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Harry & Archie's latest antics!
Friday, March 02, 2007The boys can now officially fit through Archie's new door at the same time! This morning they've stuffed the hole up with the edible bedding! What they're going to do when it comes out for a wash I don't know cause they love it, mind you looking at Archie's performance on it I have to wonder! Archie woke up yesterday when Kay got in from school and Kay got him out, now I don't know what he was up to but Kay said she had to put him back in because he was just so naughty!
Yesterday they had their first peanuts in the shells, it's not a good idea to give them peanuts in shells on the settee, trust me! They were more interested in crunching shells up than the nuts, and the shells go a long way very fast very very fast! Harry grabbed bits of shell and wrecked it in all four corners of the settee, Archie just hung over the sides and wrecked his shell and watched it drift to the floor! So I had to put the boys in while I cleaned it up and got the hoover out.
They've never come across the hoover before so I was wondering what they'd make of it, as I pushed it backwards and forwards they followed it, you could see Archie was just itching to get at it! Then they came back out but seemed disappointed that the mess had gone! Harry is starting to play a bit, I have little fights with Archie, he hides and I drum my fingers on the cushion and he runs out to grab me but I box with him and chase him then he begins it all again, yesterday Harry joined in for the first time! It was so good to see him playing too, they will both now come for a cuddle although in Archie's case it lasts about 30 seconds then he's off. After about an hour Harry wanted back in his cage, Archie likes to get under the fleece blanket and have a sleep there, he was there for about an hour!
March 1st:
Archie's ate a whole new door in the bunker, now they have 2 back doors! The other morning they were both sleeping with their heads hanging out the new door! It's a bit whiffy so tonight I've taken it out, after it gets a wash I'll see what if anything can be done with it! They have the condo in now, lets see how long that one lasts!
I have a plank of wood going to from the top of the cage to a stool then another one goes down onto the settee, it's causing a lot of interest, I'd put them on the settee while I sorted the cage but once they knew what was afoot they dashed up to get in the way! So now they are running up and down it, in and out the cage.
I've bought some of that yesterdays news litter, after Archie eating the last litter lets see how this one goes! I'll have to take some pics of their rat run, it goes along by my pc chair so as I'm sitting here I'm trapped! Archie's made himself a bed on the settee and Harry's lying on top of the condo.
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Friday, March 02, 2007
Lumps on rat's faces
Thursday, March 01, 2007Could you give us some advice? We just found a lump on Gretchen's face. I don't think is an abscess. We checked the Rat Guide and there is a type of tumour that grows around the face area which apparently is not a good idea to operate as it leaves a wound that never heals. Did you ever have a rattie with a lump on the face? If so did you operate? Gretchen's lump is on the side of the face, on the mandible.
A:
As to the lump - two things:
Mike got abcesses on his face - they came from nowhere and were the size of a malteser. The first one he got we thought was a lump, but it was a hard abcess. The vet operated and we bathed it for a week and had him on antibiotics and it was fine. He got another one about three months later and we did the same thing. Our vet operated as the pain to squeeze it would have been unbearable.
Mike healed beautifully. He died of respiratory problems awhich he had suffered from all his life about three months later - he was an old chap - nearly three.
Sugar - a rat permanently being fostered for us - was put to sleep yesterday after having ongoing problems with lumps on her face. She had them removed but they would grow back quickly.But the lumps started up last June and so she did have an extra six months.
So, I would say go for it. Remember how bad Gretchen's face was when she had the skin problem, she was a scar face - and look how well she healed.
Please let us know how she gets on.
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Thursday, March 01, 2007
Faversham rescue rats
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
We recently were involved in a rescue from a home in Faversham where babies were being sold for two pounds each and living in appalling conditions. All buit two of the kids have been rehomed now.
Two happy new rat mums who we rehomed to have sent their stories in to us:
BEN & CO
Please welcome Little Ben and the Agouties:
They came from the Adtrader rescue in Faversham, there was a post on her a little while ago, and I picked them up from Stella at Cavy Rescue last Wednesday.
Ben was named by his foster carer, Cat, and somehow the name got stuck, but I still have to find names for the other two - suggestions welcome, so far I've got
Magnus
Marvin
Jasper
Bobbie & Billie (would go nicely with Ben)
I can only just about tell them apart by the tip of their tails yet (one has a little more white) which doesn't help finding suitable names I think one of them is getting a little darker though, so there is still hope.
I'd forgotten how much kittens eat, each of the three of them at the moment eats about the same as my two oldie boys together
They are really cute though and very friendly and lovely
OK, I know you don't really want to read all of this, that's what happens when you put off writing the intro for a week
I've got another photo for you though - end of playtime, look how Little Ben's gone to sleep...
TWIX AND CRUNCHIE
Here are pics of my boys !
This is Twix
This is Crunchie
The boys are doing great-Crunchie seems to be trying for alpha male position...Mikey seems to have quite a lot to say about that!! No trouble so far though.
I had to mail Cat (the fosterer) earlier about Twix though. He is fine and loves cuddles, but he is scared of literally everything and when we have them out free ranging we have to take the tube off the sofa now if he's out or else he hides in there the whole time
Cat has said lots and lots of cuddles should bring him round, plus he still has other places to hide on the sofa so he is not totally out in the open.
UPDATE: MARCH 1ST:
Just to let you know that Twix is now doing great bless him. The tube is back on the sofa as he now runs through it rather than just hiding in it. He is still having heart attacks anytime we move or make any kind of noise but he's not hiding and he's the first one over for treats now !
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Harry and Archie - their first week
MONDAY
We started litter training yesterday and got off to an amazing start. I bought some potty litter for little critters. Then had the unenviable job of collecting poop and popping it into the tray, poopy popping! Then it went in the cage, Archie got his eyes on it and just about broke his neck in the haste to go and investigate, and here we hit the jackpot, he raked through it, looked at it then started to eat the litter!!!! So litter training lasted all of 5 minutes! Back to the drawing board and look for some different litter! I've seen some of the recycled paper kind on the internet so I'll look into that today.
Archie was already in disgrace as it was, he's just about demolished the fleece on one side of the new bunkercube! I wouldn't mind but they're never out of it, or off the top of it either. Yesterday was also the first time the boys have been out and investigated together, Harry is really getting quiet brave now. But Archie being Archie, he's found a way onto the computer desk and I have pics that look as if he's showing Harry how to do it! Harry seems happy to investigate their toys, Archie seem happier roaming around and looking for mischief!
They're still sneezing but it's nowhere near as bad as when they arrived so I'm hopeful it'll stop in a few days time. Harry's squealing has taken on a whole new style, he doesn't squeal when you pick him up to get him out, he's just squealing when its time to go back, or when he's doing something he shouldn't be and you go to move him! Harry has now taking to venturing out the cage doors on his own! Archie's eating is slowing down a bit, thank god cause it means the other end will slow down a bit too! They love porridge but not scrambled eggs, and how they've got porridge on the walls I'll never know, must have had a porridge fight during the night!!!
TUESDAY
The boy's had their first boiled egg yesterday, remind me to only give them boiled eggs the night before cage cleaning day in future tho! Archie was in and Harry was out when I put the egg in, Archie looked like he thought all his birthdays had come together and really got stuck in! Harry then arrives on the scene and became an egg thief, he ran off with the whole egg, fastest I've seen him move as it happens! Archie was looking down at him from the top shelf, so I shelled another one and gave it to Archie under strict instructions to hide it, funny tho because you'd have thought he knew what I meant cause he dashed down with it to the igloo house!
We also solved the problem with the bedding, I bought them some vegetable edible bedding! It appears to have stayed in the igloo house but it's in and out of the bunkercube! Archie's in disgrace over the bunkercube, it now has another door courtesy of him! He's ate a hole right through and out the side! And I know it's him because I've caught him a few times! The daft thing is when I came down this morning one of the boy's has stuffed the hole up! Probably thinking I wouldn't notice it! It's big enough to fit the pair of them through at the same time now! If he keeps it up I reckon the whole side will be gone in about 2 or 3 days!
Harry's coming on great now, comes out of the cage door himself and lets you pick him up with no squeaking, but try stopping him from doing something he wants and he'll squeak the place down! They were both playing on the settee last night, Kay gets a bit worried when they chase each other, looks a bit rough at times, I hope they're playing anyway! Archie was playing with a piece of string with me last night then they both began the laborious task of demolishing a box! Harry then went in and Archie curled up on the settee under the fleece blanket and had a nap. Archie is the more playful of the two, Harry will investigate and explore toys more than Archie will. They've now both been on the webcam now although it's easier to show Harry off because he'll stay still a bit more than Archie will.
I've ordered something called yesterdays news for the litter tray, hope it works cause it comes in 30lb bags and the minimum order was 2 bags, that's 60lb of it! That's a hell of a lot of litter for 2 small boys! The only stuff I could get local was the potty litter stuff and as they decided to eat it I gave up on it within 5 mins anyway!.
I've just turned around to see two heads sticking out of Archie's new door!
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sonny & Co - update!
Monday, February 26, 2007Eeeep I am so happy. Last night for the very first time i had all three boys on their drawbridge (the cage door I turned into a drawbridge so they can sit on it when they come out) cuddling up to my hands and arms. Then all three tried to get onto my shoulders and they didn't flinch as much or run back into their cage everytime i moved like they used to!
I am so happy, they were rescues and didn't like being handled much when i got them but now they're my true babies and enjoy cuddles more then the pesky girls! I think we're finally truely bonding rather then putting up with eachother hehe. And no bites! Yey!
When I got them on the 12th February but they were pretty unhandlable then and drew quite a bit of blood. This evening I was wiping down their shelves and Fredo (He once bit down to the bone of my finger and it still hasn't healed properly) actually jumped from his top shelf onto my shoulder and sat there while i was cleaning and stood back up again.
I was so happy! And they've just had their pancakes for pancake day hehe.
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Monday, February 26, 2007
Harry and Archie - Day 4
Archie was out and about tearing about as he does when they arrived so he dived all over them. I put the bunkercube in the cage, the others are in the cupboard for re-decorating day! Anyway, I don't know if it was because Archie had dived on them first but he seemed to think the bunker was for him.
He went in, explored the inside of the bunker, came out and explored the outside of it, then went and got something to eat (as he does) and sat on the top of it and ate he food there. Then he slept on the top, so I thought oh he likes it. Later in the day Archie was again out and Harry discovered the bunker, we didn't even realise he was fast asleep in the back. then Archie went in, ran towards "his" bunker and discovered Harry there, oh he wasn't happy with that! There's a little wooden swing outside the door, and Archie sat there eyeing Harry up!! Real evil looks at that! His ears where right up, Harry ambled out, Harry tends to amble and not run! Soon as Harry got out Archie dived in, Harry sat on the top then Archie threw a major tantrum!!! He was lying with his head hanging out and when Harry looked at him from the top he went off it!!! He started jumping up and down inside the bunker and looking at the roof! I've never seen a rat have a tantrum before!!
Harry then went in the bunker but Archie must have thought it would be a bad idea to leave so he lay down with his head hanging out looking quiet doleful! I think he's resigned himself to the fact its for both of them! They went to sleep in there and looked nice and snug.
Harry's coming on great now, we have a 2 seater settee in this room and we sit there with Harry, he'll go off your knee now, he walked the full length of the settee! He even climbed up Kay and had a walk along the back of the settee and onto the windowsill for a few seconds! He's really coming on in leaps and bounds. We leave the top cage door open so they can come out when they want, Archie's out a lot, Harry seems more content to amble about on the home front! Now when Harry arrived here he used to squeal when you picked him up, now he squeals when it's time to go back in!
In the mornings it's always Harry that comes to greet me when I come in the room, I put my hand in and give him a stroke, he licks my fingers! This morning he looked at me, he was lying in the bunker looking very snug and doe eyed, so I put my hand in and stroked him while lying there, he must have been too comfy to move!! Archie, he's in the igloo downstairs', Archie is not an early morning rat! He doesn't show for a while of a morning but he makes plenty of noise to let you know he's there! When he does show up it's usually to do something he shouldn't!
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Monday, February 26, 2007
Four rat boys - a fosterers story
Here is their story, from Cat:
Sat 24 Feb
I just wanted to let you know that we gave the himmies their medication tonight mixed with a bit of nature lite dog food stuff (as recommended in the gourmet book) and it was gone in seconds! I am just making a daily tick list chart so we can all keep track of their medicine - when it was given etc, that way no-one will get confused.
They are so friendly and already run to the bars for a fuss and a stroke. We have named 'the boss' Bruce! So there is Bruce and Tufty so far. They are all so adorable and we can hopefully boost their confidence so that when they are rehomed they are really outgoing lads!
Thank you so much for letting us help, it really is so rewarding.
Mon 26 Feb
All 4 boys are doing extremely well and are SO friendly! We called 'the boss', Bruce and he is the friendliest of all and he hasnt nipped yet, he likes to come out of the cage for a walk and a little cuddle.
Tufty is so shy but loves a cuddle!
My sister called the smaller one with a tail splodge, Ted! He is always first to the food bowl and likes to sit in the tube with Tufty. He is the best at shoulder riding, although Bruce gives him a run for his money!
Last but by no means least is the most cuddly and gorgeous but quiet, Codex! The name is random but just came to me and when I said it out loud he ran over to the bars and looked at me.
They have eaten their meds like such good boys and know already that when we go into the room they are gonna get a cuddle!
Posted by : Jason Hulott @ Monday, February 26, 2007
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