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MelissaG

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
177
Location
Orlando, FL
Hello everyone! I'm new to this whole rat thing, but I have fallen in love with the little sweeties!
We have 7 children - 19 yr old son, 10 yr old son, 9yr old daughter, 7yr old son, 4 yr old daughter and 3 yr old twin boys. About 6 months ago our (then) 8 yr old decided that she wanted a rat. So she started working on her Dad, I'm easy I love animals. Oh yeah, we also have a chihuahua and a cat, plus two feral, altered cats that stay outside. Anyway, Callie worked really hard on her Dad. She wrote songs, drew pictures, we got a rat cookie cutter and made him cookies. If anyone deserved a rat it was her. Finally her Dad gave in and now we have three beautiful little boys - a hairless named Harry, a blue named George and a black and white Dumbo named Cutie. I love the little guys and I can definetly see this being an addiction!! Fortunately, I bought the double FN. I would have been so jealous of y'alls cages if I had gotten the one we first looked at. I LOVE our cage.
I am really enjoying this site and I am so glad I found y'all. I've learned so much already. I want to be a good mom to the little guys and I know I can come to y'all with questions.
Sorry this is so long - I tend to ramble on alot!
Thanks for listening - I think my family is already getting tired of all my 'rat talk'!
Melissa :D
 
Holy Mackerel! How could you help but to be a good rattie-mom with all the practice you have with other species? 7 human kids even!!! Kudos to Callie for recognizing the specialness of ratties!
You ought to have a few words with mamarat, her daughters brought her to ratties too. And her hubby Morats, I don't think their daughters used songs & pictures, I think they just dumped the ratties on them and let the ratties speak for themselves :laugh4:
Oh, Welcome to Rat-love & the Rat Shack!!!
 
Hi Melissa and WELCOME to the Shack! Our stories are similar as my daughter also introduced me to rattie love! She is almost 17 now and has since moved on to other interests but I got stuck on them so here I be! You've come to the right place . . . for support and helpful information, there's no place like the Rat Shack!
 
Hi and welcome to the Rat Shack!
You are going to fit in so well with us. We are horribly addicted to our sweeties as well. How wonderful of your daughter to find a beautiful way to persuade her dad.
Your rattie boys sound beautiful... are they babies?
 
I was almost done with a pretty long post and one of my 3 yr olds hit the esc key! You have him to thank for saving you from another enormous post!LOL!
Callie really did work hard to get her rat. It was at least 6 months. I'm proud of her for being so committed. Now if she was just that committed to keeping the cage clean! I knew that would become my job, but the FN is SO easy to clean that I don't mind. And I just sit and talk to the boys while I'm cleaning.
I think my guys are beautiful. But so far I haven't seen a rat that I didn't think was special. I look at all of y'alls pictures and I'm amazed at how adorable they ALL are. And how badly I want more of them!! My husbands not sure how we went from him saying Callie could have a rat to there being three in the cage. I'm going to have to lay low and not bring more home for a while, a very long while.
Anyway, my precious little hairless Harry is about 4 months old. He is so sweet and the most loving out of the three. But we had himfor a week before we got the other two. George, my beautiful blue is the least social, he doesn't like to be held for very long. DO I keep trying to hold him or let himcome to me? I don't hold him for very long, I don't want him to associate being held with something that he doesn't like. But I do pick him up and scratch his back and belly several times a day. He doesn't bite or scratch he just lets me know that he wants down and then he comes back to the cage door and looks at me! Cutie, Callie's black and white Dumbo is too cute for words! I would love to have more just like him. He is so sweet and calm, I think he'll be a real love when he decides that we're ok. We've had the little guys for one week today. I think they're about two or three months old - definetly smaller than Harry.
I'm interested in finding out more about having the boys neutered. I hope that it's not too expensive.
I found out Sunday that some friends that we used to go to church with recently got a hairless and they love him! What a coincidence! So we're spreading the good news of rats down here in Orlando!
Sorry again for the long post! I guess that's what happens when you're locked up in the house all day with only kids! Yeah, we homeschool, too! I need adults, especially adults that love rats!!
I am so glad that I found y'all! Thanks for the warm welcome!!

Melissa :flower:
 
MelissaG said:
I was almost done with a pretty long post and one of my 3 yr olds hit the esc key! You have him to thank for saving you from another enormous post!LOL!
Click to expand...
Ouch! it's so painful when that happens! You know what I find? You can make a post as long as you want as long as you throw in a photo every once in a while! :giggle:
MelissaG said:
Callie really did work hard to get her rat. It was at least 6 months. I'm proud of her for being so committed. Now if she was just that committed to keeping the cage clean! I knew that would become my job......
Click to expand...
Sounds like Callie fought long & hard to bring you a new love! And how cool that you find you have a churchfriend to share your love & learning with in the 'real' world too. I hope you introduce your friend with the hairless to us too.
MelissaG said:
I think my guys are beautiful. But so far I haven't seen a rat that I didn't think was special. I look at all of y'alls pictures and I'm amazed at how adorable they ALL are.
Click to expand...
Well we know your eyesight & heartsight are good!
MelissaG said:
Anyway, my precious little hairless Harry is about 4 months old. He is so sweet and the most loving out of the three. But we had himfor a week before we got the other two. George, my beautiful blue is the least social, he doesn't like to be held for very long. DO I keep trying to hold him or let himcome to me? I don't hold him for very long, I don't want him to associate being held with something that he doesn't like. But I do pick him up and scratch his back and belly several times a day. He doesn't bite or scratch he just lets me know that he wants down and then he comes back to the cage door and looks at me! Cutie, Callie's black and white Dumbo is too cute for words! I would love to have more just like him. He is so sweet and calm, I think he'll be a real love when he decides that we're ok. We've had the little guys for one week today. I think they're about two or three months old - definetly smaller than Harry.
Click to expand...
Isn't it amazing how different their personalities are? People don't understand that rats are individuals til they experience then I don't think. But those of us lucky enough to get hooked sure reap the benefits of having some that love us and some that we love even tho they don't (at the moment). I think rattiepeople experience more love in more forms than most people do in a lifetime.
MelissaG said:
I'm interested in finding out more about having the boys neutered. I hope that it's not too expensive.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, it's expensive. But the main thing to know is that not many vets are rat-experienced - just cause they are great at cats or dogs doesn't mean they are good with rats. You really need to ask upfront when you call a vet what experience they have with rats. And don't let a vet neuter or spay a rat just cause they have a perfect record with cats or dogs, it's like asking a brain surgeon to tune up your car - have they ever touched an engine? It's not the same anatomy at all, or the same procedures - trust me, I've learned thru painful ways & losses (for my 'kids' more than me). Actually, a good Rattie vet is the greatest gift that a rat-parent could ask. We don't all have one, and I've got more help here from my vet many times, tho a vet is indispensable as a drug provider if nothing else.
 
:welcome:

great intro ! I already feel like I know you :)

btw, if you know of anyone interested in getting rats,
we have a member on here in Florida who is trying to find good homes for 13 baby rats
.... without her knowlege, her boyfriend put her male and female rat together and, well you know the rest .... :(

here is the link: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5566
 
I think that number is down to nine now, but even so . . . finding good, solid, forever homes for nine is going to be a formidable task. I believe the breakdown is three little boyos and six pretty little girls.
 
I read about Shade and her babies. I can't believe her boyfriend did that! What possible reason could he have for doing something that irresponsible!? I wish I could take some of her babies, I keep thinking I'll ask my husband if I can't help her out. But I really don't think it would go over that well! Besides, I don't think I'm ready to take care of any more right now. I am so new at this and I want to give my guys the best life that I can. I'm really bad about taking on more than I can do. And I know that it wouldn't be fair to the rats. One day I'll have the knowledge and experience that I need - and thanks to all of you I don't have to go it alone!
I'm in the process of trying to find a vet that I can trust. Finances are SO tight right now (another reason for no new babies right now). Someone had said something about having the neutering done while the boys are young. Is there an age limit?
Thanks again for all of your help. It's so good to find friends! And I'll definetly tell my other 'rat friends' about the Shack!

Melissa :)
 
I am definetly addicted!!! Just what I needed more animals to fall in love with. I used to want a herd of chihuahuas - I still think it would be neat to have 10 or 12 running around. And I thought I would end up being the little old lady with 50 cats (or more!). Now I know I'll be the crazy lady with all the rats!!
They are all just so beautiful! I am very thankful that I live so far away from most of you. I would be the one taking all of the babies!! But I don't have the knowledge or the finances to care for more than I have right now. Besides the fact that my husband would kick me out if I brought anymore home. Humm, a husband or a bunch of rats...let's not go there!!!!!

Melissa :dancing:
 
MelissaG said:
I am definetly addicted!!! Just what I needed more animals to fall in love with. Besides the fact that my husband would kick me out if I brought anymore home. Humm, a husband or a bunch of rats...let's not go there!!!!!
Click to expand...
:laugh4: From one addicted Mom to another, I totally know what you mean about husbands! Mine keeps saying, "when these guys are all gone . . . no more rats, no more dogs, no more nothing!" He keeps mistaking my silence on the subject as aquiescence. :laugh4: The kids just look at me and say, "don't worry Mom, 100 years from now, when the boys are gone, we'll just get new ones that look like the old guys, Dad'll never know the difference! :nod: :giggle:
 
That's so funny, when my husband finally gave in and let Callie get 'her' rat he said 'but when this one is gone no more'. So I have three and we'll have to look for duplicates of the ones we have now. And I have to be sure that we always have new guys coming in, just in case!! I don't know why he didn't see that loop hole!

Melissa :wink2:
 
Welllllll . . . just so's ya know. We started out with three and a few months later we were up to seven! :wink2:

My poor hubby. He keeps looking around and saying, "for a guy who doesn't like animals, I sure seem to have a lot of pets!" :? He's just a bunch of hot air though. You should hear him talk to our girlie Greyhound, Licorice when he thinks no one's listening. And when he walks into the room? Hearts fly out of her head. :roll: Kinda like this . . . :love4: . . .or this :love7: :giggle:
 

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