My trip to the SPCA yesterday....UPDATE 02-19-08

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Cityratt

Cityratt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2008
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1,543
Location
Guelph, On
So I went to the shelter to take a peek at the "summer babies" they still have there, I had previously emailed the manager there, and they've decided to let me rotate the boys through my house here for some TLC and socialization.

I just thought I would note that these foster babies won't be kept anywhere near the baby babies I just adopted (Didnt want to freak you out there Tara) Its going to be quarentene city.

But still, all 4 boys are housed individually....and they are all brothers, which honestly came as a shock to me, I figured they'd have them in pairs because they always try to adopt out the ratties in pairs....
They need more toys, they look kinda bored, and I cant blame them....
There are signs above their cages to only handle them if you're wearing wildlife gloves because they do bite.

So we're gonna give it our all, and see what we can do for them :(. I've worked with a handful of shelter rats and fostered them while I worked there, I dont think I've encountered a bunch that is as aggressive as they've made these guys out to be...

Does anyone have any thoughts/ideas/things I should be preparing myself for? I just want these guys to have a good home someday, and i doubt thats going to happen with those signs posted around their cages.... :(
 
So im thinking maybe I put this in the wrong topic...if any of you mods :wink: wanna move it....please feel free to...as i dont think i can move it myself....

I know the people at the shelter want to help these little guys, but they're just not comfortable with them, which im sure doesnt help the situation....
They are in 4 BIG cages which takes up alot of room....im just so glad they wernt in hamster cages (i should have given my previous co-workers more credit than that but you never know...)

we'll see, Im sure they'll be big swishy boys in no time....
 
I'm thinking the shelter staff are letting their fear of these rats dictate the terms of the handling and that the rats are sensing and reacting to that.
Take them home, talk to them gently and a lot (with the door open), offer them lots of yummy treats and let them come to you. It may take a little time but it always works for me! :D
 
I have taken home a few biters and they have never offered to bite once. Go in trusting them to an extent...I would bite wildlife gloves too in a strange scary place when I am all alone. :(

Always take precautions, offer the back of your hand instead of easily grippable fingers, etc. but do not start with preconcieved notions. For example that these boys cannot be intro'd for example, someone may not have tried to do it properly, they got territorial and are now branded.
 
(thanks for moving this! I will endevor to place my topics more appropriately next time!)

I'm hoping that they'll let me take the boys 2 at a time (they mentioned that they want to keep some in the shelter, in hopes of adopting them out....I can't really argue with them, but we'll see how it goes when the time comes)
Once I get a feel for them I hope they can be re-introduced to one another...they all did live together at one point (obviously being litter mates) when I go to pick them up I intend to ask them more questions.....
 
Oh I so hope that you can get them to be together again. At least in their wait for a good home they will have each other.

Truly truly wonderful of you to do this for these little guys!!
 
So we picked up the boys last night (in their dirty cages might I add) and let them settle in...I was hesitant to clean their cages out as I didnt want to stress them out too much.
One of the shelter workers took the hooded boy out while I was there, and he lunged for her gloved hand (she was wearing gardening type gloves, not exactly HUGE wildlife gloves but still).
I hand fed them last night, and neither tried to bite me (sweethearts), and Im going to give them some out time today while I clean out their cages (and maybe do a first 'second-introduction' so these brothers can snuggle again).
Here are the two boys - their names are Chuck and Lary but I dont know who is who....and I cant say Im overly fond of those names for these two boys....I was thinking Nib (hooded) and Cue (PEW) but any thoughts?
IMG_0696.jpg
IMG_0693.jpg

But man oh man do these boys secrete buck grease...I've never really encountered this because both my boys were neutered...should I strive to clean them up if they wont do it themselves? I read somewhere that their diet could be altered, and these boys did not have a consistant diet, when I picked them up someone had fed them either rabbit or guinea pig food the day before (a volunteer I was told) eventhough they do have rat blocks. Beats me....
 
I would not clean them for now, watch if the secretion is irritating them and making them itch. If it is, that could be contributing to their displeasure with people. Yes, a change in diet can definitely make the skin situation better. I would put them on a proper diet immediately and it should help to improve the skin in about a week or so. You could also try a few drops of olive or flax oil on their backs to see if it breaks up the grease and makes it easier for them to groom off.
The other thing that I have noticed is that unsocial rats, especially those that are already scared, react very badly to big gardening gloves. I know it is a lose-lose situation and you might get bitten for your efforts, but I have seen them stop biting when I have stopped using them.
For now, if you are wearing gloves yourself, try to approach them from behind so they don't see them. You can also try smaller gloves, maybe some regular leather ones.
 
Yea, I wore leather gloves when I was feeding them last night and neither even went for my fingers. Mind you I didnt try to pick them up but still, after seeing how the little guy reacted to the shelter worker I'll take not being lunged at as a success.
Unfortunately I really need to clean them out, but I think we'll take it slow - they're not THAT afraid and they peak their head out of their houses - coming all the way out when I talk to them after going into their room.

So it seems promising at least.
 
So glad you've got them with you. I bet that they will re-integrate fairly easily, being young and brothers. Poor babies will be happy to have love and toys.

I think that SQ found that diet made a huge difference to buck grease. Oxbow in particular was helpful.
 
Honestly I found rats that came from dirty environments were thrilled with clean cages, etc. The eyes would shine a bit and they would groom like mad things...like "there is a point to grooming now, I can stay clean in here!". I would change their cages and soon.

Talk to them thru the bars a lot. They will realize you are always around but not trying to pick them up or scare them. They are so naturally curious that they like companionship without the pressure.
 
UPDATE: oh my, that did not go well......

Had the boys out for a cage cleaning tonight, and decided to re-introduce the brothers. Put some towels in the bathtub, added boys, and lets just say it was a good thing that i had my gloves beside me - because they definately needed to be seperated. *sigh* The hooded boy is the aggressor from what i can see at this point (back arching, doing that side-step move etc).

I seperated them when they got too rough, but they wound up with some bloodshed (they nails are really long too...but im still working on their trust so i can handle them enough to trim their nails)

I just feel like a jerk. I know they're not totally comfortable here yet, I just thought they'd be so happy if they could snuggle with their brother and not be TOTALLY alone. Aparently I was wrong at this point.

So they're both in their respective clean cages. How deep do wounds need to be before you have to watch for abcesses? Should i at some point try introducing them again? :oops: i really dont know, and i dont wanna see them get hurt again.

Silly boys with silly testicles.
 
Where are the wounds? This is important in trying to determine if it was an attack or a warning.

don't feel guilty, I would have done the same thing.
Arching, rubbing, side stepping is all completely normal with intros.
 
The one guy tore his nail (its not hanging from his toe so im going to watch because the quick is exposed which i know can get infected)

The other guy got grabed on the butt about an inch above his tail.
 
Ok, so no out right attack. If they were on the stomach or genitals then I would say give up now. But not with nails and romp chomps. Keep their cages next to each other and try again in about a week if you feel comfortable. It would be great if you can get them to accept you first as well.
 
Yea, their cages have been right beside eachother since day one (Even in the shelter) and they seem to enjoy seeing eachother (they both go up to the cage and look at oneanother with no grabbing or huffing or anything)

As for me....they're coming along :) if anything their main issues are with being lifted from the cage, but I havnt tried that - they've either come out to me, or ive taken the top off and scooped them up.

EDIT: re-reading that it seems a little confusing....I noticed their issue was being hoisted from the cage because at the shelter thats when i witnessed one of the boys biting the shelter worker. That and the gi-normous wildlife gardening gloves. I dont blame him. not one bit.
 
That's excellent... no grabbing them ever... it can be very scary for some rats.
And the fact that they don't get all huffy with each other is a super sign. :D
 

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