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Anyone know about Ratties?

ShesTheManROXShesTheManROX
edited July 2009 in General Discussion
So I have a rat, her name is Tempy (Temperance). Anyway she's been acting out of character recently, and I was wondering if anyone would have a clue why.<br><br>Her companion did pass away about a month ago, but she didn't relly bond so much with her, she just stole her food >.< I told my mum about her recent activity and she said it might be her time to go too, but I haven't had her for longet than a year and she was only about 8mths when I got her...<br><br>But anyway, so shes been sleeping alot more than usual, she has 2 dishes of her rat mix, aand she has a mineral chew, and I chop up various small amounts of vegies for her each day (she doesnt even eat half of it)... but whenever I give her maybe a little snack of some sort like a little peice of lettuce, she snatches it as if shes starving...<br><br>When I walk past her I usually give her a tickle, but when I do it she has now started to grab one of my fingers and lick at it and nibble kind of (it doesnt hurt at all) <br><br>She gets her excersize, she has free roam mostly all arvo after school of the lounge and i take her into the back yard to play with the puppies (they let her ride on their back) but yeah...<br><br>I'm just really worried, I love her ooodles and dont want her to die.. Sorry for the long post.<br><br>If you read all that youre amazing.

Comments

  • TriannaTrianna
    74.67.175.91
    Maybe she's lonely (even if she wasn't very close to the other rat.
    (SPIDERS!)
  • UnknownDreamlandUnknownDreamland
    96.234.255.70
    <span style="font-size:75">She could be lonely.. My bird, Ray, his cagemate passed recently as well. He was close to her, but not "OMGOSH where are you??" close. And close enough for his behavior to completely change. Like, he wouldn't eat his treats anymore, and he loves his treats, he wouldn't let me handle him anymore, etc. So I got him a new cagemate and he's improved so much! He's hopping on my finger regularly, etc. It's like a complete 180.<br>I mean, it sounds like she gets plenty of time to socialize with you and with the puppies, but what about all those hours when that's not happening? I could be wrong though.</span>
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  • JazzJazz
    67.140.35.124
    Just so you know lettuce is really bad for rats, things like kale, broccoli, etc. are much better. <br><br>My boy Jasper does the lick/nibble thing too so I wouldn't worry about it. The vet said that it's a way of showing affection. He too sleeps a lot. What kind of food do you give her? Do you give her blocks or a mix? If you give her a mix you might want to change it because when Jazzy had his mix he just picked out the good stuff and didn't get a balanced diet, and it gave him skin problems because of it. So I switched him to Mazuri lab blocks which are a little pricey but worth it in the end :) <br><br>Oh he's a single rat too, he had a companion when he was very little but we had to take her back to the breeder because she was super aggressive. <br><br>But, I wouldn't worry about it. He's probably just lonely, but if you play with her regularly she'll be ok.
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  • ShesTheManROXShesTheManROX
    144.136.149.221
    Jazz yeah I know lettuce is bad I rarely give it to her, she gets the tiny left over of my salad sandwhich sometimes.<br><br>But I was thinking of getting her another companing for all the time she spends by herself...<br><br>Thanks for your help guys.
  • JazzJazz
    67.140.35.124
    I wouldn't recommend getting another one at this point as if they are not from the same litter or at least raised together from an early age, i.e. together since 6-7 weeks at the latest, they are likely to fight.
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  • ShesTheManROXShesTheManROX
    203.217.38.149
    Okay thanks Jazz, would you have any other recommendations to keep her happy?<br><br>Oh I forgot to Add before that yeah she does have her mix but she does get the blocks too. It just depends on what the pet shop has in, sometimes they only have the mix.
  • JazzJazz
    67.140.35.124
    Just play with her a lot, Jasper has a leash/harness thing like you use for ferrets that we can put him on and then just let him run around while I watch TV or whatever, so he can't go too far. But if you play with her a ton and keep her company, she won't be as lonely and she'll be far better off.
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  • ShesTheManROXShesTheManROX
    144.136.149.221
    I so want one of those, I've been hesitant to get one cause I dunno if shell like it... But she has a rat ball we put her in, she runs around in that abit too. Do you reakon she would like the harness? Or should she have been introduced to it when she was younger?
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