Time Out: 0 So Far
Activities: Played with Cotton I Gave Them
Treats: 2 Yoggies, Mac and Cheese
Currently: Taking a Nap
--------------------------
I'd like to apologize for the time it has been since I last posted. My computer broke but my BRFF (Best Rattie Friend Forever) gave me a cord she had. Thank you Robin.
I will be posting more often from now on. Sorry.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Sheldon and Leonard Trust Training!
Time Out: 0 (Still Trust Training)
Activities: None (Still Trust Training)
Treats: Yogurt and A solid yogurt treat for Leonard, Yogurt for Sheldon
Currently: In the cage Relaxin'
---------------------------
Hi guys,
It has been so long. So sorry! But I got my new rats and I've been busy trust training.
So, here is a step by step catch up for the days I've missed.
Day 1 - Finished the cage. Got the rats that night. I mostly left them alone, but I was in the room on my laptop all night. Any sound or movement would scare them, since they had just left their old home, smells, and 5 other brothers behind. The pic is the finished cage in my room. They are hiding in the bottom area. I have many more toys but I wanted too keep it simple for them for now.
Day 2 - Was so exited to get started. At first they would not take any treats from me and were still really nervous. I tried every kind of treats I had, but they wouldn't take it. So I let them rest a little bit. My friend Robyn came over and we sat in the room and talked. At first they were afraid of our voices, but they got used to it over a good 20 minutes. Sheldon ran on the wheel that day for a good 5 minutes, but would pause every so often to make sure i was still away on my bed. They started eating food in front of me, when they never would before. I added another rat house from Robyn on the second floor (not in pic above). They would run to the back of the cage when i opened the door. I tried yogurt on a spoon since they wouldn't take solid food or anything from my hand and after a few tries, Leonard caught on. He would lick it but stay in his spot and run if I scared him. Sheldon still wouldn't trust me.
Day 3 - Now that I knew they'd take yogurt, I tried that more often. Sometimes Leonard would take it, sometimes he wouldn't but towards the end of the day he almost always took it. I was able to put a little treat in it and he took it once. Sheldon would still not take anything, but he was eating fine out of the bowl so I just assumed he needed time. By the end of the night the farthest I got with Leonard was moving him a few inches towards me with the yogurt on the spoon. The farthest Sheldon got is that he wouldn't run while i was putting pellets in his food dish.
I also discovered that the rats could crawl under the bottom layer of fleece. I had to edge them out and tape it better. Debating whether to just remove it or not.
Day 4 (Today) - So far I got up and edged them out of the fleece once again and taped it better. Than refilled their food, cleaned up stray poops, checked the water, and left them to be since they were hiding by than. Next time I checked on them I did the yogurt again. This time Leonard took it as usual and let me lure him closer to me, but would pull away when I brought the spoon out to refill it. He also took a small solid treat out of the spoon and went and ate it happily. Sheldon took some yogurt from the spoon for the first time. He wouldn't take a treat, but that's where Leonard started and he's so far now.
Well, that's about it. I'm going to try again soon, but I'm so happy to see the progress so far!
Thanks for reading!
Activities: None (Still Trust Training)
Treats: Yogurt and A solid yogurt treat for Leonard, Yogurt for Sheldon
Currently: In the cage Relaxin'
---------------------------
Hi guys,
It has been so long. So sorry! But I got my new rats and I've been busy trust training.
So, here is a step by step catch up for the days I've missed.
Day 1 - Finished the cage. Got the rats that night. I mostly left them alone, but I was in the room on my laptop all night. Any sound or movement would scare them, since they had just left their old home, smells, and 5 other brothers behind. The pic is the finished cage in my room. They are hiding in the bottom area. I have many more toys but I wanted too keep it simple for them for now.
Day 2 - Was so exited to get started. At first they would not take any treats from me and were still really nervous. I tried every kind of treats I had, but they wouldn't take it. So I let them rest a little bit. My friend Robyn came over and we sat in the room and talked. At first they were afraid of our voices, but they got used to it over a good 20 minutes. Sheldon ran on the wheel that day for a good 5 minutes, but would pause every so often to make sure i was still away on my bed. They started eating food in front of me, when they never would before. I added another rat house from Robyn on the second floor (not in pic above). They would run to the back of the cage when i opened the door. I tried yogurt on a spoon since they wouldn't take solid food or anything from my hand and after a few tries, Leonard caught on. He would lick it but stay in his spot and run if I scared him. Sheldon still wouldn't trust me.
Day 3 - Now that I knew they'd take yogurt, I tried that more often. Sometimes Leonard would take it, sometimes he wouldn't but towards the end of the day he almost always took it. I was able to put a little treat in it and he took it once. Sheldon would still not take anything, but he was eating fine out of the bowl so I just assumed he needed time. By the end of the night the farthest I got with Leonard was moving him a few inches towards me with the yogurt on the spoon. The farthest Sheldon got is that he wouldn't run while i was putting pellets in his food dish.
I also discovered that the rats could crawl under the bottom layer of fleece. I had to edge them out and tape it better. Debating whether to just remove it or not.
Day 4 (Today) - So far I got up and edged them out of the fleece once again and taped it better. Than refilled their food, cleaned up stray poops, checked the water, and left them to be since they were hiding by than. Next time I checked on them I did the yogurt again. This time Leonard took it as usual and let me lure him closer to me, but would pull away when I brought the spoon out to refill it. He also took a small solid treat out of the spoon and went and ate it happily. Sheldon took some yogurt from the spoon for the first time. He wouldn't take a treat, but that's where Leonard started and he's so far now.
Well, that's about it. I'm going to try again soon, but I'm so happy to see the progress so far!
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Cage WIP
Sneak Peak Cage Pic
Done:
-Shelves Cut and smoothed
-Cut the ramps, put small lines in the ramps for climbing, smoothed the ramps, and put the hooks in
-Cut the bottom of the wheel so it can be hooked in
-Made a hide house (Activia tub in the bottom)
Still Need to:
-Sew fleece for the shelves
-Cut out the get the fleece ready for the bottom
-Order a hammock
-Get a bigger tub for the litter box (Small test one can be seen to the right)
-Get new food and water dish from Robyn (though my current one will move for now if i didn't throw it out XD )
-Hook up shower hook rope thingy
-Shelves Cut and smoothed
-Cut the ramps, put small lines in the ramps for climbing, smoothed the ramps, and put the hooks in
-Cut the bottom of the wheel so it can be hooked in
-Made a hide house (Activia tub in the bottom)
Still Need to:
-Sew fleece for the shelves
-Cut out the get the fleece ready for the bottom
-Order a hammock
-Get a bigger tub for the litter box (Small test one can be seen to the right)
-Get new food and water dish from Robyn (though my current one will move for now if i didn't throw it out XD )
-Hook up shower hook rope thingy
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sneak Peek
Here's a sneak peeks of the rat litter ill be getting my new babies from.
Ps- i saw the pic for the 1st time today as well. So cute!!
Ps- i saw the pic for the 1st time today as well. So cute!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Rat Food
Time Out: Still Awaiting Rats
Activities: Still Awaiting Rats
Treats: Still Awaiting Rats
Currently: Still Awaiting Rats
---------------------------
People have been talking a lot lately about what they feed their rats, mixes, and blocks. So, after yesterday's emotional blog, I think I'll calm down and just post about what I fed my rats.
Pellets (Not sure the brand) - Nutrition pellets I buy at the pet store. The bag says 2-3 a day so I hand feed them to the rats so they dont fight over the ones in the bowls. I find these give basic nutrients, as well as something to chew.
Healthy Treats - Since the pellets are basic, I give them other flavors and stuff to eat. These have no sugar, fat, or additives. Things like fruit, veggies, baby food, yoggurt, or mashed potatoes. This is every to every other day.
Chew Treats - These are treats that are harder to chew, good for their teeth. These can include pasta noodles, dog treats, or other things.
Protein Treats - I like to give them extra protein once a month, either a chicken bone to share or a boiled egg with the shell still on it.
I know it wasn't a big entry but I was tired after yesterday's, so this is the best I could come up with. Thanks!
Note: As you can see I enabled ads, each time you click one I get a small amount of change that will go towards commissioning art of my rats to post on the blog. Please click the ads and check out the stuff!
Activities: Still Awaiting Rats
Treats: Still Awaiting Rats
Currently: Still Awaiting Rats
---------------------------
People have been talking a lot lately about what they feed their rats, mixes, and blocks. So, after yesterday's emotional blog, I think I'll calm down and just post about what I fed my rats.
Pellets (Not sure the brand) - Nutrition pellets I buy at the pet store. The bag says 2-3 a day so I hand feed them to the rats so they dont fight over the ones in the bowls. I find these give basic nutrients, as well as something to chew.
Healthy Treats - Since the pellets are basic, I give them other flavors and stuff to eat. These have no sugar, fat, or additives. Things like fruit, veggies, baby food, yoggurt, or mashed potatoes. This is every to every other day.
Chew Treats - These are treats that are harder to chew, good for their teeth. These can include pasta noodles, dog treats, or other things.
Protein Treats - I like to give them extra protein once a month, either a chicken bone to share or a boiled egg with the shell still on it.
I know it wasn't a big entry but I was tired after yesterday's, so this is the best I could come up with. Thanks!
Note: As you can see I enabled ads, each time you click one I get a small amount of change that will go towards commissioning art of my rats to post on the blog. Please click the ads and check out the stuff!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Rainbow Bridge Spot Light - Barley
Time Out: Still Awaiting Rats
Activities: Still Awaiting Rats
Treats: Still Awaiting Rats
Currently: Still Awaiting Rats
---------------------------
I had a big dream about the rainbow bridge last night with the rats I lost, but I've been missing Barley the most since he was the last rat I lost. This led me to write this bio about Barley with everything I knew, treasured, and my last thoughts. I will be doing Mocha and Dorito as well in the future, but probably not soon, these are stressful for me to write.
Barley was my 6th rat. Although he wasn't the first, he was really special to me. He was never properly socialized, litter trained, or knew any tricks. But he was a wonderful friend.
I first met Barley a few years ago at my first fur meet for furries. It was mainly just a few friends into the same fandom as myself meeting at a cafe. We ended up at her house after and it was the first time I'd seen pet rats or even a pet ferret. I thought the rats were adorable. At the time she had two, Barley and another i can't remember the name of. I remember she could take her boys out and they would just sleep in her hood constantly, although they didn't seem very social than.
A few months later I ended up getting my first rats, Mocha and Dorito, but that's a totally different story. Later on I lost all rats and moved away. When I moved back, I missed the mischief and cuteness of my pet rats.
I scattered Kijiji for rats and found a cute yellow check rat that I loved, but it seemed familiar. It couldn't be!! Oh, but it was. It was Borris, my friend's old rat. She had gotten too many other pets (a few cats) and was given away her rats. For 40$ I got the rats, a large cage, and a small cage. I don't think it was a bad deal. Besides, Borris was a priceless cutie. Here's a pic of the cutie in his cage.
But when I found him, he was in horrible condition. She had been using thick pellet ferret bedding. This didn't absorb any pee and it all gathered at the bottom of the container. The whole thing smelt like horrible pee and took numerous cleanings in hot water to clean it. It also turned out that he barely got his vitamins. She fed him what she ate. Yes, this is fine in a financial emergency or with a steady diet, but he never got pellets or a food block or anything. When I got him he had some steamed veggies in his dish (steamed takes out tons of vitamins as well). It turns out he had killed and chewed up his room mate. She said this was because rats do it when cats are nearby to reduce population, but I doubted it. I think he didn't have enough protein. He was such a sweet rat, he wouldn't hurt anyone unless he had to.
BTW- After I got Borris, I changed his name to Barley.
I cleaned the cage out, got care fresh paper bedding, pellets to eat, and many treats. Trust training never went well, as she had forced him out constantly so i had to force it too. He would come out and be fine on my bed but never would adjust to being carried, not even in a hood. He would climb out and freak squealing. Pic of him sleeping in the cage in a make shift bed he made out of a washcloth and plain toilet paper. No matter what cage toy he got he loved a wash cloth the most.
But there were a few times where he was as sweet as could be. I remember a few times when I would have him out on my bed. I was just giving him scritchens as I fed him some veggies. He started rubbing against my hand and even purring (that clicking noise they make when they're happy). He would jump against the bars whenever I got in the room and I'd open it and let him climb on top of the cage and watch me. He was so smart, he'd never jump off. Also, cute picture attached to go with the memories. He liked to sit on my shoulder and pillow on my bed sometimes, maybe because it smelt like me. :)
But he was too smart. He figured out how to open the cage on his own. Cute, huh? Exhausting! I had to take the clips off the side of the cage that attached it to the tub at the bottom and put it on the door. Yes, he could get past the clip. He'd push it and chew a certain bar until it moved enough and opened. There was a few times he'd gotten out and I'd found him under my bed. But he was just my little genius. The smartest rat I'd ever had, and the first rat I'd heard of doing that. I was proud. When I told my family, they were pretty impressed too! I was never mad, just worried.
Now, by the time I had him he was around 2, maybe older. I had him around 2 and a half to 3 years old. He was old and had a weak immune system. I did everything I did to help him including closing off my window with plastic to keep cold Winter air away and having a heater right next to his cage. But one day I got there and he didn't come to the bars. I couldn't afford a vet, but I did the best I did. He was so weak he couldn't even move. I cleaned as much dirty bedding in the cage as I could, but I didn't want to disturb him. I moved the water and food to the bottom and gave him a crushed up prenatal vitamin. It was the best I had medicine wise. And he recovered, but he was old and couldn't fight it off long. A few weeks later it got bad again. This time he could move, but I repeated my actions. It was a check by every half hour basis. He started to get better, but the next time I checked he was passed away in the corner. It was a sad night.
He's in a box in the freezing cold on the front porch still, as the frozen ground is too hard to bury him in. But when the Spring comes and the icy ground melts, there will be a whole new wave of sadness and missing him as a I bury him.
I'd just like to say that every time I walk into my room, seeing the empty cage makes me teary. I miss you dearly. My biggest regret is that they were too worried you'd kill a new room mate and had to live alone.
You never know how much you'll miss something until its gone. Love you so Much. Rest in Peace.
Activities: Still Awaiting Rats
Treats: Still Awaiting Rats
Currently: Still Awaiting Rats
---------------------------
I had a big dream about the rainbow bridge last night with the rats I lost, but I've been missing Barley the most since he was the last rat I lost. This led me to write this bio about Barley with everything I knew, treasured, and my last thoughts. I will be doing Mocha and Dorito as well in the future, but probably not soon, these are stressful for me to write.
Barley was my 6th rat. Although he wasn't the first, he was really special to me. He was never properly socialized, litter trained, or knew any tricks. But he was a wonderful friend.
I first met Barley a few years ago at my first fur meet for furries. It was mainly just a few friends into the same fandom as myself meeting at a cafe. We ended up at her house after and it was the first time I'd seen pet rats or even a pet ferret. I thought the rats were adorable. At the time she had two, Barley and another i can't remember the name of. I remember she could take her boys out and they would just sleep in her hood constantly, although they didn't seem very social than.
A few months later I ended up getting my first rats, Mocha and Dorito, but that's a totally different story. Later on I lost all rats and moved away. When I moved back, I missed the mischief and cuteness of my pet rats.
I scattered Kijiji for rats and found a cute yellow check rat that I loved, but it seemed familiar. It couldn't be!! Oh, but it was. It was Borris, my friend's old rat. She had gotten too many other pets (a few cats) and was given away her rats. For 40$ I got the rats, a large cage, and a small cage. I don't think it was a bad deal. Besides, Borris was a priceless cutie. Here's a pic of the cutie in his cage.
But when I found him, he was in horrible condition. She had been using thick pellet ferret bedding. This didn't absorb any pee and it all gathered at the bottom of the container. The whole thing smelt like horrible pee and took numerous cleanings in hot water to clean it. It also turned out that he barely got his vitamins. She fed him what she ate. Yes, this is fine in a financial emergency or with a steady diet, but he never got pellets or a food block or anything. When I got him he had some steamed veggies in his dish (steamed takes out tons of vitamins as well). It turns out he had killed and chewed up his room mate. She said this was because rats do it when cats are nearby to reduce population, but I doubted it. I think he didn't have enough protein. He was such a sweet rat, he wouldn't hurt anyone unless he had to.
BTW- After I got Borris, I changed his name to Barley.
I cleaned the cage out, got care fresh paper bedding, pellets to eat, and many treats. Trust training never went well, as she had forced him out constantly so i had to force it too. He would come out and be fine on my bed but never would adjust to being carried, not even in a hood. He would climb out and freak squealing. Pic of him sleeping in the cage in a make shift bed he made out of a washcloth and plain toilet paper. No matter what cage toy he got he loved a wash cloth the most.
But there were a few times where he was as sweet as could be. I remember a few times when I would have him out on my bed. I was just giving him scritchens as I fed him some veggies. He started rubbing against my hand and even purring (that clicking noise they make when they're happy). He would jump against the bars whenever I got in the room and I'd open it and let him climb on top of the cage and watch me. He was so smart, he'd never jump off. Also, cute picture attached to go with the memories. He liked to sit on my shoulder and pillow on my bed sometimes, maybe because it smelt like me. :)
But he was too smart. He figured out how to open the cage on his own. Cute, huh? Exhausting! I had to take the clips off the side of the cage that attached it to the tub at the bottom and put it on the door. Yes, he could get past the clip. He'd push it and chew a certain bar until it moved enough and opened. There was a few times he'd gotten out and I'd found him under my bed. But he was just my little genius. The smartest rat I'd ever had, and the first rat I'd heard of doing that. I was proud. When I told my family, they were pretty impressed too! I was never mad, just worried.
Now, by the time I had him he was around 2, maybe older. I had him around 2 and a half to 3 years old. He was old and had a weak immune system. I did everything I did to help him including closing off my window with plastic to keep cold Winter air away and having a heater right next to his cage. But one day I got there and he didn't come to the bars. I couldn't afford a vet, but I did the best I did. He was so weak he couldn't even move. I cleaned as much dirty bedding in the cage as I could, but I didn't want to disturb him. I moved the water and food to the bottom and gave him a crushed up prenatal vitamin. It was the best I had medicine wise. And he recovered, but he was old and couldn't fight it off long. A few weeks later it got bad again. This time he could move, but I repeated my actions. It was a check by every half hour basis. He started to get better, but the next time I checked he was passed away in the corner. It was a sad night.
He's in a box in the freezing cold on the front porch still, as the frozen ground is too hard to bury him in. But when the Spring comes and the icy ground melts, there will be a whole new wave of sadness and missing him as a I bury him.
I'd just like to say that every time I walk into my room, seeing the empty cage makes me teary. I miss you dearly. My biggest regret is that they were too worried you'd kill a new room mate and had to live alone.
You never know how much you'll miss something until its gone. Love you so Much. Rest in Peace.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Rat Plush
Time Out: Still Awaiting Rats
Activities: Still Awaiting Rats
Treats: Still Awaiting Rats
Currently: Still Awaiting Rats
---------------------------
As well as a welcome to my new blog, I'd like to show you something I made yesterday.
This is a rat plushie I made. Although he was a prototype, he is still super cute. His body is made out of fake white fur that is trimmed on the face. His ears and tail are made of red pilled fleece. He has red eyes and a little red plastic nose.
I will do these on commission with the fabrics I already have. I have white, grey, green, orange, and black fur, as well as brown, camel, and red fleece. They are 15$ plus shipping.
The one above is for sale for 12$ due to the face that it was a prototype and a a few stitches can be seen above his nose if you look close enough, as well as on the tail.
You can comment here or email me at aurag2@live.com . We can also talk on msn at aura.acka@gmail.com
Thanks for reading!! And feel free to suscribe!
Activities: Still Awaiting Rats
Treats: Still Awaiting Rats
Currently: Still Awaiting Rats
---------------------------
As well as a welcome to my new blog, I'd like to show you something I made yesterday.
This is a rat plushie I made. Although he was a prototype, he is still super cute. His body is made out of fake white fur that is trimmed on the face. His ears and tail are made of red pilled fleece. He has red eyes and a little red plastic nose.
I will do these on commission with the fabrics I already have. I have white, grey, green, orange, and black fur, as well as brown, camel, and red fleece. They are 15$ plus shipping.
The one above is for sale for 12$ due to the face that it was a prototype and a a few stitches can be seen above his nose if you look close enough, as well as on the tail.
You can comment here or email me at aurag2@live.com . We can also talk on msn at aura.acka@gmail.com
Thanks for reading!! And feel free to suscribe!
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