Thinking to find him a new home. Need advice from adopter/second owner

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O

Omega

Guest
Michael is 5 months and extemely naughty.
I admit that due to disastrous damage he put on my properties I no longer love him.

He is living with his sibling in cage sized 33x21x42 inches full of expensive toys. The cage is in my bedroom. I took them to exotic vet regularly and spend a fortune so they can get only the best. (Michael actually need many cares he is too naughty). Their food are controlled. Except lab pellet their other foods are human graded quality and I carefully select only finest ingredients.

Im at the point that I cant tolerate his naughty and disastrous behaviors. I wont explain how he destroys thing as it will take long. But he knows I dont like what he does so he often does sneakily or wait til I have good mood. This is the real reason why I am angry.

Now Im seperating him from his sibling and put him in 24x19x19 cage. The cage is planned to be placed in living room where I rarely spend my time in and prevent him from destroy anything. Im thinking to find a new home for him otherwise he will have to live alone until he died. And no I will not get a buddy for him as getting new unknown guy exposes me to other behavioral risks as well.

The problem is Im living in the country where new graduates averagely get monthly salary 400-500 usd. One regular visit to exotic vet in private hospital averagely costed approx 40 usd, just regular visit. Majority of those who raise rats here house them in small cage ( They think 24x12x12 cage is big enough to house many rats). Some use hamster cage, bird cage, even bucket. Average temp now is 40+ celsius and humidity 60-70+.

His home at the moment is controlled to be 24-28 celsius and humidity 45-60+ with average around 55.

If I post him online I have no way to know how new owner will raise him. I dont think I can find my acquaintance who will adopt him.I want to know your (those who are not first owners) story about rats you adopt or rescue. How well they adjust to new home and new owners. I open to your advice and comments as long as they are polite.

Thank you.
 
Both boys need to live with another rat
so the boy you are planning on keeping will need a rattie fiend, unless you decide to rehome both boys together
From what you have written Michael is engaging in normal rat behaviour
and yes, rats are expensive pets

Where are you located?
We may have members that might be in your area, or know of a good rat rescue we could recomend

I have been involved in rat rescue for approx. 14 years
Rats generally adjust well when rehomed to a good home where they are properly introed to new rattie friends
and where they are cared for properly

Here is some info re rehoming https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/rehoming-a-rat-or-accidental-litter-things-to-consider.22990/
 
Also www.joinrats.com has lots of good information.

This thread is really breaking my heart for both of these rats. Rats are naturally curious, and playful, sometimes destructive little creatures. You can't expect them to understand the consequences of their actions. True they are smart, but punishing them by banishing them to solitary confinement away from human or other rat interaction is just cruel, and will do nothing to get your point across. Plus, you are also punishing his "loved" brother as well. Rat behavior and tendencies are something you should have researched before buying them. That goes for any pet. What you may wee as destructive, they see as something else. Your best bet would be to find an understanding and caring home for both of them, and get something that won't be naughty, like a gold fish. Id never tell someone to get rid of their pets, but to punish something that's been "naughty" in your eyes for doing natural behaviors is just ridiculous. What are you going to do when your other little guy starts to act out, or gets a little bit brave? Rehome him too? I'm glad you've given him such a good life, and want him to go to a good home, but I'm sure he's not really a bad rat. How old is he? Is he being aggressive to you, or his cagemate? If so, that may be fixed with a neuter. And if you've got a good vet, as you say, that may be a good option. Please try to understand him and give him a chance, before you just remove him from all he knows, loves, and needs.
 
I agree with Dena. Separating him will not be a solution, nor will it help anyone. In fact, separating him and his brother will make these behaviors worse and the "good" rat will then become naughty because he is lonely and frustrated. Then being destructive towards property will be the least of your worries. Lonely and frustrated rats are more prone to biting their human companions and any other rat that enters the picture.
I've had some curtains get too close to my rat cage and got pulled through and torn up. My mouse pad has sat a few inches too close to the cage and has gotten torn up. Rats are curious and love new things. If something is too close to their cage, they will pull it through to investigate it. If it smells good or seems to be a perfect chew toy, they will chew it up. Rats are incredibly intelligent and just like humans, they need stimulation, which is why out-of-cage-time and interaction with you should stop these behaviors.
I've also noticed people seem to think you can train destructiveness out of animals. Quite frankly, you can't. You can only find ways around it and then don't give them the opportunities. I don't have curtains anymore. My mouse pad is now always a foot away from them. I let my rats out and supervise them to make sure they aren't getting into anything and then I redirect their energy into trick training or just general play. My rats are handled and interacted with nearly every time they poke their heads out of their hides.

Most pets you get will always act like human children until they pass away-- constantly putting things in their mouths, being destructive because they're bored, doing naughty things because they aren't stimulated enough. Dogs, cats, birds, etc. will all do this. Animals are destructive. Just like people, animals want to live a certain way. They don't like where you've placed this, so they move it or tear it up. Living with animals is like living with children-- you animal-proof your house. You change your lifestyle to accommodate them. I had to live in an at-home daycare and I am so used to proofing my home against children and animals that it's second nature.

Apologies for any of this coming off as rude or aggressive, but doing these punishments and disliking an animal for their behaviors isn't fair, especially when you don't understand why. You sound like you're set on finding him a home. For that, I'd recommend a rescue or experienced rat pet parent who can handle such behaviors. I would like for you to keep that rat and his brother forever, but your original post sounds fairly certain. If you have to rehome one, please make sure he has friends where he's going and that you get new friends for the brother as well.

As this is a rat rescue forum, most of us here have dealt with or experienced rehomed/rescued rats. Depending on the sociability of your rat and whether or not they're shy, some adjust to new homes just fine. Some don't. Some never trust people past a certain point. My two rescues were never handled. They were fed, watered, and their cage got cleaned, but I'm positive that they were never handled and even now, a year later, still don't entirely trust me. My experience with rehomed rats is not true for every situation, but that's mine so far. In the future, I'd probably rescue more rats anyways.
 
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ViciousCurse said:
I agree with Dena. Separating him will not be a solution, nor will it help anyone. In fact, separating him and his brother will make these behaviors worse and the "good" rat will then become naughty because he is lonely and frustrated. Then being destructive towards property will be the least of your worries. Lonely and frustrated rats are more prone to biting their human companions and any other rat that enters the picture.
I've had some curtains get too close to my rat cage and got pulled through and torn up. My mouse pad has sat a few inches too close to the cage and has gotten torn up. Rats are curious and love new things. If something is too close to their cage, they will pull it through to investigate it. If it smells good or seems to be a perfect chew toy, they will chew it up. Rats are incredibly intelligent and just like humans, they need stimulation, which is why out-of-cage-time and interaction with you should stop these behaviors.
I've also noticed people seem to think you can train destructiveness out of animals. Quite frankly, you can't. You can only find ways around it and then don't give them the opportunities. I don't have curtains anymore. My mouse pad is now always a foot away from them. I let my rats out and supervise them to make sure they aren't getting into anything and then I redirect their energy into trick training or just general play. My rats are handled and interacted with nearly every time they poke their heads out of their hides.

Most pets you get will always act like human children until they pass away-- constantly putting things in their mouths, being destructive because they're bored, doing naughty things because they aren't stimulated enough. Dogs, cats, birds, etc. will all do this. Animals are destructive. Just like people, animals want to live a certain way. They don't like where you've placed this, so they move it or tear it up. Living with animals is like living with children-- you animal-proof your house. You change your lifestyle to accommodate them. I had to live in an at-home daycare and I am so used to proofing my home against children and animals that it's second nature.

Apologies for any of this coming off as rude or aggressive, but doing these punishments and disliking an animal for their behaviors isn't fair, especially when you don't understand why. You sound like you're set on finding him a home. For that, I'd recommend a rescue or experienced rat pet parent who can handle such behaviors. I would like for you to keep that rat and his brother forever, but your original post sounds fairly certain. If you have to rehome one, please make sure he has friends where he's going and that you get new friends for the brother as well.

As this is a rat rescue forum, most of us here have dealt with or experienced rehomed/rescued rats. Depending on the sociability of your rat and whether or not they're shy, some adjust to new homes just fine. Some don't. Some never trust people past a certain point. My two rescues were never handled. They were fed, watered, and their cage got cleaned, but I'm positive that they were never handled and even now, a year later, still don't entirely trust me. My experience with rehomed rats is not true for every situation, but that's mine so far. In the future, I'd probably rescue more rats anyways.
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Hello vicious . How can you deal with a biter and you cant even handle ? Espescially when he is sick and an antibiotics . I have to run after mine with oven mittens
 
Nadia Mazza said:
Hello vicious . How can you deal with a biter and you cant even handle ? Espescially when he is sick and an antibiotics . I have to run after mine with oven mittens
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I have seen you post on a few other threads-- neuter your rat. I have seen at least three separate people tell you that. Seriously, if a lot of us have recommended you something and you ignore them and then go to the next person, hoping for a new way to solve the problem or hoping for a quick fix, it's not going to work.
A quick disclaimer first: I've only had rats for a couple of years. I am nowhere near as experienced as SQ, jorats, and lilspaz. The only aggression I've encountered were my two rescues (one has since passed from an accident). My rescues were/are biters (due to fear-related aggression) and after a thread with jorats and Dena, I've decided that for their and my best interest, I decided handling them (Owen and Peter) was not in their best interest. Of course, I'd continue to talk to and interact with them, but getting them out of the cage and handling was stressful for both parties. I was essentially starting the trust-building part all over again, nearly after a year after I took them home.
 
There are alternative ways to get them out of their cage for playtime and cleaning. It just takes a little more time and patience. Also, when you need to give antibiotics to a biter, you have to get creative. Try changing it up often, so they will take the meds. You can put them in plain or strawberry yogurt, and let them lock it off a spoon or jar lid (just a tiny bit of yogurt, so you insure they get all their meds) or drop their meds on a treat, and let it soak in before you give it to them. Just a couple of ideas.....
 
Dena said:
There are alternative ways to get them out of their cage for playtime and cleaning. It just takes a little more time and patience. Also, when you need to give antibiotics to a biter, you have to get creative. Try changing it up often, so they will take the meds. You can put them in plain or strawberry yogurt, and let them lock it off a spoon or jar lid (just a tiny bit of yogurt, so you insure they get all their meds) or drop their meds on a treat, and let it soak in before you give it to them. Just a couple of ideas.....
Click to expand...
When Owen and Peter were in their own separate cage (Owen was moved back into the main cage just so he wouldn't be lonely and he hasn't had any aggression towards anyone), I'd just build a pen around their cage opening, pop open the door and let them do their own thing. Of course, treats, talking, and whatever else was included but my hands were otherwise not touching them. That's changed now that Owen had been put back into the main cage and has settled back in.
Back in the day, I'd put treats in paper cups (that had the top folded in) and my rats would tear that open to get to it.
 
Thank you forr the info , note : I called my vet and they dont do castration so I am in trouble I guess , and they already charge 8p$ first visit . Plus the antibiotics another 50 $ . Montreal are scoundrels and steal oir money away . And this is am exotic hospital imagine !! Will shop around more ,I found peanut butter works well so far and have another 10 days to go and try not to get bitten as I gove the meds . Wish me luck .
 
Be very careful with peanut butter. It's thick and sticky, and can get stuck in their throat. Since rats don't have a gag reflex and can't vomit, that could be VERY bad!
 
You are in Montreal Canada??
Please contact Ottawa Rat Rescue and ask them to recommend a vet in Montreal that can do neuters

Peanut butter must be watered down …. it is so think that it will clog throats and kill rats as they will be unable to breath
 
I am pissed there is only 2 vets that do castration . #1 65.00$ for consultation and 190$ for castration !!! WHat are they nutz !!!
 
The money will be well worth the neuter. It is not fun to have a pet when you're unable to trust them and actually fear them. That was Grumpy and I's relationship for the longest time. It's mine with Owen right now, but he's getting a lot more attention now that his brother's gone.
 
Omega - separating them is not the answer, it's unfair to both and could cause them both to be depressed or act out more. You just need to protect your things from destruction. You don't mention what the destruction is.
If he's destroying expensive things in the cage then use cheap things instead (dollar store baskets & cardboard boxes intead of hidey-houses & hammocks).
If he's destroying things when he's out then keep him in a limited space while you are with him to watch. Keep him on your bed or couch and cover it with a cheap blanket when they're out. (I know they wait til we aren't watching to do things, that's not because he's bad, it's because he's very smart, you should be proud!).
It's up to you to make his environment work for both you & him. I know you can do it, and you might even find that he becomes your favorite when you make it workable.
I've had ratties for about 21 yrs and I've found that it's the ones that were the biggest challenges that turned out to give me my biggest heart-rewards.
If you need help making it workable, I'm sure you can find it here. Please try to outsmart him instead of giving up on him.
 

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