Hi, and my brand new fuzzlets!!!

[starfoot]

Hi all.
Thanks for introducing me here Jo, and scritches to your fuzzy ones.

Earlier today I was going to intro myself and my starfooted friends, but had problems with photobucket, so got annoyed and gave up... but since then I have been to the pet shop (for a new hammock n furry bag to replace the destroyed ones - meet Jiggs later when I can get her pics onto the bucket) and asked if they had any rats out the back. They did!!

2 girlies who'd only arrived yesterday, and my mum and I couldn't resist, as it's not usual to get such beautiful markings in a chain pet shop (pets At Home it was).

So yes, we've suffered from a spontaneous bout of GMRS - Get More Rats Syndrome, and brought 2 five week babies home.

Correct me if I'm wrong with the marking descriptions, but I think we have here one agouti variegated roan blazed, and one dark grey/black variegated (slightly-)roan blazed. The agouti (her faint brown may be hard to see on the pics) is called Flute... and the other has no name as of yet... Fly? Wren? Pecan? What do you think? She's already a character! Not only is she a mega popcorner and jumper already, she's an escaper, a nibbler, a power-groomer, and a shredder too! She's going to be a handful! She's the one trying to groom Jiggs more in the vid.... here'r their pictures... apologies for some being blurry, but they will NOT stay still!

And a vid of their first intro with Jiggs the Bad, a siamese rescue rat who is extremely naughty and whose exploits I will post later some time. She is being extremely good here with the newbies, but I made sure she was tired and sleepy when she met them, and kept them on the chair.

She's called Pi now... not only is it a cute name, but she goes from 0-100 in 3.14 seconds!

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

OMGosh those babies are so cute. :lol:

 

[jorats]

Hi!! and welcome!

Your sweeties are gorgeous. I'm not all that familiar with UK markings, we don't have very many roans here but they sure look like they could be. I guess you'll know for sure when they start to fade. :lol:

 

[starfoot]

Yeh, I'll see in a few weeks or so.

Right now I need help... I've been looking closely at the babies, and am panicking a little, as one may be a boy. There are no blantant torpedo shaped balls (like there were on 2 of her littermates) but there is a crinkly little bit of skin between her/his/it's anus and urethral opening. It's not very big, but is definately crinkly.. what do you think?... I'll see if I can go and get a picture... apologies to Flute's dignity!

 

[mamarat]

Your girls are gorgeous. Love the markings.

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

Sounds to me that it is a boy? I had this same problem with a resuce I took in he pulled his testi's in his body cavity and I could have swore he was a girl. I had to get him nuetered because I have all girls. Let him run around for awhile and they should come back out and you will know for sure. I would keep him seperated for now until you know for sure.

 

[starfoot]

Thanks mamarat... I've been busy reading everything on this site, and I'm getting to know your babes a bit too.... they're all so irresistable.

Jo, Melissa, Here's the pictures I was talking about earlier...
This is Pi's bum... she's a girl

And this is Flute's.. it doesn't hang down like that, but I gently squeezed it a little bit so you can see how much crinkle skin there is.... I bet she's a he... it's she? He? oh damn... nightmare.... either a neuter on the cards, or sep cages with another baby to befriend him/her... Please tell me Flute's a girl.... she's not is she???????

Yeh he's a boy isn't he.... Ah who am I kidding... that pick looks like proper torpedos x

 

[mamarat2]

ummmm yah, definitely looks like the kiddo has a little package going on there......

 

[starfoot]

Yup! Ah bugger... I can't believe I didn't notice... but his littermates' were so very obvious.... I'll keep you all updated on the situation... but for now I shall separate him from his sister and nickname him sneaky balls!

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

Oh, yeah that's a boy!!!! I would just get him neutered or if you don't mind two cages and separating the boys and girls you could just get another cage and get him a buddy. But it is up to what you want to do. I would check my girly and keep an eye on her to make sure she is not pregnant depending on how old they are. I am pretty sure girls get pregnant at 5 weeks and boys can make babies at 6 weeks. Or it maybe the opposite, I can't remember.

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

Yup! Ah bugger... I can't believe I didn't notice... but his littermates' were so very obvious.... I'll keep you all updated on the situation... but for now I shall separate him from his sister and nickname him sneaky balls!

Sneaky balls that is so funny :rofl5: I have a Chiuhaua that has only one testi and we call him the Uni-baller. :lol7:

 

[starfoot]

Uni-baller!!! hahahahha

Yeh I've just had a check on Mr Sneako Torpedo, and they look even bigger now! I am calling the pet shop tomorrow morning to reserve a little champagne girlie (who was definately a girl! hehe) to stay with Pi, and I'm not sure about flute yet.

The vets around us aren't massively experienced with rats, so I'm a touch dubious about a neuter... but I'm going to look into rat specialists on the net now, if I can't find anything, he may have to go back to the shop poor little guy.... lose a great mum and a great home? or lose his bolly wollocks?? Tough call!!

Edit - they are 5 weeks old, 5 and a half at most x

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

I agree tough call. That is why I double, double check before I get one from a pet store. I had a cute little one picked out the other day and when I looked a lot closer I could see he was definitely a boy (very good at hiding his package).

The store I was at separates their boys and girls so they were glad I noticed it and they put him the right cage. They did not want any surprise litters.

 

[starfoot]

Good advice... See we've always had girls, and I had no idea the little guys were so adept at hiding their fuzznuts... all the boys I've seen in shops and at breaders have proper duel packages!.... Ah well, I live and learn.... I'll keep you updated on what happens to the little guy x

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

I wish we lived close to each other I would take him. You can never find possible roans in the US and I have a good rat vet to do the snip, snip. SHUCKS. :x

 

[Melissa]

What cuties! Sneaky little boy coming home with you, lol.

 

[jorats]

One sure fire way to tell, check for nipples!

 

[chicky82]

There are other UK residents on here, maybe if you can't get him neutered or keep him you could ask them? check out the member list and PM them
just an idea, I would hate to hear that he had to go back to a store he looks lovely :tumkiss:

 

[mamarat2]

Couldn't you ask if the pet shop still has some of his brothers? Bring him a friend home to live with?

 

[starfoot]

Hi all, thanks for answering... I would've loved to give him to one of you guys... but instead I have good and bad news.

The bad news, is that Flute aka Sneaky balls, has gone back to the pet shop to be back with his 2 brothers, I'm sure he'll go to a great home, but it was so sad seeing him go... I loved him already! But at the moment, we have 2 cages in the kitchen (they've been there for a year) as the foundations are being reset in the conservatory where they used to be. This is taking a long time, and once it's done and redecorated, we can have more cages again... but right now we just don't have room for an extra boy cage... and the vet I phoned had only done one rat nueter before... Poor guy... I'll miss him. :cry:

The good news, he's with his brothers, and the girl in the pet shop said she might take them all as they're such a lively good looking bunch. And also, we have a little champagne hoody girl who's in with Pi now... very cute... I'm still using the name flute, but it depends what name she grows into in the next 2 weeks or so, I'll see what she tells me I'll post pics of her soon.