Tail chasers and other unique ratties

The Rat Shack Forum

Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

starfoot

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
586
Location
Middlesbrough UK
Hi all

Has anyone else ever come across a tail chaser before? I've never seen it in rats, but one of my new girls Pi does it! Particularly when she's pinging and all excited she'll glimpse her tail and speed after it in tiny tiny circles!! It's absolutely hilarious and I'm desperately trying to get a video of it!

Has anyone ever seen it before?

I've mentioned in another post that I also had Flitt the nail biter, and treacle the tail wagger, who used to wag her tail loads from side to side, pointing straight up in between... she did it most when she was younger and cornered, but also did it occasionally into adulthood at play time.

Any one else got any unique fuzzbutts? Or any crazy traits you've only seen in one or two rats?... A nail biter, a tail wagger, and a tail chaser.. I can't wait to see what's next!
 
My Jaz is a nail groomer, she is really really good at keeping her nails very short. If only she could teach this to the rest of them. :?

Ivy is a tail wagger, if I scratch her in just the right spot her tail will wag back and forth and the faster I scratch the faster it wags. :D

My Willow is obsessed with licking my face, non stop. Lick, lick, lick, non stop and if I try to stop her she hauls butt running around and will pounce on my face and lick, lick. It is so funny, but can be so annoying when you are trying to love on the others.
 
Yep, I've seen it... too funny.

Also, what I've seen one of my females will go around, pick up the end of someone's tail and start cleaning it. sweet!
 
Hazel manicures her nails although I never see her do it. The other two do silly things, Lily chews the bars to get our attention or when she's bored, she's a little chewer. Hazel loves to give lick baths.
 
My sweet Soma (RIP) had the sweetest thing she did. Jorats and I think its her version of bruxing, but she would "flap her lips" I called it. :) She also after starting off as a terrified rat of everything, became the most cuddly rat I have ever had. If I was lying down, she would run across the room and plant herself on my chest and totally freeze. I would stroke her, rub her ears, cheeks etc, all the way down to her tail and she would close her eyes, and zone out...but unlike other rats who gradually sink into mush, she would hold herself in these awkward rigid poses and would be soo zoned out I could move her lips like Mr. Ed and make her "talk" LOL. If I stopped stroking, she would take about 30 seconds to a minute then give her head a shake and run off. :heart:
 
Jack is a tail chaser. Until I read this post I thought it was normal (by that I mean average) for rats to chase their tails.
He does it most often while in the operant chamber. Which is really frustrating for me sometimes cause I have to sit there until he is done pressing the lever... which he isn't doing if chasing his tail! :lol:
And here I was thinking every rat on the planet did this...
 
Jack's Girl - haha he's such a cutie!! Tail chasing may be more common than we think, but out of (well only) 12 rats I've had, Pi is the only one who does it. See if you can get a vid of Jack doing it! he sounds so adorable x
 
It's Flitt, here she is on the left, with Nimh the other black hoody, and Peanut, the Minky Hoody.
df7470d4.jpg


She was such a gorgeous rat, so very gentle, but she died earlier this year at the age of about 2 years 4 months (I can't think exactly as I'm at work, and the dates are at home along with a tiny bit of her fur) :D
And here she is with Jiggs.. We got Jiggs on 20th March 07, and flitt sadly died in around June... I miss my babies so so much, and Peanut too, she was older and we got Flitt, Nimh and Saffy as babies, so Peanut became the BIG Momma or Ratzilla

d780e67f.jpg


And here's the full version of my Avatar, not much more in it really! Just bigger

5cfefbae.jpg


Ah I miss them so much, or maybe it's because I'm just sad now :(

And here's a few pictures of Momma Peanut who died a year or so ago now.. you can totally tell her character from the pictures..... From "FOOOOOOOD" to sweet and smiley and old and slow... she was an amazing rat
acfda27f.jpg

c137ff53.jpg

1fcebf1e.jpg

Flitt, Nimh and Peanut...
b1c9a6d2.jpg

5897285c.jpg

And with Flitt and Saffy in the background, when she was getting old.. but still she only lived to 2 years 7 months... that's the oldest I've had :(
583a1a51.jpg

That's my girl...
37eb21d3.jpg


Sorry, I'm having a very nostalgic moment right now, the depression's reared it's ugly head higher than it usually is.
 
Thats okay hun, it happens. I sometimes go back through my pics and feel sad all over again. Its bad when you are just sad, but you are probably also very grateful that they chose you to share their special lives with. That they blossomed and became those rats with you. ((hugs))
 
I'm so glad you posted them. I often feel so sad for my babes that are gone and putting them up here is a tribute and the more people know about them the more pride we have.
I think I might just do a thread of all my passed rats. It's going to be a long one.
 
jorats said:
I'm so glad you posted them. I often feel so sad for my babes that are gone and putting them up here is a tribute and the more people know about them the more pride we have.
I think I might just do a thread of all my passed rats. It's going to be a long one.

go for it!! It would be wonderful to meet some of your old crew.
 
LA said:
Hazel manicures her nails although I never see her do it. The other two do silly things, Lily chews the bars to get our attention or when she's bored, she's a little chewer. Hazel loves to give lick baths.
I just notived today that my girls do manicure!
 
jorats said:
I'm so glad you posted them. I often feel so sad for my babes that are gone and putting them up here is a tribute and the more people know about them the more pride we have.
I think I might just do a thread of all my passed rats. It's going to be a long one.

I can't wait to see that... I want to do one myself, but never seem to get round to it, I want to tell of all their little quirks and adventures, and show all their gorgeous pictures. I miss them.

And I miss my boyfirend of 1 year who ended our relationship a week ago because he can't cope with me being on anti-depressants and having M.E. sigh....
So i turn to my rats, my little nonjudgemental fuzzy balls of everlasting love :)
 
I am sorry to hear about the BF problems.

Sounds to me like you are better off without him. If he can't love you and accept you for the way you are then you don't need him. You are perfect and will always be perfect. :lol:
 
Thanks... I'm ok, I will be :mrgreen: soon enough, at least on the outside... just after a whole year, it's left me a bit :sad-p: So I do this to my rats :grouphug: and feel a bit less :sad4: and a bit more :rant2: towards him.... but I still love him... ah life!! It's a screwy thing! bleughhhhaaaarghh
 
Back
Top