The baby gets a name. (EXTREMELY PICTURE HEAVY)

[LightningWolf]

He is adorable.

If you get him a friend from a pet store try to find a pet store that breeds their own rats, or gets it Only from small breeders (Typically people who breed feeders will get too many at once and will give them to a pet store to be sold as pet, typically they do it with the pretty ones or really nice ones), not the big pet mills. Or if you only have a big pet store chain in your area make sure that they take good care of their rats and other animals.

[Flora]

So glad he is going better! he is super sweet!

[achackysac]

I know I'm late to reply to this, but YAAAY!!! Im so excited that he's doing well and has a name congrats!


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[PurpleGirl]

Oh he's so lovely!

[Cupcake&Candy]

Such a precious kiddo. Good job, Dad! I really love that name - it'll fit him even better when he's a big mushy laprat.

[unlikelyfather]

Oh boy. Ras is so much bigger than any of you know, right now. I've been meaning to get around to an update, and since this post has been bumped I think I'll just add to it.

[unlikelyfather]

Well puberty's onset has finally delivered itself unto us. It's supposed to set in at roughly 5-6 weeks of age, or so the internet tells me. I expected more than I've seen so far, but what I've been handed is more than enough/acceptable, haha.

Rasputin has a new sheen to his coat that seems to be a product of puberty, or more correctly, of buck grease. There's no orange tint or buildup just yet.

He still allows himself to be picked up and handled and come into contact with humans, yet his overall sensitivity has increased markedly in the past two days. He's more nervous about sounds, and it would seem to be due to the introduction of testosterone. Jitters, I'm sure.

The play fighting and the power grooming have started picking up in habit, but most remarkable are two odd developments:

1. He seems to be attracted to my hair in a way that causes him to powerfully groom/maul it. This also applies to the back of my neck and may have to do with my smell or grease, but it's hard to tell. I also shower every day. Maybe he just hates my shampoo.
2. He squeaks. A lot. He'll be crawling through my hoodie and squeak if it presses around him any amount, regardless of whether it hurts. He also squeaks when play-fighting. They're not agitated squeaks, they seem to be "hey! leave me alone!" noises, noises of protest and maybe fear.

For his own sake I'm looking into neutering him because he's amped up - but so far I have not seen hide nor hair of hormonal aggression. He's just a hyper active, bouncy little weirdo who gets more nervous in daylight than he used to.

I'm sure nobody here cares about that, though. You all just want pictures. Once again... Lots of pictures, hope this isn't too big or breaking the rules somehow.


As you can see, he's been moved into his big cage and is quite enjoying the space if I'm good at reading that little face by now. This photo was taken after his first successful full night in it.

What I should say, though, is that that little face is shouting loud and clear:

"This is where I thought the food would be. Food?"


This, a few days later, just to document the subtle shift in facial features from a more youthful face to a more adult appearance:




Then today I managed to capture some time with the elusive young gentleman:


He wasn't too sure about the whole idea of being out during sunlight, though.



I managed to convince him to let everyone get a proper peek at what he'd turned into.



He was still a little reluctant.
Also, this is the only hammock he likes despite having two to choose from.



He's still curious any time he sees the camera, only as a teenager-going-on-young-adult he's a little better at looking coy this time.



Still not too thrilled with playing model.



Or with fingers, especially when the dogs are barking.



But he knows cheek and ear rubs mean everything works out in the end.

[skottiesgerl]

omg too cute.. love it... <3

[cagedbirdsinging]

Ugh... he is so CUTE!

[YellowSpork]

Awwww, he's growing up so nicely! Adorable! x3