Hiya All I am Tasha (will answer to EllaRu too)

[EllaRu]

Hi all, just popping in to introduce myself. I recently got back into being a rat mom. I have two babies at the moment Ru and Olive ( I did have three but saddly Ella past away on Tuesday.) I had forgotten just how special these wee critters are and just how loving they can be.
My beloved Ru gives me ratty kisses every day. Each morning he is right there when I pull his curtain back to let in the light for loves, and hugs. Olive is a little more flightly she is always all over the place , she has the attention span of a nat but but is ok, she is a sweet girl girl too. I will get some photos of them to share in a few days. Thank you for allowing me to be part of the Rat Shack.

 

[lilspaz68]

Welcome to the Shack Tasha! Did you get all 3 girlies at the same time?

 

[EllaRu]

No I did not, I got Ru and Olive back in April . Poor little Ella never even got to met the other two as she was in the quarantine cage, being she was new.

 

[SQ]

Welcome to the Forum!

In your post you wrote that Ru is a boy and Olive is a girl.
If so, I hope that they are separated, or that at least one of them has been spayed or neutered

 

[Sheldon]

Amen to that! No extra ratties!

They sound super sweet. Female rats, btw, never have great attention spans. [emoji6]

 

[EllaRu]

*chuckles* No Ru and Olive finally got cage mates today - someone no longer wanted their four ratties. They had three girls and one boy ( and I am a sucker could not let something nasty happen to them so home with me they came) - once they are through their quarantine time (is 7 days long enough) nobody will be loney - not that they lack for attention as my ratties are loved on and given play time each day. So I have no gone from 2 to 6 imps - lucky I have help to keep up with them all. I do have a question to ask those that have more knowledge then me - is it better for the males to be neutered health wise? Or better all round for rat health that they all be fixed. Now the two older black and white hooded females - Mother and Daughter I think they are a little scared and shy have already been nipped (not bitten) just warned by the bigger female so I am letting them settle down before any more handling today. The younger two dark ones are friendly. Oh I do have one more question. Can I give them peas out of a can? Till I can get them some frozen peas? Thank you for any advice given. Sorry for the rambling post. Scattered brained today.

 

[EllaRu]

Never mind on the peas I found that information on SQ's Optimal Diet Tips - they must wait till this evening for some frozen peas.

 

[Fidget]

Welcome to you and your big little family!
So you will have 2 cages, one of boys & one of girls? Be Very Very careful, they are Houdini's at getting to each other!
If you can afford it, it's beneficial for the girls to be spayed (especially when they're young) to help lessen the chances of all-too-common mammary tumors. For the boys there's not so much benefit to take the chances with surgery, unless it's behaviourally if they're very aggressive.

 

[GitaBooks]

Welcome to the forum! So glad you could join!

 

[SQ]

Congrats on all your ratties

Having two intact sexes in the same household is an accident waiting to happen.
Rats are very smart and very very motivated, especially when girls are in heat (every 3 to 4 days). And people are not 100% perfect all of the time.

A former member had rats who got out of their cage in the basement rec room and found the opposite sex in a cage in a bedroom on the second floor. The girls all end up pregnant.
Since average size litter is 12 to 14 babies and rats can have up to 26 babies in a litter, you do not want your girls to get pregnant.

Please get one sex spayed or neutered as soon as they are old enough. You will need access to a good vet with the knowledge and experience to spay and/or neuter rats safely. Spaying girls has important health benefits and I have never heard of a girl spayed by 4 months of age developing mammary tumours. Neutering boys also has some health benefits
See:
https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/why-spay-or-neuter-rats.35402/#post-494015
http://ratguide.com/health/reproductive/spay.php
http://ratguide.com/health/reproductive/neuter.php