot into the scales last night, they're only cheapo ones so not amazingly accurate and trying to get rats to sit still isn't the easiest of things to do but it was reading at somewhere over 700g The heaviest I've had before was Greebo who topped out about 610-620ish. They say 500-800g is about the general area for male rats. He doesn't seem to be fat though - he is just chunky

Dibbler is on antibiotics for a chest infection. Both him and Greebo are starting to look their age Because they came from a pet shop I don't really know their age but I would guess they were born beginning of the August we got them so they are coming up to being 2 years old soon.

[_dogma_]

Intro-ing boys seems so difficult.

If Carrot doesn't look fat then I wouldn't say he was too heavy
Squeak is 500g and HUGE but she's not got any loose skin or anything. Munchkin is only about 300g at most but she's not too skinny either. They range in weight so so much!

[Tak]

Originally Posted by _dogma_

Intro-ing boys seems so difficult.

I've had mixed experiences - Rincewind would not accept Merlin, but when Rincewind died Greebo and Dibbler accepted Merlin no problems. Greebo wouldn't accept Cmot at all though, even after Cmot got denadded. Cmot accepted the babies Vimes and Errol (although he did look a little exasperated at times) and Dibbler and Greebo have now accepted Carrot and Nobby.
It definitely seems easier to intro babies to adults but there is more of a risk of serious injury that way too :/

I will perceiver though