our rats are ridiculously stubborn!
I was trying to eat dinner as I let them out of the cage, and of course, that was rather difficult. if Nixon smells something she wants, she won't stop pursuing it until it's either given to her or it's gone. I was sitting here by the desk with my rice and my soda and she would not stop climbing up here. and when I'd move away with my food, she'd follow me. I was standing up and both her and Garbo were on the bed and they both "attacked" me by using my skirt as a climbing post. I survived with my dinner. the ladies got to lick my bowl after I had finished eating from it.
I think the rats know the word "treat". or the phrase "come get treat", because after I was done eating, and the rats had gone under the bed to do their rat stuff, I was calling them. they are very selective about listening to their names, so I've tried to teach them to associate words with things. like "treat" every time I'm bringing out treats. and when I told them to come get the treats, they both came out :o good job ratties!
also, I think Nixon just got another scab :( she was fine for a few days :/ oh well. looks like we're going to the vet then.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Could it be?!
that Nixon's scabs are gone?!
it certainly looks like it right now. I couldn't find a new one to replace the previous scab and even Robert said she looked a lot better yesterday when she was sitting in his lap. she's back to being our little bright white Nippers again!
maybe I won't have to take her to the vet after all, which would be nice for everyone. nice for mommy's wallet and nice for Nixon who, at least last time, really hated having to go and kept biting me through the travel cage wires. although she did calm down when we got there, and when the vet brought her back to us in the waiting room, she was being completely normal and energetic. weird Nippy.
the rats have a new nest box in their cage; an old garbage bag box. they seem to really like it, but I think they liked it even more yesterday when it still had the little flap on it as a "door". it has come off since then, but they do have some blankets and chew blocks in there, and they had moved it around last night so they still seem to like it :)
it certainly looks like it right now. I couldn't find a new one to replace the previous scab and even Robert said she looked a lot better yesterday when she was sitting in his lap. she's back to being our little bright white Nippers again!
maybe I won't have to take her to the vet after all, which would be nice for everyone. nice for mommy's wallet and nice for Nixon who, at least last time, really hated having to go and kept biting me through the travel cage wires. although she did calm down when we got there, and when the vet brought her back to us in the waiting room, she was being completely normal and energetic. weird Nippy.
the rats have a new nest box in their cage; an old garbage bag box. they seem to really like it, but I think they liked it even more yesterday when it still had the little flap on it as a "door". it has come off since then, but they do have some blankets and chew blocks in there, and they had moved it around last night so they still seem to like it :)
Monday, July 11, 2011
More Nixon.
well, I decided that as soon as I get paid again (which isn't till next month, but that's better than nothing, I suppose. I really can't squeeze out any money right now) I will take Nixon to the vet. the scab on her face just got better, and of course, I discovered a new one on her neck :/ I'm not even quite sure what's going on with her anymore. she gets those scabs one by one. one will go away and there will be a new scab. always just one. Nixon is such a pretty rat, but the scabbing makes her look rather sad :/ other than the scabs, she's fine. she eats, drinks, goes to the bathroom, sleeps and plays normally. I don't know what could be causing the scabbing anymore. and it's only around her face and neck, nowhere else.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Nevermind..
remember how I just said I can't get Nixon to stay still? well I was wrong.
after putting Garbo back in the cage I started looking around for Nixon.
normally, I can easily lure her out of her hiding places by shaking a box of pasta or opening the bedroom door, but neither one worked. I started looking for her in her usual corner, but I didn't think she'd be there because I hadn't seen any movement in the corner (the corner is covered in old clothes that we don't know what to do with, so the rats play there)
I found her under Robert's old hoodie, and she was just hanging out there. didn't look like she was in a hurry or anything :D I moved some of the clothes around, and she tried to pull them back to where they were before I moved them, as if she didn't want to be disturbed. it was pretty cute :) after that I just grabbed her and put her back in the cage and gave her a treat, which she thought she could take out of the cage and into her lair. well, by then I had already closed the cage so she had no choice but to eat it there.
well, now I know where to look next time if she appears lost :) and maybe I can let her hang out there like I let Garbo sleep in the bookcase.
after putting Garbo back in the cage I started looking around for Nixon.
normally, I can easily lure her out of her hiding places by shaking a box of pasta or opening the bedroom door, but neither one worked. I started looking for her in her usual corner, but I didn't think she'd be there because I hadn't seen any movement in the corner (the corner is covered in old clothes that we don't know what to do with, so the rats play there)
I found her under Robert's old hoodie, and she was just hanging out there. didn't look like she was in a hurry or anything :D I moved some of the clothes around, and she tried to pull them back to where they were before I moved them, as if she didn't want to be disturbed. it was pretty cute :) after that I just grabbed her and put her back in the cage and gave her a treat, which she thought she could take out of the cage and into her lair. well, by then I had already closed the cage so she had no choice but to eat it there.
well, now I know where to look next time if she appears lost :) and maybe I can let her hang out there like I let Garbo sleep in the bookcase.
hello there.
the ratties are out and about right now, eating dried blueberries.
looks like Garbo is about to surprise me by jumping on my back (well, she just changed her mind and crawled under our blanket instead.)
the girls have survived the hot days very well!
we've had two smaller fans pointed at the cage and at night we usually open the windows to let the cool air in. on friday, we went to LA so the ratties were left alone for the entire day, but before we left, I had frozen a bottle of water that I stuck in their cage, as an "air conditioner". the ratties were super happy to see mommy again after a long day alone, when we got back home :) Nixon wouldn't stop licking my hands and I got so many rattie kisses from the girls.
Nixon's scabs are even better now. the problem is though that once she gets rid of a scab, it seems like she gets another one. instead of having several scabs at once, she'll only have one at a time, but they go away really quick. I'm still convinced that it has nothing to do with mites or the like, but more so an allergy or some kind of nutritional issue. I really can't afford taking her to the vet right now, though, as summers are really tough for me financially, and especially now that I've got my registration coming up tomorrow. I'm thinking she must still somehow come in contact with the seed mix. I'm sure they have a stash of it somewhere in the bedroom still that I just haven't found. but like I said, she's not really scabbing that much anymore. and she does seem a lot less itchy.
speaking of Nixon, she has stopped doing tricks. I think it's because of the treats I've been giving: dried blueberries. she's never been a big fan of those. Garbo, however, will spin around and give kisses in exchange for a blueberry. Robert just called and he was wondering what kind of treats we should get them. I'm hoping maybe he'll bring home something that qualifies as a good rat snack :)
Garbo has calmed down a little. she'll actually take naps in the bookcase now! I can't believe she'll actually stay still! and she wants to be pet while she's laying down. now if only I could get Nixon to stay still for more than two seconds, I'd be really happy. any advice on that?
I feel like in the past few months we've bonded even more. I remember when we first got the rats and I felt like they didn't like me at all. obviously they just hadn't learned to trust me yet, and I definitely didn't trust two little rats running around my apartment. but it's completely different now. I know exactly what they want from their "gestures" and they will let me know if they need something from me. they'll come up to me and they like it when I carry them around. Garbo has gotten a lot better with Robert too, and won't struggle when Robert picks her up.
now it's time for ratties to go back in the cage. they've been out and about for two hours now and I've got some cleaning to do. can't have the ratties running around when you're cleaning!
the ratties are out and about right now, eating dried blueberries.
looks like Garbo is about to surprise me by jumping on my back (well, she just changed her mind and crawled under our blanket instead.)
the girls have survived the hot days very well!
we've had two smaller fans pointed at the cage and at night we usually open the windows to let the cool air in. on friday, we went to LA so the ratties were left alone for the entire day, but before we left, I had frozen a bottle of water that I stuck in their cage, as an "air conditioner". the ratties were super happy to see mommy again after a long day alone, when we got back home :) Nixon wouldn't stop licking my hands and I got so many rattie kisses from the girls.
Nixon's scabs are even better now. the problem is though that once she gets rid of a scab, it seems like she gets another one. instead of having several scabs at once, she'll only have one at a time, but they go away really quick. I'm still convinced that it has nothing to do with mites or the like, but more so an allergy or some kind of nutritional issue. I really can't afford taking her to the vet right now, though, as summers are really tough for me financially, and especially now that I've got my registration coming up tomorrow. I'm thinking she must still somehow come in contact with the seed mix. I'm sure they have a stash of it somewhere in the bedroom still that I just haven't found. but like I said, she's not really scabbing that much anymore. and she does seem a lot less itchy.
speaking of Nixon, she has stopped doing tricks. I think it's because of the treats I've been giving: dried blueberries. she's never been a big fan of those. Garbo, however, will spin around and give kisses in exchange for a blueberry. Robert just called and he was wondering what kind of treats we should get them. I'm hoping maybe he'll bring home something that qualifies as a good rat snack :)
Garbo has calmed down a little. she'll actually take naps in the bookcase now! I can't believe she'll actually stay still! and she wants to be pet while she's laying down. now if only I could get Nixon to stay still for more than two seconds, I'd be really happy. any advice on that?
I feel like in the past few months we've bonded even more. I remember when we first got the rats and I felt like they didn't like me at all. obviously they just hadn't learned to trust me yet, and I definitely didn't trust two little rats running around my apartment. but it's completely different now. I know exactly what they want from their "gestures" and they will let me know if they need something from me. they'll come up to me and they like it when I carry them around. Garbo has gotten a lot better with Robert too, and won't struggle when Robert picks her up.
now it's time for ratties to go back in the cage. they've been out and about for two hours now and I've got some cleaning to do. can't have the ratties running around when you're cleaning!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Lots of new things.
I feel like I had a lot of stuff to write, but I'm pretty sure I've forgotten most of it by now.
oh well!
I've just been really lazy about updating.
remember when I was praising the tropical rat mix that they were eating?
well, we had to stop giving it to them. Nixon started getting protein scabs from eating too much of the food. we had to go back to giving them pellets.
we still have a big bag of the mix and I've heard it's a good supplement on top of the lab blocks, but I'm really uneasy about feeding the mix to them, because of the scabs she got. at first we thought she might have had fur mites, but since Garbo wasn't any itchier than normal nor did she have scabs, we had to look for other answers. that's when I came across a rat site that mentioned that sunflower seeds and seed mixes are high in fat and protein and can make a rat itch and scab when fed too often with these food items. she's been eating the pellets for probably about 2 weeks or 2 and a half, and most of her scabs are gone. other than that, little Nippers is fine!
water training has been good. I read that rats that will enjoy swimming won't shy around a bowl of water, which definitely applies to Garbo, who seems to enjoy dipping her head under water. it also mentioned that rats that aren't quite as fond of water will nervously fish for treats underwater with their hands, which applies to Nixon, who will immediately shake off any water she might have gotten on her face.
I saw a plastic container outside the other day that made me think about purchasing one for the rats, so that when it gets really hot I can fill it up with water and have them go swimming :) well, Garbo at least. not sure if I can get Nixon to swim, and I'm obviously not going to force her into it.
I feel like they've both grown a bit too. they're turning 1 this summer! aww. my babies are growing up. yet they're so full of energy and there are no signs of calming down! although female rats like to play and explore throughout their whole lives, I did notice that there is one place outside of the cage where they don't mind laying down for a bit: the bookcase. on days when I don't have time to fully let them out, or sometimes just as a "supplement" to our hour long playtime, I like to let them explore the bookcase. it has always been a favorite of our girls since it's high up. the other day I saw Nixon lay down in there, so I decided to put a wash cloth in the corner of the bookcase for the ratties to rest on. Garbo has taken a liking to the cloth and will immediately go lay down on it. Nixon just likes to cuddle with it and chew/suck on it :D Nixon also found a new favorite toy in the bookcase: a small batman figurine. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw her dangle batman from the edge of the bookcase. poor batman. being tortured by a rat must be a punch to the ego :P
the ladies are super social. Garbo is even fine with daddy Robert picking her up and giving her a ride on his shoulder :) in fact, I was a little surprised with how well she behaved the other week when we had a friend over! Nixon is okay with guests. she does her normal thing when we have people over and doesn't really care. she doesn't want to actually hang out with strangers, but she's fine in her cage and will come to the cage door to say hello. Garbo, however, has always hated strangers. she would freeze up in a corner and stay there until the danger was over. the other week, we had a friend over and Garbo was being completely normal. she actually let our friend pet her and she took a treat from him. instead of being frozen in a corner, she'd do what she'd normally do. she was being active and social! she deserved many treats for being such a good girl. both of the rats demonstrated their catlike playing to our friend, which was another good sign. good job ratties!
the girls have also learned a couple of new tricks. they've learned to give mommy a kiss and to climb up my leg. they're a little nervous about the leg trick, so we're still practicing on that one.
I would post some video and some new pictures but I feel like this entry is kinda long as it is. surprisingly enough, I seemed to have remembered a lot of the things I was planning on writing.
later!
oh well!
I've just been really lazy about updating.
remember when I was praising the tropical rat mix that they were eating?
well, we had to stop giving it to them. Nixon started getting protein scabs from eating too much of the food. we had to go back to giving them pellets.
we still have a big bag of the mix and I've heard it's a good supplement on top of the lab blocks, but I'm really uneasy about feeding the mix to them, because of the scabs she got. at first we thought she might have had fur mites, but since Garbo wasn't any itchier than normal nor did she have scabs, we had to look for other answers. that's when I came across a rat site that mentioned that sunflower seeds and seed mixes are high in fat and protein and can make a rat itch and scab when fed too often with these food items. she's been eating the pellets for probably about 2 weeks or 2 and a half, and most of her scabs are gone. other than that, little Nippers is fine!
water training has been good. I read that rats that will enjoy swimming won't shy around a bowl of water, which definitely applies to Garbo, who seems to enjoy dipping her head under water. it also mentioned that rats that aren't quite as fond of water will nervously fish for treats underwater with their hands, which applies to Nixon, who will immediately shake off any water she might have gotten on her face.
I saw a plastic container outside the other day that made me think about purchasing one for the rats, so that when it gets really hot I can fill it up with water and have them go swimming :) well, Garbo at least. not sure if I can get Nixon to swim, and I'm obviously not going to force her into it.
I feel like they've both grown a bit too. they're turning 1 this summer! aww. my babies are growing up. yet they're so full of energy and there are no signs of calming down! although female rats like to play and explore throughout their whole lives, I did notice that there is one place outside of the cage where they don't mind laying down for a bit: the bookcase. on days when I don't have time to fully let them out, or sometimes just as a "supplement" to our hour long playtime, I like to let them explore the bookcase. it has always been a favorite of our girls since it's high up. the other day I saw Nixon lay down in there, so I decided to put a wash cloth in the corner of the bookcase for the ratties to rest on. Garbo has taken a liking to the cloth and will immediately go lay down on it. Nixon just likes to cuddle with it and chew/suck on it :D Nixon also found a new favorite toy in the bookcase: a small batman figurine. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw her dangle batman from the edge of the bookcase. poor batman. being tortured by a rat must be a punch to the ego :P
the ladies are super social. Garbo is even fine with daddy Robert picking her up and giving her a ride on his shoulder :) in fact, I was a little surprised with how well she behaved the other week when we had a friend over! Nixon is okay with guests. she does her normal thing when we have people over and doesn't really care. she doesn't want to actually hang out with strangers, but she's fine in her cage and will come to the cage door to say hello. Garbo, however, has always hated strangers. she would freeze up in a corner and stay there until the danger was over. the other week, we had a friend over and Garbo was being completely normal. she actually let our friend pet her and she took a treat from him. instead of being frozen in a corner, she'd do what she'd normally do. she was being active and social! she deserved many treats for being such a good girl. both of the rats demonstrated their catlike playing to our friend, which was another good sign. good job ratties!
the girls have also learned a couple of new tricks. they've learned to give mommy a kiss and to climb up my leg. they're a little nervous about the leg trick, so we're still practicing on that one.
I would post some video and some new pictures but I feel like this entry is kinda long as it is. surprisingly enough, I seemed to have remembered a lot of the things I was planning on writing.
later!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Nixon has something to say..
+++++++++++++++++++++++824
§2111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
uh...really shouldn't let the rats on the desk. Nixon almost chewed off the ctrl-key. like we didn't have enough problems with messed up keys on the old laptop.
§2111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
uh...really shouldn't let the rats on the desk. Nixon almost chewed off the ctrl-key. like we didn't have enough problems with messed up keys on the old laptop.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Agility.
tried some agility with the rats today.
I'm thinking Nixon will be the agility rat of this family, because Garbo has shown pretty clearly that she doesn't want to learn any tricks (other than the water thing.)
Garbo listens to me a lot more than Nixon and knows her name pretty well and what NO means, so it's not that one is less intelligent than the other, it's just kinda like they have different "priorities" when it comes to learning things. Nixon likes to ignore my commands outside of the cage but will learn tricks.
so I decided that Nixon could learn some agility. I set up a little course in the hallway and it went kinda...eh. Nixon (on purpose, actually, which makes it funny) knocked over the blocks that she was meant to jump over. she actually went up to them with her front paws and just burst through there. the second time though, she actually jumped over it so she got a treat. once, I got her to jump up on top of their little house and that was also worth a reward. we'll see how it goes. I should actually take them to the vet before any real training, so for now it's just kind of a fun activity to do around the house. I would like to get more serious about it, but we'll see. I doubt that's ever gonna happen since Nixon is so easily distracted and extremely stubborn and Garbo doesn't want to learn things like that :D
I'm thinking Nixon will be the agility rat of this family, because Garbo has shown pretty clearly that she doesn't want to learn any tricks (other than the water thing.)
Garbo listens to me a lot more than Nixon and knows her name pretty well and what NO means, so it's not that one is less intelligent than the other, it's just kinda like they have different "priorities" when it comes to learning things. Nixon likes to ignore my commands outside of the cage but will learn tricks.
so I decided that Nixon could learn some agility. I set up a little course in the hallway and it went kinda...eh. Nixon (on purpose, actually, which makes it funny) knocked over the blocks that she was meant to jump over. she actually went up to them with her front paws and just burst through there. the second time though, she actually jumped over it so she got a treat. once, I got her to jump up on top of their little house and that was also worth a reward. we'll see how it goes. I should actually take them to the vet before any real training, so for now it's just kind of a fun activity to do around the house. I would like to get more serious about it, but we'll see. I doubt that's ever gonna happen since Nixon is so easily distracted and extremely stubborn and Garbo doesn't want to learn things like that :D
Friday, June 3, 2011
Brave Garbo.
I'm starting to think that Garbo is going to enjoy swimming and diving a lot.
we've played with water again and she really has no problem going in the bowl and getting all four paws and her face wet. in fact, she doesn't hesitate diving down in the bowl. no matter how much water I put in the bowl (I've increased the amount with every time we've practiced this), she'll dive in there.
Nixon doesn't really like getting her face wet. she'll go stand in the water, but very rarely, and most of the time she just hunches over the bowl and moves her arms in the water. it's really cute though. it's not that she's afraid of water, I think it's more that she doesn't think it's that much fun. she'll go to the bowl more frequently than Garbo, but she doesn't go all the way in the water like Garbo does.
I filmed the rats playing with water yesterday, and I've got lots of other clips too that I just haven't posted. it's just that posting a video on blogger takes forever, if it's coming from the computer. and I really don't want to upload any of my stuff onto youtube.
I've been meaning to go buy some rat food ever since we got home from our trip, but I've been too lazy. I feel bad for the rats, even though they've had enough food. now, however, they only have enough food for tonight and possibly tomorrow morning, so I really have to get my ass down to the pet store for some rat food! I'm debating whether we should continue feeding them the seed mix or if we should just switch back to pellets. we'll see. they don't even always have pellets, which is why they got the seed mix last time I bought food. so we'll see. at least they love the seed mix.
well, that's it for now. I bet my ratties will be swimming by the end of this summer :)
we've played with water again and she really has no problem going in the bowl and getting all four paws and her face wet. in fact, she doesn't hesitate diving down in the bowl. no matter how much water I put in the bowl (I've increased the amount with every time we've practiced this), she'll dive in there.
Nixon doesn't really like getting her face wet. she'll go stand in the water, but very rarely, and most of the time she just hunches over the bowl and moves her arms in the water. it's really cute though. it's not that she's afraid of water, I think it's more that she doesn't think it's that much fun. she'll go to the bowl more frequently than Garbo, but she doesn't go all the way in the water like Garbo does.
I filmed the rats playing with water yesterday, and I've got lots of other clips too that I just haven't posted. it's just that posting a video on blogger takes forever, if it's coming from the computer. and I really don't want to upload any of my stuff onto youtube.
I've been meaning to go buy some rat food ever since we got home from our trip, but I've been too lazy. I feel bad for the rats, even though they've had enough food. now, however, they only have enough food for tonight and possibly tomorrow morning, so I really have to get my ass down to the pet store for some rat food! I'm debating whether we should continue feeding them the seed mix or if we should just switch back to pellets. we'll see. they don't even always have pellets, which is why they got the seed mix last time I bought food. so we'll see. at least they love the seed mix.
well, that's it for now. I bet my ratties will be swimming by the end of this summer :)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Home with the ratties.
so we're back from our trip and the ratties seemed really excited to have their family back :D
they knew immediately that mommy was back and came up to me and sniffed my hands and later, without hesitating, climb inside the sleeves of my robe for a stroll around the apartment.
Sarah took great care of them and let them out a little too and spent time with them. time we didn't even expect her to spend with them. so a big thank you to Sarah for being an excellent first time rat sitter :) Nixon wasn't that excited about Sarah, however. she told us that Nixon bit her fingers every time she tried to hold her. Garbo isn't much of a biter so she was nicer to her.
we like to give the ratties a day to adjust to us being back home after each trip, so the only time they got to leave the cage today was when I'd pick them up or let them crawl in my sleeves. tomorrow is a new day and I'm thinking we'll continue playing with water. the ratties deserve some extra fun now that I'm home again :)
they knew immediately that mommy was back and came up to me and sniffed my hands and later, without hesitating, climb inside the sleeves of my robe for a stroll around the apartment.
Sarah took great care of them and let them out a little too and spent time with them. time we didn't even expect her to spend with them. so a big thank you to Sarah for being an excellent first time rat sitter :) Nixon wasn't that excited about Sarah, however. she told us that Nixon bit her fingers every time she tried to hold her. Garbo isn't much of a biter so she was nicer to her.
we like to give the ratties a day to adjust to us being back home after each trip, so the only time they got to leave the cage today was when I'd pick them up or let them crawl in my sleeves. tomorrow is a new day and I'm thinking we'll continue playing with water. the ratties deserve some extra fun now that I'm home again :)
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Playing with water!
the ratties got to play with water for the fist time today!
a good way to get a rat used to water is by placing some treats at the bottom of a water filled bowl and letting them either dive for them or just kinda "fish" them up.
I started off by putting things that wouldn't sink in the bowl, like apple jacks.
Garbo only wanted one but I think she might have been uncomfortable with the fact that the bowl was in the bathroom. Nixon came back for the apple jacks multiple times and waved her arms around in the water filled bowl. it was very very cute :)
I dumped out some of the water so it would be a bit more shallow and put something that would sink to the bottom in it. for that I used uncooked pasta. Nixon didn't really want to stick her head so she kinda continued waving her hands under water. she managed to get a piece of pasta that way. Garbo was more comfortable with the water when I moved the bowl into the bedroom where they roam free. she didn't care about getting her face wet. while she didn't exactly dive for the pasta, she did at least get her face wet and wasn't afraid to go in the water bowl. in fact, I saw her dipping her feet in it too :D so today's brave rat is Garbo!
after Garbo set the example, Nixon didn't really care about getting wet either and actually tipped the bowl over a few times, getting her belly and feet wet. she wouldn't let me dry her. actually, she really hated me chasing her around with a dry wash cloth :/ oh well.
I'm pretty positive that the rats will learn this game very quick and that they'll enjoy diving for treats underwater :)
also, daddy Robert and I are going away for a few days again. ratties will be staying at the comfort of their own home, but we'll have our friend Sarah come by to check on them everyday :) Sarah doesn't have rat experience but I'm not too worried because we went over all the details a few times and she doesn't seem too worried either. I'm sure it'll be fine, especially since the rats get to stay in their own home this time.
well, that's it for now.
if you didn't notice, I'm able to use a comma now. we have a new computer here at the rats' nest. Garbo has shown interest in the cord. not by chewing, but she wouldn't stop sniffing it. it probably smells like cats and dog!
a good way to get a rat used to water is by placing some treats at the bottom of a water filled bowl and letting them either dive for them or just kinda "fish" them up.
I started off by putting things that wouldn't sink in the bowl, like apple jacks.
Garbo only wanted one but I think she might have been uncomfortable with the fact that the bowl was in the bathroom. Nixon came back for the apple jacks multiple times and waved her arms around in the water filled bowl. it was very very cute :)
I dumped out some of the water so it would be a bit more shallow and put something that would sink to the bottom in it. for that I used uncooked pasta. Nixon didn't really want to stick her head so she kinda continued waving her hands under water. she managed to get a piece of pasta that way. Garbo was more comfortable with the water when I moved the bowl into the bedroom where they roam free. she didn't care about getting her face wet. while she didn't exactly dive for the pasta, she did at least get her face wet and wasn't afraid to go in the water bowl. in fact, I saw her dipping her feet in it too :D so today's brave rat is Garbo!
after Garbo set the example, Nixon didn't really care about getting wet either and actually tipped the bowl over a few times, getting her belly and feet wet. she wouldn't let me dry her. actually, she really hated me chasing her around with a dry wash cloth :/ oh well.
I'm pretty positive that the rats will learn this game very quick and that they'll enjoy diving for treats underwater :)
also, daddy Robert and I are going away for a few days again. ratties will be staying at the comfort of their own home, but we'll have our friend Sarah come by to check on them everyday :) Sarah doesn't have rat experience but I'm not too worried because we went over all the details a few times and she doesn't seem too worried either. I'm sure it'll be fine, especially since the rats get to stay in their own home this time.
well, that's it for now.
if you didn't notice, I'm able to use a comma now. we have a new computer here at the rats' nest. Garbo has shown interest in the cord. not by chewing, but she wouldn't stop sniffing it. it probably smells like cats and dog!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
rat treasures.
our rats - just like many other rats love to steal things.
of course - they don't think they're stealing anything.
here are some items that they've attempted to steal lately that have been on the no-no list:
+ Robert's check book
+ my math homework
+ my sociology notes
+ my tax papers
+ Robert's pay stubs
+ a cd cover I was making for a friend (which later appeared on the floor. I have no idea how it got there because I thought I took it away from Nixon so I'm sure she had something to do with it!)
+ Robert's boxers
+ my underwear
+ Robert's shoe (Garbo was determined she could drag a heavy shoe under the bed)
certain things I let them take. like old papers/notes or empty paper. sometimes I let them take trash because I know that we're just gonna grab it later and throw it away. Nixon has started to export her nesting materials from the cage :o
she'll go in the cage and grab a piece of paper and run around with it in her mouth until she figures out where to put it. often she hides these pieces of paper under my stuffed polar bear (which is her favorite hiding place on the bed) and I'll have to go through the bed before going to bed at night because there might be some Nippy treasures on there.
rats are out right now and being good. Nixon's excited and running around like crazy. she ran into my slipper earlier.
they both have extremely soft fur and tails right now. I think it's the new food. Nixon started bruxing with excitement this morning when I went to feed them :D
I must tend to Garbo now. she looks like she's about to jump up in my robe (it's hanging from the closet door). she loves to grab on to it and climb up. she's crazy.
of course - they don't think they're stealing anything.
here are some items that they've attempted to steal lately that have been on the no-no list:
+ Robert's check book
+ my math homework
+ my sociology notes
+ my tax papers
+ Robert's pay stubs
+ a cd cover I was making for a friend (which later appeared on the floor. I have no idea how it got there because I thought I took it away from Nixon so I'm sure she had something to do with it!)
+ Robert's boxers
+ my underwear
+ Robert's shoe (Garbo was determined she could drag a heavy shoe under the bed)
certain things I let them take. like old papers/notes or empty paper. sometimes I let them take trash because I know that we're just gonna grab it later and throw it away. Nixon has started to export her nesting materials from the cage :o
she'll go in the cage and grab a piece of paper and run around with it in her mouth until she figures out where to put it. often she hides these pieces of paper under my stuffed polar bear (which is her favorite hiding place on the bed) and I'll have to go through the bed before going to bed at night because there might be some Nippy treasures on there.
rats are out right now and being good. Nixon's excited and running around like crazy. she ran into my slipper earlier.
they both have extremely soft fur and tails right now. I think it's the new food. Nixon started bruxing with excitement this morning when I went to feed them :D
I must tend to Garbo now. she looks like she's about to jump up in my robe (it's hanging from the closet door). she loves to grab on to it and climb up. she's crazy.
Monday, May 2, 2011
poor Garbo.
Garbo got some food stuck in her throat last night :/
it hasn't happened before (or if it has - I haven't seen it) and it was actually really scary :/
she started drooling and gagging.
Robert - as the good dad that he is - went immediately online to look for answers and I busted out the rat book to see if there was anything about it (since we didn't know at first what was going on)
turns out that rats are built very differently than us so they can't "truly" choke.
usually getting food stuck in the throat won't interfere with their breathing so there's really nothing you can do when a rat gets food stuck in its throat.
also gagging and drooling are the two things that will tell you that there's food stuck in its throat.
all we could do was pet her and make sure she felt safe. we let her roam around freely without closed doors for a little bit and when she went back in the cage and laid down she seemed to feel better :) Nixon came and took care of her by licking the drool off of her chin :D
a few minutes later Garbo was out and about in the cage and eating food and being her alert self :)
she really scared us for a moment!
it hasn't happened before (or if it has - I haven't seen it) and it was actually really scary :/
she started drooling and gagging.
Robert - as the good dad that he is - went immediately online to look for answers and I busted out the rat book to see if there was anything about it (since we didn't know at first what was going on)
turns out that rats are built very differently than us so they can't "truly" choke.
usually getting food stuck in the throat won't interfere with their breathing so there's really nothing you can do when a rat gets food stuck in its throat.
also gagging and drooling are the two things that will tell you that there's food stuck in its throat.
all we could do was pet her and make sure she felt safe. we let her roam around freely without closed doors for a little bit and when she went back in the cage and laid down she seemed to feel better :) Nixon came and took care of her by licking the drool off of her chin :D
a few minutes later Garbo was out and about in the cage and eating food and being her alert self :)
she really scared us for a moment!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Overprotective mom is worried.
oh no.
one of the rats has some kinda pee-thing going on :o
our rats haven't peed on us since we first got them.
but today I keep getting wet pee paws and wet streaks all over myself after holding the rats!
I can't figure out who it is who keeps "leaking" on my arms.
it actually looks like one of them is in fact peeing on me because it's not just the sensation from their paws as if they just went to the bathroom but I actually saw some droplets.
I'm worried. even though it might not be a physical condition it could still be something mental/emotional that needs to be taken care of.
unfortunately mommy doesn't know what "I pee on you" translates to in english so I guess I'll have to just monitor their behavior and hope to not get peed on again.
(having fresh rat scratches on your arms mixed with rat pee....well let's just say it stings a little. a little..)
one of the rats has some kinda pee-thing going on :o
our rats haven't peed on us since we first got them.
but today I keep getting wet pee paws and wet streaks all over myself after holding the rats!
I can't figure out who it is who keeps "leaking" on my arms.
it actually looks like one of them is in fact peeing on me because it's not just the sensation from their paws as if they just went to the bathroom but I actually saw some droplets.
I'm worried. even though it might not be a physical condition it could still be something mental/emotional that needs to be taken care of.
unfortunately mommy doesn't know what "I pee on you" translates to in english so I guess I'll have to just monitor their behavior and hope to not get peed on again.
(having fresh rat scratches on your arms mixed with rat pee....well let's just say it stings a little. a little..)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
blind rat coming through!
I think it's safe to say that Nixon's nearly blind:
whenever she gets really excited she runs into things - headfirst.
it's okay though because blindness isn't really a disability in rats since they have a poor eyesight and mostly get by on their excellent hearing and sense of smell :)
it's just funny seeing Nixon run around like there's nothing wrong with her (well not that there really is anyways) and then see her bump into my foot or a shoe lying on the floor :D
also the rats have been extremely rowdy lately.
but it's okay - we've had a lot of fun during our playtime and I've gotten some good laughs out of the crazy rats even though their rowdyness often gets me a little worried they'll hurt themselves :s
whenever she gets really excited she runs into things - headfirst.
it's okay though because blindness isn't really a disability in rats since they have a poor eyesight and mostly get by on their excellent hearing and sense of smell :)
it's just funny seeing Nixon run around like there's nothing wrong with her (well not that there really is anyways) and then see her bump into my foot or a shoe lying on the floor :D
also the rats have been extremely rowdy lately.
but it's okay - we've had a lot of fun during our playtime and I've gotten some good laughs out of the crazy rats even though their rowdyness often gets me a little worried they'll hurt themselves :s
Friday, April 22, 2011
The rats are home!
I let the rats run around a little last night which might have been a bad idea since they just got home.
I believe I waited a couple of days after my trip to europe before I let them out.
Nixon did know where she was because she kept running to her usual hiding places and sat in my lap and took treats from me.
Garbo was a little more freaked out and hid in the box spring of the bed for over an hour :/ Robert and I had to scare her out of there since nothing else worked :/
Nixon joined her after running around for half an hour.
both rats knew they had been bad because like dogs they show it by putting their heads down and ears back.
the new food has been a success! when I first let them try it Nixon wouldn't stop eating it. I left some in their food dish and this morning it was all gone :)
so I think I'm gonna leave some pellets in the cup in the morning (turns out their bag of pellets had a lot more in it than I thought) and some tropical rat mix in the evening to give them some variety.
the ratties are napping in their favorite nap spot: the cup and they let me pet them and Nixon bruxed a little so we're all good :)
I believe I waited a couple of days after my trip to europe before I let them out.
Nixon did know where she was because she kept running to her usual hiding places and sat in my lap and took treats from me.
Garbo was a little more freaked out and hid in the box spring of the bed for over an hour :/ Robert and I had to scare her out of there since nothing else worked :/
Nixon joined her after running around for half an hour.
both rats knew they had been bad because like dogs they show it by putting their heads down and ears back.
the new food has been a success! when I first let them try it Nixon wouldn't stop eating it. I left some in their food dish and this morning it was all gone :)
so I think I'm gonna leave some pellets in the cup in the morning (turns out their bag of pellets had a lot more in it than I thought) and some tropical rat mix in the evening to give them some variety.
the ratties are napping in their favorite nap spot: the cup and they let me pet them and Nixon bruxed a little so we're all good :)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Rat food.
since the rats left our place with very little food (only enough for the few days they were going to be gone) I had to stock up on some today before they arrive.
we usually buy kaytee's forti-diet which is one of the best lab blocks out there.
since we don't live close to a big chain pet store I usually pick up rat items at a smaller private owned pet store in our neighborhood when we need something fast.
they don't always carry the same brands we buy at the bigger pet stores.
last time I bought rat food at this store I noticed that Garbo's coat was very shiny and smooth. the food I bought came in pellet form. I was hoping they would have had it since the rats really liked it as a change for the other pellets they usually eat and Garbo's fur looked great.
unfortunately they were really low on rat food and I ended up buying a tropical rat mix for them.
we've tried giving them a mix similar to this one before but it didn't go over too well with our ladies. part of it - I'm sure - was that it had been sitting in the garage at Robert's parents house for a few years.
I'm really hoping this tropical mix though will be a success among our ladies.
we'll have to test it out tonight.
otherwise I'm screwed because I forgot to pick up some "back up" food (fruits and vegetables. those always work).
(then again...if the rats are really hungry and they realize there's nothing else to eat I'm sure they'll enjoy this new food :D)
we usually buy kaytee's forti-diet which is one of the best lab blocks out there.
since we don't live close to a big chain pet store I usually pick up rat items at a smaller private owned pet store in our neighborhood when we need something fast.
they don't always carry the same brands we buy at the bigger pet stores.
last time I bought rat food at this store I noticed that Garbo's coat was very shiny and smooth. the food I bought came in pellet form. I was hoping they would have had it since the rats really liked it as a change for the other pellets they usually eat and Garbo's fur looked great.
unfortunately they were really low on rat food and I ended up buying a tropical rat mix for them.
we've tried giving them a mix similar to this one before but it didn't go over too well with our ladies. part of it - I'm sure - was that it had been sitting in the garage at Robert's parents house for a few years.
I'm really hoping this tropical mix though will be a success among our ladies.
we'll have to test it out tonight.
otherwise I'm screwed because I forgot to pick up some "back up" food (fruits and vegetables. those always work).
(then again...if the rats are really hungry and they realize there's nothing else to eat I'm sure they'll enjoy this new food :D)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
yay!
the ratties have a rat sitter for monday-wednesday!
they're going to grandma-jo's house :D
she's picking the girls up sunday night and bringing them home wednesday night.
phew! it all worked out and now I can relax and have fun :)
they're going to grandma-jo's house :D
she's picking the girls up sunday night and bringing them home wednesday night.
phew! it all worked out and now I can relax and have fun :)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
:D
aww!0I got to hold a pink eyed white male today in school.d (and now garbo's climbing all over me and the keyboard)
unlike many of the other rats ours wasn't scared because I knew how to handle rats :D
ours didn't poop everywhere and it was very social and wanted to climb up on my shoulder and sniff my face. so cute!
so now that I'm home - my rats are all over me! they must know where the scent of this mystery rat came from.
well nixon hasn't really come up to me yet but garbo won't leave me alone! she has to climb all over my shoulders and smell me and nibble on my hair and ears and clothes.
...and now they're too busy chasing each other and wrestling and one of them just had to bite my toe while passing by.
unlike many of the other rats ours wasn't scared because I knew how to handle rats :D
ours didn't poop everywhere and it was very social and wanted to climb up on my shoulder and sniff my face. so cute!
so now that I'm home - my rats are all over me! they must know where the scent of this mystery rat came from.
well nixon hasn't really come up to me yet but garbo won't leave me alone! she has to climb all over my shoulders and smell me and nibble on my hair and ears and clothes.
...and now they're too busy chasing each other and wrestling and one of them just had to bite my toe while passing by.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Rat talk.
I've never really known what boggling means.
I've heard that rats boggle and brux.
our rats brux quite a lot. usually when they're going for a nap and when I'm rubbing their ears. Nixon often bruxes when she's just running around on the floor in the bedroom (I'm hoping it's because she's happy - not because she's frustrated or scared. although she runs around like a happy rat so I'm sure it's the good kind of bruxing)
but boggling.
I didn't even know what it was until the other day when I was giving Garbo a good ear rubbing as she was about to fall asleep in their little nap cup.
she was bruxing and then she started doing weird things with her face.
it looked like she was bulging her eyes back and forth and vibrating her whiskers.
I knew immediately that this is a rat who's enjoying the pre-nap ear rub :)
I've heard that rats boggle and brux.
our rats brux quite a lot. usually when they're going for a nap and when I'm rubbing their ears. Nixon often bruxes when she's just running around on the floor in the bedroom (I'm hoping it's because she's happy - not because she's frustrated or scared. although she runs around like a happy rat so I'm sure it's the good kind of bruxing)
but boggling.
I didn't even know what it was until the other day when I was giving Garbo a good ear rubbing as she was about to fall asleep in their little nap cup.
she was bruxing and then she started doing weird things with her face.
it looked like she was bulging her eyes back and forth and vibrating her whiskers.
I knew immediately that this is a rat who's enjoying the pre-nap ear rub :)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Rat sitter wanted.
spring break is coming up and Robert thought that would be the perfect time to take a little trip to vegas for a few days.
one thing that you should do as a pet owner is to see if you have a sitter for your pets first before anything else and of course that's not what happened in our case.
I have a really hard time getting excited about this knowing that right now we don't have a rat sitter. we didn't want to ask Jamie since she'll be having her baby very soon and that's just too much.
I don't really know who else would make a good candidate.
I don't want just anyone to watch my ratties for me. I want someone who actually cares about animals and doesn't mind rats. (and I guess experience is always a bonus)
I really can't see myself allowing someone who has no compassion towards animals watching them for us while we're gone. we'll be gone for 2 nights but our friend (who is going with us) isn't even leaving her cats alone for that time so I don't think I should have to leave the rats alone either.
what if it's hot? who's gonna make sure they're not having a heatstroke? :/
a lot of people I know have cats and that's obviously a bad thing in this case.
I guess we could always have someone just swing by our place every day while we're gone and feed them and make sure they have what they need.
I have 2 more weeks to figure it out.
I'm sure it'll work out somehow.
I'm just kinda worried right now and I can't excited about this until it's been taken care of.
ps. nixon just stole my math test because it was on the floor. she's trying to run around with it and it just looks ridiculous. a small rat with a gigantic compendium of paper in her mouth.
one thing that you should do as a pet owner is to see if you have a sitter for your pets first before anything else and of course that's not what happened in our case.
I have a really hard time getting excited about this knowing that right now we don't have a rat sitter. we didn't want to ask Jamie since she'll be having her baby very soon and that's just too much.
I don't really know who else would make a good candidate.
I don't want just anyone to watch my ratties for me. I want someone who actually cares about animals and doesn't mind rats. (and I guess experience is always a bonus)
I really can't see myself allowing someone who has no compassion towards animals watching them for us while we're gone. we'll be gone for 2 nights but our friend (who is going with us) isn't even leaving her cats alone for that time so I don't think I should have to leave the rats alone either.
what if it's hot? who's gonna make sure they're not having a heatstroke? :/
a lot of people I know have cats and that's obviously a bad thing in this case.
I guess we could always have someone just swing by our place every day while we're gone and feed them and make sure they have what they need.
I have 2 more weeks to figure it out.
I'm sure it'll work out somehow.
I'm just kinda worried right now and I can't excited about this until it's been taken care of.
ps. nixon just stole my math test because it was on the floor. she's trying to run around with it and it just looks ridiculous. a small rat with a gigantic compendium of paper in her mouth.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Yay!
Nixon's eye healed up on its own.
it looks completely normal and hasn't bled for a few days :)
the ratties got to play in the bedroom for 2 hours yesterday.
I was trying to do some stuff while they were playing but Nixon kept stealing my craft supplies! it's okay though. it's kinda cute when they do that.
also the rats have learned that sometimes when mommy isn't giving them a treat it really helps if they get on their hind legs and spin around. then mommy HAS to give them treats for being such good rats :)
Garbo doesn't really jump up in this computer chair too often but she really wanted to sit in my lap and see what I was doing yesterday so she suddenly climbed up here and sat in my lap and wanted to see what I was writing as I was copying something on a piece of paper from the computer. she thinks it's very fascinating when I'm writing and often jumps up on my notebooks when I'm writing down something :)
it looks completely normal and hasn't bled for a few days :)
the ratties got to play in the bedroom for 2 hours yesterday.
I was trying to do some stuff while they were playing but Nixon kept stealing my craft supplies! it's okay though. it's kinda cute when they do that.
also the rats have learned that sometimes when mommy isn't giving them a treat it really helps if they get on their hind legs and spin around. then mommy HAS to give them treats for being such good rats :)
Garbo doesn't really jump up in this computer chair too often but she really wanted to sit in my lap and see what I was doing yesterday so she suddenly climbed up here and sat in my lap and wanted to see what I was writing as I was copying something on a piece of paper from the computer. she thinks it's very fascinating when I'm writing and often jumps up on my notebooks when I'm writing down something :)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Eye update.
well...Nixon's eye hasn't gotten any better nor any worse.
I'm not really sure whether that's a good or a bad thing.
I'm really fighting the urge to take her to the vet.
my mom and Robert both think I'm just overreacting and I've really tried to reassure myself that they're right but I'm also really worried since I can't seem to find any kind of information on products that I could use so that the swelling will go down and to prevent infections.
if I was at my parents' house we'd definitely put some bepanthen on it (an ointment that is safe for mucous membranes and works well on pets) but since it's only sold in europe we're out of luck. I can't seem to find anything similar over here despite all my googling.
I've tried two different message boards and one of them was finnish so of course they recommended bepanthen. I had a lot less luck getting any responses on the other message board.
(and unfortunately you can't send creams and things like that overseas. otherwise I'd have my parents ship me several tubes of bepanthen this instant!)
if it was a scratch anywhere else on the body it wouldn't be a big deal.
but it's next to the eye and infections in that area can be really nasty.
I guess it's not infected right now since there is no pus coming out of it.
but it is still swollen and will bleed a little if she rubs it against something.
I saw her scratching it earlier. I don't know if that's good or bad.
I guess I'm just gonna have to keep monitoring her and if it gets worse then probably take her to the vet.
while it's not getting better nor worse I might as well keep searching for products that are rat safe and that will help her heal.
I'm not really sure whether that's a good or a bad thing.
I'm really fighting the urge to take her to the vet.
my mom and Robert both think I'm just overreacting and I've really tried to reassure myself that they're right but I'm also really worried since I can't seem to find any kind of information on products that I could use so that the swelling will go down and to prevent infections.
if I was at my parents' house we'd definitely put some bepanthen on it (an ointment that is safe for mucous membranes and works well on pets) but since it's only sold in europe we're out of luck. I can't seem to find anything similar over here despite all my googling.
I've tried two different message boards and one of them was finnish so of course they recommended bepanthen. I had a lot less luck getting any responses on the other message board.
(and unfortunately you can't send creams and things like that overseas. otherwise I'd have my parents ship me several tubes of bepanthen this instant!)
if it was a scratch anywhere else on the body it wouldn't be a big deal.
but it's next to the eye and infections in that area can be really nasty.
I guess it's not infected right now since there is no pus coming out of it.
but it is still swollen and will bleed a little if she rubs it against something.
I saw her scratching it earlier. I don't know if that's good or bad.
I guess I'm just gonna have to keep monitoring her and if it gets worse then probably take her to the vet.
while it's not getting better nor worse I might as well keep searching for products that are rat safe and that will help her heal.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
today's guest blogger: Garbo.
hs13
she just discovered that she can reach the computer desk from the chair.
she just discovered that she can reach the computer desk from the chair.
Poor Nixon.
Nippy has a scratch next to her eye again :(
it's a lot smaller this time and it didn't bleed as much and she hasn't been squinting at all so that's good.
she's a little swollen around the eye like last time though.
we haven't taken her to the vet since it wasn't really that serious last time either and this time I actually know where she got the scratch from.
I'm just kinda worried it might get infected or something :/
we were thinking about buying neosporin or something like that but it makes me a little nervous as the scratch is close to her eye and what if it's bad to put it that close to the eye? :/
it's a lot smaller this time and it didn't bleed as much and she hasn't been squinting at all so that's good.
she's a little swollen around the eye like last time though.
we haven't taken her to the vet since it wasn't really that serious last time either and this time I actually know where she got the scratch from.
I'm just kinda worried it might get infected or something :/
we were thinking about buying neosporin or something like that but it makes me a little nervous as the scratch is close to her eye and what if it's bad to put it that close to the eye? :/
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Playtime!
one day it occurred to me that perhaps our bed would be a perfect rat playground and turns out I was right!
the ratties are now allowed to play in our bed and they love it! there's a big blanket that's perfect for tunneling and stuffed animals that provide perfect hiding spaces!
Nixon loves to eat her treats under my stuffed polar bear. the bed gives Garbo access to the window which she likes a lot. Garbo knows how to get down from the bed but when she's on the floor she's being good and she doesn't spend much time under the bed so I'm not too worried about letting roam around on the floor. Nixon hasn't figured that out yet but I'll let her do that in her own time. she's a lot less daring than Garbo and it seems like she's actually worried about getting hurt unlike Garbo who jumps head first into all kinds of trouble and often ends up falling down (luckily Garbo has an alert mommy who does her best to catch her!)
today the ratties were extra playful and we played a fun game together. I have some cereal in the shape of stars that have a little hole in the middle so I put some string through them and the ratties were chasing them around and once they caught the string with the treat they had to figure out how to detach the treat from the string. Garbo even started doing some of the tricks she has learned just so she could have an extra treat! Garbo walked in a circle and stood up on her hind legs for me so I think she deserved the extra treat :)
Nixon liked chasing the string around even when there wasn't a treat on it so we did that for a while too. of course there are some crumbs in the bed now from Nixon eating under the blanket and under my polar bear.
I've taken lots of rattie pictures again since the bed is a great surface for them to play on. this way I can sit in the bed while they play and interact with them while they run around without having them go too far away from me. it's good for socialization and rattie picture taking!
I've also made some clips because my mom requested to see some. I guess that means that I'll have to send her a link to this blog.
now that playtime is over for today I'm off to study some biology and the ratties are preparing for a nap.
the ratties are now allowed to play in our bed and they love it! there's a big blanket that's perfect for tunneling and stuffed animals that provide perfect hiding spaces!
Nixon loves to eat her treats under my stuffed polar bear. the bed gives Garbo access to the window which she likes a lot. Garbo knows how to get down from the bed but when she's on the floor she's being good and she doesn't spend much time under the bed so I'm not too worried about letting roam around on the floor. Nixon hasn't figured that out yet but I'll let her do that in her own time. she's a lot less daring than Garbo and it seems like she's actually worried about getting hurt unlike Garbo who jumps head first into all kinds of trouble and often ends up falling down (luckily Garbo has an alert mommy who does her best to catch her!)
today the ratties were extra playful and we played a fun game together. I have some cereal in the shape of stars that have a little hole in the middle so I put some string through them and the ratties were chasing them around and once they caught the string with the treat they had to figure out how to detach the treat from the string. Garbo even started doing some of the tricks she has learned just so she could have an extra treat! Garbo walked in a circle and stood up on her hind legs for me so I think she deserved the extra treat :)
Nixon liked chasing the string around even when there wasn't a treat on it so we did that for a while too. of course there are some crumbs in the bed now from Nixon eating under the blanket and under my polar bear.
I've taken lots of rattie pictures again since the bed is a great surface for them to play on. this way I can sit in the bed while they play and interact with them while they run around without having them go too far away from me. it's good for socialization and rattie picture taking!
I've also made some clips because my mom requested to see some. I guess that means that I'll have to send her a link to this blog.
now that playtime is over for today I'm off to study some biology and the ratties are preparing for a nap.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Suggestions are welcome!
the ratties were allowed back out already the very next day under stricter supervision.
they didn't touch any cords under my sharp eye BUT of course we hadn't thought of the cord under their favorite couch.
since the rats have made themselves a nest under the couch I should have figured out that the cord that crosses their nest would have suffered a great deal - which it had.
unfortunately the damage is pretty bad - if you touch the wires on the cord it will spark - so the rats are not allowed there anymore.
that means we can't let them out in the living room anymore until we figure out how to section the living room so that they stick to the cordless side of it.
I don't understand why we keep having so much trouble with this. I feel like everyone else who has had rats hasn't. most people give them access to their entire apartment!
the living room has been enough for our rats.
as a temporary solution we're only letting them out in the hallway and the bathroom.
we also bought them a playpen but they don't seem too excited about being transported from one cage to another cage-like area.
we're thinking about buying some kind of "walls" (you know the kind that people use when their babies just start walking and they want to section off places where the kids aren't allowed in?) to put up in the living room when letting them out.
I'm getting so desperate that I'm thinking about rearranging all the furniture in the living room. I really don't want the rats to be enclosed into a tiny space.
that's what their cage is for!
they didn't touch any cords under my sharp eye BUT of course we hadn't thought of the cord under their favorite couch.
since the rats have made themselves a nest under the couch I should have figured out that the cord that crosses their nest would have suffered a great deal - which it had.
unfortunately the damage is pretty bad - if you touch the wires on the cord it will spark - so the rats are not allowed there anymore.
that means we can't let them out in the living room anymore until we figure out how to section the living room so that they stick to the cordless side of it.
I don't understand why we keep having so much trouble with this. I feel like everyone else who has had rats hasn't. most people give them access to their entire apartment!
the living room has been enough for our rats.
as a temporary solution we're only letting them out in the hallway and the bathroom.
we also bought them a playpen but they don't seem too excited about being transported from one cage to another cage-like area.
we're thinking about buying some kind of "walls" (you know the kind that people use when their babies just start walking and they want to section off places where the kids aren't allowed in?) to put up in the living room when letting them out.
I'm getting so desperate that I'm thinking about rearranging all the furniture in the living room. I really don't want the rats to be enclosed into a tiny space.
that's what their cage is for!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Grounded.
our ratties are grounded today.
they chewed through a couple of cords that we kinda need in order to be able to enjoy visual entertainment.
they did it gradually though so it wasn't like they just decided one day to be mean and mess with their parents.
oh well. everyone who has had rats would know that this day comes eventually.
we're trying to figure out how to prevent this from happening in the future.
and today the ratties are just gonna have to play inside the cage and that's why I
made them some pinatas to play with.
they chewed through a couple of cords that we kinda need in order to be able to enjoy visual entertainment.
they did it gradually though so it wasn't like they just decided one day to be mean and mess with their parents.
oh well. everyone who has had rats would know that this day comes eventually.
we're trying to figure out how to prevent this from happening in the future.
and today the ratties are just gonna have to play inside the cage and that's why I
made them some pinatas to play with.
Friday, March 4, 2011
the ratties are moving...
...under the couch?!
apparently so.
they have even brought some of their pellets over there.
our advertisements keep disappearing and they're all shredded under the couch now.
yesterday I lifted up the couch to see what was going on underneath it and I found the girls huddled up in advertisements. they had neatly folded it into a big bed. it was pretty cute actually :)
they have a supply of baby carrots and yogies there too which we've had to confiscate.
Nixon even brought her favorite toy (a small rubber ball) over there!
despite their little moving project they still hang out with me in the living room a lot.
last night Garbo was actually playing with me. she was chasing ME around the living room :D aww Garbo. my dresses are some of the ratties' favorite hiding places so there was a lot of traffic under my dress.
the rats also like stealing laundry I've noticed.
the other week I was folding laundry in the living room while the rats were out and Nixon tried to steal daddy Robert's boxers. when she wasn't allowed to take them with her she tried to go for my underwear and when she couldn't take those with her she started pulling on my dress. much to her disappointment she had to leave empty pawed.
since today is laundry day I'm expecting thief rats to appear in my living room again!
apparently so.
they have even brought some of their pellets over there.
our advertisements keep disappearing and they're all shredded under the couch now.
yesterday I lifted up the couch to see what was going on underneath it and I found the girls huddled up in advertisements. they had neatly folded it into a big bed. it was pretty cute actually :)
they have a supply of baby carrots and yogies there too which we've had to confiscate.
Nixon even brought her favorite toy (a small rubber ball) over there!
despite their little moving project they still hang out with me in the living room a lot.
last night Garbo was actually playing with me. she was chasing ME around the living room :D aww Garbo. my dresses are some of the ratties' favorite hiding places so there was a lot of traffic under my dress.
the rats also like stealing laundry I've noticed.
the other week I was folding laundry in the living room while the rats were out and Nixon tried to steal daddy Robert's boxers. when she wasn't allowed to take them with her she tried to go for my underwear and when she couldn't take those with her she started pulling on my dress. much to her disappointment she had to leave empty pawed.
since today is laundry day I'm expecting thief rats to appear in my living room again!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
It must be mating season.
the title doesn't really make sense since rats are in season all the time it seems.
but! I for some reason thought that rats didn't act all crazy when they are.
I've seen my female dog try to hump the male dog and I've seen my cat hump his brother but I never thought rodents would engage in similar behavior. I suppose it only makes sense that they would do so too.
with that being said I witnessed Garbo trying to mate with Nixon last night :s
yes it's normal but it's just weird cause Nixon never does that. she'll try to grab Garbo by the waist but never humps her. well....Garbo did. she's bigger than Nixon too so it was kinda funny.
other than Garbo's "sexual awakening" the rats have been well and very social.
ratties are even starting to climb onto Robert's lap which they didn't really do before. now days all I have to do sometimes is to reach out with my hand and a rat will climb on board. sometimes they will reach out to me so that I'll put my hand down for them so they can jump on.
since I have a long weekend and no homework to worry about I intend to spend it by hanging out with the ratties since I've had a busy and stressful week with rather short rattie playtimes :/
but! I for some reason thought that rats didn't act all crazy when they are.
I've seen my female dog try to hump the male dog and I've seen my cat hump his brother but I never thought rodents would engage in similar behavior. I suppose it only makes sense that they would do so too.
with that being said I witnessed Garbo trying to mate with Nixon last night :s
yes it's normal but it's just weird cause Nixon never does that. she'll try to grab Garbo by the waist but never humps her. well....Garbo did. she's bigger than Nixon too so it was kinda funny.
other than Garbo's "sexual awakening" the rats have been well and very social.
ratties are even starting to climb onto Robert's lap which they didn't really do before. now days all I have to do sometimes is to reach out with my hand and a rat will climb on board. sometimes they will reach out to me so that I'll put my hand down for them so they can jump on.
since I have a long weekend and no homework to worry about I intend to spend it by hanging out with the ratties since I've had a busy and stressful week with rather short rattie playtimes :/
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Rat loves cat!
I saw this video on youtube and since it's rat related I thought I'd share it.
cuuuuute!
I could never see my cat walther be that good friends with our rats.
he'd just want them to be friends with his stomach :(
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Rat gate attempt 2.
success!
we decided to move the gate over to the dining room/living room door instead because the gap is a lot smaller there and the gate blocks it perfectly :)
the only thing is that Garbo can actually jump up there but so far it's worked perfectly even when she has jumped up on the gate. I can usually tell when she's going to do it and I'll just pick her up when she's up there and put her back on the floor. she's very stubborn though and will repeat that about 4 more times and I put her down on the floor every time. she eventually gives up. I'm starting to think we should make the bathroom completely off limits too because Nixon has a weird thing for our toilet brush and it really grosses me out especially if I know that the brush has been in the toilet recently. I don't know what kinda "treasures" she's looking for there...
speaking of Nixon - it appears as if she's building a nest underneath the couch. she dragged all kinds of things there today including a piece of a grilled cheese sandwich and a taco wrapper and she was going to drag a little tube of toothpaste she found in the bathroom there too but I grabbed it from her before she made it all the way to the living room. she expressed her dissatisfaction by biting my toe after I confiscated her newly found treasure :( she also tried to take my headphones from the couch and drag them with her.
I'm also getting a little nervous about letting Garbo climb around so much. I know she really loves it and does it a lot more than Nixon (Nixon seems to be more into treasure hunting while Garbo wants to conquer every "mountain" in the apartment) but she has fallen down so many times and just in the past few days she has probably fallen down five times or more :/ I try to catch her but sometimes she won't even let me! I'm scared that she'll actually get hurt one of these days :/ it's making me feel like I'm not fulfilling my rat mom duties very well.
the good thing is that our rats don't really chew on things anymore.
so at least I don't have to worry about that :D
we decided to move the gate over to the dining room/living room door instead because the gap is a lot smaller there and the gate blocks it perfectly :)
the only thing is that Garbo can actually jump up there but so far it's worked perfectly even when she has jumped up on the gate. I can usually tell when she's going to do it and I'll just pick her up when she's up there and put her back on the floor. she's very stubborn though and will repeat that about 4 more times and I put her down on the floor every time. she eventually gives up. I'm starting to think we should make the bathroom completely off limits too because Nixon has a weird thing for our toilet brush and it really grosses me out especially if I know that the brush has been in the toilet recently. I don't know what kinda "treasures" she's looking for there...
speaking of Nixon - it appears as if she's building a nest underneath the couch. she dragged all kinds of things there today including a piece of a grilled cheese sandwich and a taco wrapper and she was going to drag a little tube of toothpaste she found in the bathroom there too but I grabbed it from her before she made it all the way to the living room. she expressed her dissatisfaction by biting my toe after I confiscated her newly found treasure :( she also tried to take my headphones from the couch and drag them with her.
I'm also getting a little nervous about letting Garbo climb around so much. I know she really loves it and does it a lot more than Nixon (Nixon seems to be more into treasure hunting while Garbo wants to conquer every "mountain" in the apartment) but she has fallen down so many times and just in the past few days she has probably fallen down five times or more :/ I try to catch her but sometimes she won't even let me! I'm scared that she'll actually get hurt one of these days :/ it's making me feel like I'm not fulfilling my rat mom duties very well.
the good thing is that our rats don't really chew on things anymore.
so at least I don't have to worry about that :D
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Rat gate attempt part 1.
well we finally found something that we could use in order to block the rats from going into the kitchen and it did work.
...for a little bit.
at first the rats were running towards the kitchen door and when they realized they no longer had the access to the kitchen they'd turn away and go somewhere else instead.
of course this didn't last very long because then they actually started exploring the thing blocking their normal route to the joys of the kitchen floor and of course one of them found a gap (there were two small gaps on each side that I tried to stuff with my slipper. the right side worked fine but I guess the gap on the left side was big enough for a rat to dig through) and by squeezing through that gap encouraging the other one to follow her lead. luckily only Nixon went in there and I managed to stop Garbo from joining her. they both ended up in the cage pretty quickly after that.
it was fine having them in the kitchen for a while. they'd always come out of their hiding places when I'd call them and when I'd offer my hand they'd hop on it but last night we spent 2 hours trying to get Garbo to come out from underneath the oven so we figured that the kitchen days are over and it's time to actually do something about it. I guess we're still in the developing stages of this because one slipper and an oven mitten sure aren't going to keep away two small rats with the ability to dig and pull things. I really don't know what else to use for filling that gap so I guess for now I'm just gonna have to sit next to them and make sure I catch them on time before I'll be crawling on the kitchen floor looking for Garbo again.
...for a little bit.
at first the rats were running towards the kitchen door and when they realized they no longer had the access to the kitchen they'd turn away and go somewhere else instead.
of course this didn't last very long because then they actually started exploring the thing blocking their normal route to the joys of the kitchen floor and of course one of them found a gap (there were two small gaps on each side that I tried to stuff with my slipper. the right side worked fine but I guess the gap on the left side was big enough for a rat to dig through) and by squeezing through that gap encouraging the other one to follow her lead. luckily only Nixon went in there and I managed to stop Garbo from joining her. they both ended up in the cage pretty quickly after that.
it was fine having them in the kitchen for a while. they'd always come out of their hiding places when I'd call them and when I'd offer my hand they'd hop on it but last night we spent 2 hours trying to get Garbo to come out from underneath the oven so we figured that the kitchen days are over and it's time to actually do something about it. I guess we're still in the developing stages of this because one slipper and an oven mitten sure aren't going to keep away two small rats with the ability to dig and pull things. I really don't know what else to use for filling that gap so I guess for now I'm just gonna have to sit next to them and make sure I catch them on time before I'll be crawling on the kitchen floor looking for Garbo again.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
New hobbies.
I'm glad that climbing up and riding on my arms/shoulder has become quite a fond activity to our little ladies :) lately I haven't even had to chase them around - all I have to do is offer them a ride on my hand and they'll gladly accept it.
another thing that they've been enjoying lately is folded toilet paper rolls. I hide treats inside of them and they go crazy over them. it's good exercise for their brains and teeth! I just need to make sure they both have their own because otherwise there's a lot of stealing and fighting.
I have some pictures that I want to post but I haven't even gotten them on the computer yet :/ perhaps this weekend.
now I'm off to see some friends. it's a perfect time for that since the ratties are napping :)
another thing that they've been enjoying lately is folded toilet paper rolls. I hide treats inside of them and they go crazy over them. it's good exercise for their brains and teeth! I just need to make sure they both have their own because otherwise there's a lot of stealing and fighting.
I have some pictures that I want to post but I haven't even gotten them on the computer yet :/ perhaps this weekend.
now I'm off to see some friends. it's a perfect time for that since the ratties are napping :)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Question:
does anyone have any idea where one could buy (or use as) a little "gate" of some sorts? something to stop the ratties from going in the kitchen.
I've stopped freaking out over letting them in the dining room because there aren't really many places for them to hide in there but the kitchen is starting to become a problem. we have a rule of not letting them in there because we don't want them to hide behind the oven or the fridge but it has happened twice already. Garbo seems to love the kitchen and thought it was fun to hide behind the fridge/stove and the other day I had to grab her from the cabinet where we keep the pots and pans. not only does this mean that there is more running around after the ladies but it also means that now I have some extra dishes to do :/ rat proof gate needed. any ideas and suggestions are welcome!
I've stopped freaking out over letting them in the dining room because there aren't really many places for them to hide in there but the kitchen is starting to become a problem. we have a rule of not letting them in there because we don't want them to hide behind the oven or the fridge but it has happened twice already. Garbo seems to love the kitchen and thought it was fun to hide behind the fridge/stove and the other day I had to grab her from the cabinet where we keep the pots and pans. not only does this mean that there is more running around after the ladies but it also means that now I have some extra dishes to do :/ rat proof gate needed. any ideas and suggestions are welcome!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
all is well at the rat house.
well now it looks like the rats have started to go in the litter box again.
maybe putting all the little "raisins" in there helped them remember what it was for. who knows!
Garbo has become quite an adventurer. she always was but now she'll go crazy if I have to put her back in the cage. she'll literally start chewing on the bars and chattering her teeth with frustration. it's actually very sad to watch but as I've said before - when they get too impossible they have to go back in the cage until they've calmed down. unfortunately it doesn't seem to calm her down until I've left the room. when I'm not in the room it's kinda like nobody's "teasing" her. I just had one of these situations with her but since I'm in the bedroom now it sounds like she's calm. poor Nixon who hasn't gotten to stay in the living room for that long today nor yesterday :( I just don't want to keep her out while Garbo has to go back inside the cage so I always put both of them in there. it's not really fair when both get punished for something only one of them did but at the same time it keeps Garbo calm. Nixon is very adaptable anyways. and she usually just goes and takes a nap when she gets back in the cage.
Garbo is a smart one (aren't all rats though?)
just now she figured out that if she runs into the dining room I will follow and try to catch her. eventually she figured that if she lets me catch her - she can climb up on my shoulder and get a ride back to the living room this way. so she started doing this and actually just stopped so I could grab her. she didn't even resist because she just wanted to get up on my shoulder. Garbo knows that shoulder rides mean being able to explore places at new heights. such as the book case or the second shelf in the hallway closet. the book case was very interesting to her. I should have taken a picture of her sitting on top of the toy dinosaur that we have in the book case! I wonder why Nixon never does anything like this. lately all she's been wanting to do is sit under the couch or lick the plates we might have left in the living room :/
speaking of Nixon and licking - we shared a soda can today. not a SODA because rats can't drink carbonated drinks but we did share the CAN itself. with me obviously drinking the contents of it and Nixon licking off the condensation that had formed on the can :D team work occurs at the rat house.
well I suppose that's it for now.
I did take a picture of her in the book case but it's not on the computer yet.
will probably post it later.
maybe putting all the little "raisins" in there helped them remember what it was for. who knows!
Garbo has become quite an adventurer. she always was but now she'll go crazy if I have to put her back in the cage. she'll literally start chewing on the bars and chattering her teeth with frustration. it's actually very sad to watch but as I've said before - when they get too impossible they have to go back in the cage until they've calmed down. unfortunately it doesn't seem to calm her down until I've left the room. when I'm not in the room it's kinda like nobody's "teasing" her. I just had one of these situations with her but since I'm in the bedroom now it sounds like she's calm. poor Nixon who hasn't gotten to stay in the living room for that long today nor yesterday :( I just don't want to keep her out while Garbo has to go back inside the cage so I always put both of them in there. it's not really fair when both get punished for something only one of them did but at the same time it keeps Garbo calm. Nixon is very adaptable anyways. and she usually just goes and takes a nap when she gets back in the cage.
Garbo is a smart one (aren't all rats though?)
just now she figured out that if she runs into the dining room I will follow and try to catch her. eventually she figured that if she lets me catch her - she can climb up on my shoulder and get a ride back to the living room this way. so she started doing this and actually just stopped so I could grab her. she didn't even resist because she just wanted to get up on my shoulder. Garbo knows that shoulder rides mean being able to explore places at new heights. such as the book case or the second shelf in the hallway closet. the book case was very interesting to her. I should have taken a picture of her sitting on top of the toy dinosaur that we have in the book case! I wonder why Nixon never does anything like this. lately all she's been wanting to do is sit under the couch or lick the plates we might have left in the living room :/
speaking of Nixon and licking - we shared a soda can today. not a SODA because rats can't drink carbonated drinks but we did share the CAN itself. with me obviously drinking the contents of it and Nixon licking off the condensation that had formed on the can :D team work occurs at the rat house.
well I suppose that's it for now.
I did take a picture of her in the book case but it's not on the computer yet.
will probably post it later.
Monday, January 17, 2011
as I mentioned before I got the rat book for christmas and it's been very useful since it helps me understand the ratties a little better :)
I've only had dogs and cats before (and a couple of frogs too but you don't really play or cuddle with them) and those two are easy species to read and interact with but I've felt kinda lost with the rats from time to time. I think being educated about your pets is important. it makes both you and your pets happier and strengthens the bond between pet and owner. one thing I learned about the rats that got me kind of confused before was the whole thing about bruxing (grinding the teeth together). it could mean three different things so depending on the context of the situation you can pick up what the rat is trying to tell you. like today Nixon was playing with a ball for a while and it seemed like she was having a good time rolling the ball around and gnawing on it so she started grinding her teeth together. I can't really imagine her being stressed about playing with the ball so I can assume that she was enjoying the playtime :)
the rats have a cup on the "upstairs" platform and they never slept in it before. the other day after cleaning their cage I decided to put their blankets in the cup so they could pull them out later but instead the rats thought it was a bed. later I discovered that they did in fact pull out the blankets but still kept sleeping in the cup. right now they're piled on top of each other in the cup and it's just so adorable :D
the rats also have a hammock that came home with them after their two week "vacation" at Jamie & Eric's house and they seem to love it :)
Garbo has been really nice lately. she actually comes back from behind the couch on her own. so does Nixon so I actually let them go there now. when they're behind the couch I usually just sit down and read a book or watch tv until the ratties are ready to hang out. if they go back in the cage by themselves without me having to force them in there I give them a treat.
I know I've said before that our rats are potty trained. well...they WERE. before we went on our vacation they started knocking over the litter box or moving it with their hands. they used to go to the litter box before and hardly ever went to the bathroom elsewhere in the cage. I've heard that rats don't usually pee in their litter boxes but ours would do that too. now they haven't touched the litter box but they both pooped in front of it. both of them almost went in the box but apparently it wasn't good enough for the ladies. I guess I'll have to potty train them again and probably move the box to a different corner :/
I guess that's it for today.
I feel like I should post more pictures but the light in our living room is horrible. even during the day. and our rats are so active and fast that it's really hard to get any good pictures of them. aaaand I'm actually a little weird about using the flash. my flash has nearly blinded many people. imagine what it would do to a small rat!
I've only had dogs and cats before (and a couple of frogs too but you don't really play or cuddle with them) and those two are easy species to read and interact with but I've felt kinda lost with the rats from time to time. I think being educated about your pets is important. it makes both you and your pets happier and strengthens the bond between pet and owner. one thing I learned about the rats that got me kind of confused before was the whole thing about bruxing (grinding the teeth together). it could mean three different things so depending on the context of the situation you can pick up what the rat is trying to tell you. like today Nixon was playing with a ball for a while and it seemed like she was having a good time rolling the ball around and gnawing on it so she started grinding her teeth together. I can't really imagine her being stressed about playing with the ball so I can assume that she was enjoying the playtime :)
the rats have a cup on the "upstairs" platform and they never slept in it before. the other day after cleaning their cage I decided to put their blankets in the cup so they could pull them out later but instead the rats thought it was a bed. later I discovered that they did in fact pull out the blankets but still kept sleeping in the cup. right now they're piled on top of each other in the cup and it's just so adorable :D
the rats also have a hammock that came home with them after their two week "vacation" at Jamie & Eric's house and they seem to love it :)
Garbo has been really nice lately. she actually comes back from behind the couch on her own. so does Nixon so I actually let them go there now. when they're behind the couch I usually just sit down and read a book or watch tv until the ratties are ready to hang out. if they go back in the cage by themselves without me having to force them in there I give them a treat.
I know I've said before that our rats are potty trained. well...they WERE. before we went on our vacation they started knocking over the litter box or moving it with their hands. they used to go to the litter box before and hardly ever went to the bathroom elsewhere in the cage. I've heard that rats don't usually pee in their litter boxes but ours would do that too. now they haven't touched the litter box but they both pooped in front of it. both of them almost went in the box but apparently it wasn't good enough for the ladies. I guess I'll have to potty train them again and probably move the box to a different corner :/
I guess that's it for today.
I feel like I should post more pictures but the light in our living room is horrible. even during the day. and our rats are so active and fast that it's really hard to get any good pictures of them. aaaand I'm actually a little weird about using the flash. my flash has nearly blinded many people. imagine what it would do to a small rat!
Friday, January 14, 2011
At home with the ratties.
I was worried for no reason at all since the ratties remembered their mommy :)
and they remembered all of their favorite spots in the apartment.
phew!
ratties looked like they've been under excellent care. I actually think they grew a little while we were gone since they looked a lot bigger than I remembered.
Robert and I brought back two little rubber balls and Nixon has been playing with one of them. she's so cute when she's playing :D
the rats just needed one day of resting inside the igloo and now they're being their social selves :) I'm so happy to have my little girls at home :)
I'm going to try to spend some quality rattie time today since Robert just went back to work and the past few days have been kinda crazy.
and they remembered all of their favorite spots in the apartment.
phew!
ratties looked like they've been under excellent care. I actually think they grew a little while we were gone since they looked a lot bigger than I remembered.
Robert and I brought back two little rubber balls and Nixon has been playing with one of them. she's so cute when she's playing :D
the rats just needed one day of resting inside the igloo and now they're being their social selves :) I'm so happy to have my little girls at home :)
I'm going to try to spend some quality rattie time today since Robert just went back to work and the past few days have been kinda crazy.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
now we're home from our vacation but the ratties are still gone.
we got home so late that we didn't want to keep Jamie up so we're getting the girls tomorrow instead. it's actually better that way since the part of the carpet where the cage usually is is covered in bedding and we need to vacuum before we bring them home.
I had a lot of christmas presents waiting for me here and the ratties got some presents too! they got two bags of treats and yoggies! and I got the rat book written by the famous rat lady Debbie Decommun and a gift card to a petco so I can stock up on some rat supplies :) it's good to be home and I can't wait to pick up the girls tomorrow :)
we got home so late that we didn't want to keep Jamie up so we're getting the girls tomorrow instead. it's actually better that way since the part of the carpet where the cage usually is is covered in bedding and we need to vacuum before we bring them home.
I had a lot of christmas presents waiting for me here and the ratties got some presents too! they got two bags of treats and yoggies! and I got the rat book written by the famous rat lady Debbie Decommun and a gift card to a petco so I can stock up on some rat supplies :) it's good to be home and I can't wait to pick up the girls tomorrow :)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Yay!
the snowy vacation has reached its end, and now it's time to return home to less cold san diego and finally, after three weeks away from my girls, bring them home :)
well, tomorrow that is.
I hope they haven't forgotten about me and aren't scared of me :(
well, tomorrow that is.
I hope they haven't forgotten about me and aren't scared of me :(
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