Gizmo & Nibs - My older girls from North Star Rescue

[violet976]

After losing Minx a few weeks ago, we had a vacancy in the house for one needy rattum. As it would turn out, we ended up with 2 oldie girls, one suspected of PT & her sister since we weren't sure how long we might have either. The adoption was arranged Monday & the girls were loaded on the train Saturday headed from California to Washington, with Zoe of Andy's Pet Shop kind enough to drop them off in between. :heart:

The two wee, old ladies are absolute loves. The one with suspected PT I'm working with Shelagh on, trying to rule out a possible inner ear infection. If she does have PT, she is still getting around very well and able to hold her own food. Levels, hammocks, ladders and edges/drops do not seem to phase her, and the only time I've seen her roll is when I attempt to pick her up.

Her sister is currently struggling with a respiratory infection & sounds pretty bad. It was known early on that this bunch would have constant issues with respiratory, so this was not a surprise. Both girls are currently on Baytril & Doxy, and have a vet appointment lined up for Wednesday morning unless they need to be rushed in sooner.

I've finally decided on Gizmo for the tilty girl, as she's such a quarky little thing & I think the name captures her well. She is an absolute doll, and melts your heart looking down at you crooked from the levels and sniffing your face. Nibs named herself, as she is a medium/hard hand & nail biter. She doesn't break the skin, but does it hard enough that I've begun "eep" treatment with her (eeping each time she bites too hard). She's old, so we'll see if there is any hope for reform or if she is set in her ways.

They are also monumental markers. For some reason I thought dribbling was more of a boy rat trait. These girls beg to differ. :laugh4:

In any case, these girls are an absolutely fantastic addition to our home, and due to the suspected PT we got lucky enough that my father agreed to both. We may or may not have them long, but they are absolutely a perfect match & I'm looking forward to seeing how they get along with the boys.

& a handful of videos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scarletnotion/sets/72157629711033465/with/6887102096/

 

[EDK]

That sounds great! Good luck to you and the new girls

 

[trihkal]

I'm so glad you decided to rescue these girls. It's nice to hear how well they're fitting in too.

 

[violet976]

I am so glad I took these girls. They are absolutely wonderful & really, they enabled me to have the company of 4 rats instead of 3, even if it's only this one time. & watching them, there is no way you'd want to separate them. They are very bonded, indeed.

Well, I attempted the first washer/dryer intro today. Normally I would have slowed the process but I have a vet appointment lined up for Bug Wednesday, & since the girls are in more need of it, I'm hoping to get the girls & Bug in the same carrier for the same appointment. Otherwise, the girls will get it & Bug will have to be rescheduled.

I'm happy to report though that the washer/dryer intro went promising this time around. It was my second attempt with it, as it was the best way I found with Bosco last time around. Basically, throw a rug on top of the washer/dryer and run the dryer with some clanky clothes inside - then attempt intros on top. It seems to work well, as it's neutral territory and all the rats are quite scared, and less interested in fighting. I also have a jar of coins I shake from time to time to make it a bit scarier.

All in all, it went well. I got all 4 together, starting with the two most promising (Bug & Nibs), and eased into all 4. No fights, no tussels after a full hour up there. & things went well until I attempted to bring them back together in the travel cage. My mistake, as they had fleece to burrow under, and when I put Bug & Nibs in there they both burrowed, met in the middle, and had a good tussle.

Things looked good again on the bed, with nothing to hide under, until Bug & Gizmo (tilty girl) met and then those two had a big tussle. When I watched close and they met again, I saw Bug pawing at the ground and side stepping towards her... so we're not quite there yet. I think poor Bug is now frightened from the initial tussle so he is ready to react now, and I also think that we're having trouble with him & Gizmo because she's got the head tilt/balance issues & he really does just plow into/on/over/under any rat he comes across. He's the friendliest rat I know, but he's a huge boy & has always been pushy when he wants to go somewhere.

All in all though, I still think it seems promising, especially for day one.

Here's a photo on top of the washer/dryer, after about an hour:

& two videos of intros here, along with a new video of the girls playing in their laundry as I cleaned:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scarletnotion/sets/72157629711033465/

Nibs is still sounding pretty bad. I moved the vet appointment from Thursday to Wednesday (the day my vet gets back from vacation). She's on her 4th dose of baytril/doxy & I'm going to try bringing the cage in the shower for the steam next. Also looking into a nebulizer which I'll discuss with my vet to make sure he'll prescribe meds for one if I have it.

 

[jorats]

CongRATS on the new girls. Funny how oldies can still cause a threat to the resident rats. Take it slow, and you'll get there.

 

[violet976]

@ Jo: Yes, luckily all signs point to a positive outcome. If I wasn't really hoping to get both Bug & the girls all to the same vet appointment, I would've waited a few more days. As it is, we simply took a step back and went back to the washer/dryer (without it running this time). That progress looks wonderful, they just run around and eventually all line up against the wall & snuggle. This time it was Bug paired with Gizmo (tilty) and Bosco sleeping with Nibs. But again, if I take them back to the top of the bed, it gets a bit more tense. & it's pretty much just Bug, who doesn't really seem put off by the girls, but rather, seems to be a bit panicked that he has nothing to hide under. Normally the bed has hideys, a travel cage, fleece. Now he tenses up completely and starts trying to chew his way through the bedspread. :roll:

Still though, we're making forward progress. & if I can't get Bug safely in the travel cage with the girls Wednesday, then they'll just get his appointment. Nibs has me quite worried with her breathing right now, & Gizmo's head tilt takes priority over Bugs leftover ball. I think this may be the first time I've ever had a line-up of priority for the vet. It's quite strange. :giggle:

 

[mia9_28]

You can't borrow a small cat travel cage from a friend so you can bring them separated?

Congrats on the new girls! I'm glad you took in some oldies. I have a sweet spot for them. <3

 

[temblabamomo]

What a couple a of sweet old girls. How wonderful of you to take them in.

 

[violet976]

You can't borrow a small cat travel cage from a friend so you can bring them separated?

Congrats on the new girls! I'm glad you took in some oldies. I have a sweet spot for them. <3

:emb: :emb: The thought never even occurred to me. I have a cat carrier sitting in my closet. Goodness. It's been a long week. :emb:

Thanks so much though, as now I don't have to worry about not being able to get them all down there. I really wanted to have Bug's "shouldn't be there, but it is" ball rechecked. My vet checked it initially a year ago, took a sample to check for infection & said he preferred to let it resolve on it's own. I've checked with him periodically and he still stood by that. But being that it's been so long, and it's a nice sized "non ball", I'd feel better having him actually take another looksie. I'm sure Bug wont appreciate it, but that's a long time to have a non-ball around.

 

[hopefloats]

Aww such pretty girls! congrats on the new ratties.

 

[TheRatQueen]

I wonder if they're the girls from the adoption even they just did! I was nuzzling up with the PT gal if that's the case. They are pure sweethearts!

 

[violet976]

I wonder if they're the girls from the adoption even they just did! I was nuzzling up with the PT gal if that's the case. They are pure sweethearts!

Hmmm. Not sure, honestly. I was under the impression that these girls weren't actively listed for adoption, due to their special needs and age. But perhaps I'm wrong. :wink2:

 

[mia9_28]

:emb: :emb: The thought never even occurred to me. I have a cat carrier sitting in my closet. Goodness. It's been a long week. :emb:

Thanks so much though, as now I don't have to worry about not being able to get them all down there. I really wanted to have Bug's "shouldn't be there, but it is" ball rechecked. My vet checked it initially a year ago, took a sample to check for infection & said he preferred to let it resolve on it's own. I've checked with him periodically and he still stood by that. But being that it's been so long, and it's a nice sized "non ball", I'd feel better having him actually take another looksie. I'm sure Bug wont appreciate it, but that's a long time to have a non-ball around.

The week has only started!

Odd... I hope the vet finds an answer for his "non ball"! It's probably nothing serious though.

 

[mamarat]

Congrats and kudos for giving the old girls a forever home.

 

[TheRatQueen]

I wonder if they're the girls from the adoption even they just did! I was nuzzling up with the PT gal if that's the case. They are pure sweethearts!

Hmmm. Not sure, honestly. I was under the impression that these girls weren't actively listed for adoption, due to their special needs and age. But perhaps I'm wrong. :wink2:

I know that we had 3 older PEW's and one was tilty. She said they were 2 or older.

 

[rhapsody]

I wonder if they're the girls from the adoption even they just did! I was nuzzling up with the PT gal if that's the case. They are pure sweethearts!

Hmmm. Not sure, honestly. I was under the impression that these girls weren't actively listed for adoption, due to their special needs and age. But perhaps I'm wrong. :wink2:

I know that we had 3 older PEW's and one was tilty. She said they were 2 or older.

YES! I remember those girls! You got lucky Melissa - I could have sworn that TheRatQueen's sweetie was going to bring those PEWs home. :giggle:

Eh, the rescue doesn't usually list the special needs ones on Petfinder, but they will bring them to adoption events. We get a lot of experienced rattie folks coming through (plus the rattie-loving volunteers *coughTheRatQueencough*), and the special ones often find awesome homes.

 

[TheRatQueen]

HAHAHA!!! He definitely loved them.

 

[violet976]

Oh wow. That's awesome to see people on here who know them personally. It seems so, strange. :giggle: :giggle:

They are wonderfully sweet girls, and they were guessing 2+ in age. Nibs is sounding a tad better this morning. I think quite honestly the intros were too much stress for her this week, given the state of her wee lungs right now. She still sounds rough, but so long as I let her rest in the cage she isn't nearly as bad as she was yesterday.

Fingers crossed. Just 24 hours until our vet appointment & she'll be in good hands again.

 

[TheRatQueen]

Awesome!

 

[Petunia]

that is great that these girls already have a fan club! it's bound to get even bigger now!



I love the names you picked for them.
they look quite confident in the videos, for all they've been thru, I would have expected them to be a lot more shy and nervous

sending good wishes their way for their vet visit