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.

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 :)

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!

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.

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!

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.

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 :)

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 :(