# Rat question?



## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

I've bathed two of my boys before as they were really stinky  I bought a specific ferret and rat shampoo and was as gentle as possible with a small amount of water that I just poured over them with my hand to rinse.

They werent happy about it but it did the trick 

Sorry I cant be of any help regarding the dog shampoo. Maybe look it up online and see if it's suitable?


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

There is a shampoo that says for rabbits and guinea pigs (forgot make) that can also b used for rats and ferrets. u can get it in most pet shops. its mild but still dont get it in her eyes. Make sure the water is shallow as rats tend to panic in baths and make sure it is luke warm. do not get water on their heads and in ears which is easier said than done.


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

Deodorising Shampoo with Byotrol 125ml by Pets at Home | Pets at Home

Grooming Wipes with Byotrol 20 Pack by Pets at Home | Pets at Home

There are two grooming products that are easy to come by. I have used the wipes on my girls fur and the shampoo on their tails. Both recommended. The deodorising shampoo might be better in this instance.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

No dog shampoo would not b suitable as its too stronv for rsts


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Guest (Mar 21, 2012)

You can get small pet shampoo's, dog shampoo is not suitable.
What has she brushed in?

The best way to keep rats clean is for them to have a friend that grooms them


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

Still wouldnt use it. its for dogs. they happen to b alot bigger than rats. . bathing in water dosent take long at all. if u dong want to use water use wipes.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Guest (Mar 21, 2012)

I would be a bit worried if you are getting condensation in the sputnic, that shouldn't be happening and is actually very detrimental to her health because it can cause serious respiratory infections.


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

You should've taken the plastic out as soon as you'd noticed she'd shredded the bag tbh not left it a couple of days. 

Baby wipes do the trick just fine for rats that are a bit on the stinky side from marinating in their own juices as they do from time to time. I wouldn't use a dog shampoo, particularly a non-water one as rats lick and groom their fur profusely, she'd injest half of it if not more.

She definitely needs a buddy too...what's stopping you?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

ive just been looking at your thread you made back in october as this is when you said you got her. so 5 months later and still no female company for her!      : :huh: :frown2:


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Fancy Rats | Information | Why Rats Need Company


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

Blade read the walking chins thread on the chinchilla bit from yesterday and u will see. 
i think the only way to describe it was :mad2::mad2::mad2:


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

I definately wouldnt use dog shampoo on a rat or any small rodent. The concentrations of chemicals are measured out to be suitable for a dog not a rat.
I would use baby wipes for any dirt or stickiness, and bath wise I would use baby shampoo.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

just read some of the chinchilla thread,all i can say is im totally discgusted with this person.
the fact they think its ok for there lone rat to be on its own.
i've already posted a link on this thread about why rats need company. but i suppose they will take no notice.

what i will say you is REHOME YOUR RAT TO A RATTY FAMILY THAT WILL PROVIDE HER WITH FRIENDS!

the reason she is clingy to you is because she has no other choice but to be.
how would you like to live in solitary comfinment all your life with no human company whats so ever????

you should never ever have gotten this rat as you clearly can not meet her needs.
you seem to me like a very irresponsible owner and all your thinking of is yourself.
rehome your rat.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

forgot to say i have 11 males living togther they all have a bond with me infact one more so than the others and he is very loving to me and loves his cuddles BUT he also loves his brothers/friends and loves snuggling up to them,playing and grooming.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

I agree blade. i have a group of.10. Used to be 12 but 2 sadly passed away amd a group of 8.


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## swatton42 (Oct 29, 2011)

Agreeing with the others that using dog shampoo would be a bad idea. There are plenty of small animal shampoos around. 

I got to admit I'm impressed -and a little worried - the same argument can spread across 3 different threads.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Well your trying isn't good enough. You've had her for 5 months now and back then when you posted abouther you were told to get her company but still you have not. 

If your just saying you will get her a friend to shut us up but u are intending not to everytime you go to see her and look into her eyes I hope you feel guilty! 
I'm currently sat in my rat room with all my 11 boys out playing and interacting with each other and climbing all over me each one coming for fuss.
And there's your rat sitting in it's cage all alone, bored, sleeping most of the time, going mental in her head out if sheer lonesome pent-up 24/7 with no ratty communication. And you tell if u think it's ok to keep a lone rat.

I'm sorry if you don't want tonhear this but it's the truth. 
If you want to be a good rat owner youll either get her company or do the decent thing and rehome via the fancyratsforum.co.uk 
Its no good saying you will get her a friend but you need to spk to your mum. What if she says no? Then what? Wait another 5 months until your rat just gives up on life and dies?
You know what's right so act on it!
Either rehome or get a friend.


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

Why are you allowed a whole different species, new cage, setup and everything, but not allowed to ADD a couple of rats to your one cage to save your girl from loneliness? Makes no sense at all to me. Getting her company should be your top priority, not adding more exotic creatures to your 'menagerie' You sound more like a hoarder, a collector, than a loving owner.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

Makes absolutely no odds how big or small the animal is when they're living in the same cage, it's another cage to clean out and several more mouths to feed, it's all the same really so why not allow your poor rat to have some company rather than get a completely different species to take your time and money up? It seems a waste of an opportunity. Push for it - I'm assuming not even your mum feels an ounce of guilt for allowing this to go on all this time...


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

I haven't got rats so I know little, other than my friend that breeds them will not allow them to go singly. Have you showed your mum this thread, just so she realises how important it is, and how passionately people believe your rat will be happier with company? I have bonded two bunnies up today and to see them grooming each other is so wonderful. And I really cant understand your mum saying yes go ahead and get mice, which involves another cleaning out and care regime, when surely another rat would be easier to look after, take up less space and better for you and your current rats wellbeing at the moment. As i understand it they dont live long lives which makes it important they get the most out of hat time they have here. Do you think your mum understands how important it is?


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

colliewobble said:


> My Mum in all fairness can't be blamed as she doesnt know. I wasn allowed any more pets so no point asking. It's only in the last week or so I've mentioned H. Mice, you can check by looking at the thread I made asking where to get some. And I WILL ask her just as soon as I can.


I think you will find a pair of happy rats far more interesting and easier to handle than a tank of harvest mice. I doubt if harvest mice will be happy at being handled like a rat is. Watching rats bond and sleep together is a special thing to see.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

I thought they were wild creatures. I've never heard of them as pets.


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## xkimxo (Jan 4, 2010)

I have kept quiet on your original thread about Tia and on the chin thread but now I'm going I say my piece. Stop with your rubbish excuses of 'I'll ask soon blah blah blah' seems to me your never going bother asking as almost everything that you write is rubbish. You need to be asking NOW. If you wasn't so selfish in the bloody first place you never would had gotten your poor rat but no you just had to have one, even lied to get your own way. Every day that you have her without a friend you are damaging her more and more. I don't care if you have a good cage, feed her well etc that is what you should be doing so I don't see why you bring that up as some kind of justification to having her alone. She needs a friend as you have been told countless times, if you can't do that for her then you should rehome her to someone who cares about her mental well being. I've taken on several lone rats and the change in them is amazing when they have been bonded to a friend or friends. The longer you leave it the harder it may be to bond her especially as you are clearly inexperienced with rats and do not seem to have much desire to better things. My heart goes out to your poor poor girl she did not ask for nor deserve this


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Lunaowen (Jan 8, 2012)

blade100 said:


> forgot to say i have 11 males living togther they all have a bond with me infact one more so than the others and he is very loving to me and loves his cuddles BUT he also loves his brothers/friends and loves snuggling up to them,playing and grooming.


Is that the one that kept coming to me lol. Sorry rubbish with names and as you have 11 I cannot remember which one it was. He was lovely tho x


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

And she has been ill for the last 6 months?


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

colliewobble said:


> No, but I wasn't allowed anything else. A week or so ago I suddenly decided to try my luck at asking for some Harvest mice, so I did and my Mum after some to and fro-ing said ok. I looked about for some, couldn't find any, so posted on here asking if anyone knew where to get some. That whas the first time since I bought Tia I was given the yes to more pets. Now I'm going to try and get her to agree to more rats instead if I forget about the mice, but I havnt been able to ask yet.


surely if she was happy about the mice than another rat or 2 wont be a problem. Is the rats cage big enough for more?


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Lunaowen said:


> Is that the one that kept coming to me lol. Sorry rubbish with names and as you have 11 I cannot remember which one it was. He was lovely tho x


Yes that was humpfrey hehehe, he's my special boy. Sshhh.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

blade100 said:


> Yes that was humpfrey hehehe, he's my special boy. Sshhh.


Having favourites is wrong, I dont have "special" rats, and Im not telling you who they arent .

colliewobble, if your mum says no then you know what the right thing to do is, I was recently down to 1 female, for the short time she was alone she was very unhappy, if I didnt have another group of rats to compare to, or didnt know rat body language, I wouldnt have noticed the changes in her, she now has friends and is back to her happy, relaxed self. If you imagine being in a very nice room with very nice aliens who give you everything you need, but you can never talk to them or communicate properly with them or anyone else for the rest of your life. Thats what your rat is going through, she may be as happy as you can make her but she is missing out on what comes naturally to rats and if you cant give her that because your mum wont agree to it then you need to rehome her now, not in another 6 months, imagine how long that is to a rat, shes already lived a quarter of her life alone, which is probabably equivalent to 20 human years.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

I have since read the "Walking chinchillas" thread. 

It's all the same nonsense and excuses over and over.

"I WILL ask. I WILL ask. I love her, I won't rehome her" blah blah blah. 

DO ask. Do it NOW. Get off your backside and do what's right for that poor animal NOW.

I'm a little sceptical here. Does anyone else just think "Troll"???


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

My first rat was a lone rat. He was the only one left in the pet shop. No one ever told me that they needed company or that you could bond them together.
He acted much the same as your rat, sat on my shoulder even slept in my hood most of the day. He free ranged in my room during the day. He had never known other rat company since he was 8 weeks old so it was 'normal' for him, wasn't like he had company for a year or whatever and then was single so he didn't ever display depression signs. He died when he was 3.5. I thought he was happy.

BUT since then I have never owned a single rat and I can now see how different my JD was, he wasn't a normal rat at all!! 
He had no one to cuddle up to when he went to sleep, no one to groom and no one to play with when I wasn't there and I feel bad but I didn't have any idea what I was doing to him. YOu have an idea, you have been told more than once and personally if I had one rat and my other half said I could have no more, I would rehome her to my friend who has several rats as its just not fair on them.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Good luck.

Do you have a pet carrier or small cage you can put them in to bond them? 
Get them some baby food or something of similar consistency to eat (ie something they have to stay next to eachother to eat from rather than grab and walk off with) and then leave them in there until they have a sleep together before putting them all into the main cage.

I've never had a problem bonding babies to older and girls are supposed to be easier than boys too.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

Why dont you ring the shop and ask for them to hold the rats for you until 2moro at a certain time. tell the. if u can have them you will pick them up if not and u cant have them fhen put yhem hack on sale if im not in by such and such time. then the excuse of being sold wont work. 

its very easy to ring up a shop and reserve rats. i do it when i get my pet shop rats but then again im always there within the next hour checking them over and taking them home.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

Rats that young should not need vanilla. thats more for fully grown hormonal rats. intro them on neutral territory like in the bath on a sofa or on your bed. if u have a small cagd use that instead. there will be sniffing pinning and a few squeaks. You will know when something isnt right as they will fight and try to kill each othrr buf thr chances are slim. keep watching them and just because they are ok in the small cage dosent mean it will b in the bigger cage. stil keep an eye on them.


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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

colliewobble said:


> Just called the shop back to reserve them as I'm afraid they'll go between now and tomorrow, and they actually have 5 not 2! So I've reserved 3 of them. I'm 99.9% my Mum will say yes, especially as I've actually found some ready to fetch rather than having to start looking around and stuff. So with a bit of luck I'll have 3 new babies tomorrow! I have bonded my bunnies but ovs not rats so I have no idea how to do it, the lady on the phone said to put some vanilla essance on them to make them all smell the same?!


Didn't you previously say you wouldn't keep 4 in a Furet plus? 

Also, has your Mum agreed to an additional 3??

Here is some information on rat introdutions. You should really read up on it before you bring them home......

Fancy Rats • View topic - Introductions

Fancy Rats • View topic - Introductions - the carrier method

That's a good site in general which perhaps you should consider joining as, by your own previous admissions, you don't know an awful lot about rats. I think you'd find it very informative.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

I havd 4 fully grown males in a furet plus. wouldnt have moe though.


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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

CRL said:


> I havd 4 fully grown males in a furet plus. wouldnt have moe though.


I believe the OP previously said they wouldn't. Must have changed his/her mind.

Anyway, as I said, I would encourage you to join the Fancy Rats Forum and gain as much knowledge as you can, particularly if your rat numbers may suddenly be increasing.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Just to point out there is a lot of difference between a rat and a hravest mouse (who i also believe must live in pairs)...an extra rat will live in the csame cage as your current girl and eat the same food and not really cost much more a month. Why not tell your mum you have been advised to rehome as your girl is getting depressed on her own. Where abouts are you...there may be people who can help with that?


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Crittery (May 2, 2011)

colliewobble said:


> Yeas harvest mice are meant to live in pairs/groups but mine fought other mice


If they can, males are tricky to keep together though and can fall out very, very badly. Some keepers recommend you keep boys solitary because of this although I know some people have had success keeping them together but only in small numbers.

I've got a pair of boys together happily but they did start off as a trio and ganged up on the third....had to rehome him with a friend 

Anyhow it is brilliant news to hear you've reserved your girl some rattie friends - fingers crossed everything goes well and I second the join the fancy rats forum suggestion, even if only to post cute new pictures!


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## LynseyB (Jan 30, 2012)

colliewobble said:


> No I dont believe personally that the furet plus is big enough for 4, but ive more chance of getting a yes off my Mum if she doesn't think I have to buy another cage. They're only babies so not very big, it'll do for a couple weeks or so, then I'll just casually mention that someone has offered me a bigger cage for a VERY cheap price or to swap for mine.


Wouldn't you have a better chance of getting a "yes" if you only get an additional one or two rats? Two new babies would probably be for the best.

When will you ask??


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

No they won't 

Someone earlier said shallow warm water and just avoid her eyes etc Ive not bathed mine yet so no real advice I would just be careful not to scare her much gentle movements and not a huge amount of water either


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I've bathed my rats in johnsons small animal shampoo.
They hate being bathed and I got lots of scratches all up my arms from there claws.


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## xkimxo (Jan 4, 2010)

blade100 said:


> I've bathed my rats in johnsons small animal shampoo.
> They hate being bathed and I got lots of scratches all up my arms from there claws.


2nd this, I too get scratched up and they fear poop all over the place, if you can avoid washing her I would. Sometimes it just needs to be done but I can't remember the last time I washed a girl it's usually the boys that get stinky.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Yes mine did the fear poo thing all in the sink.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

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