[RiddlesMum]

What would you say? I think I've compiled a list of my girlies, would go a bit like this...

1. It is NOT 'too much trouble', to go down one ladder to piddle in the litter box as opposed to the fleece
2. The fleece is attached to the cage by those wee clamps for a reason, yanking on it to throw it down to the bottom isn't the end purpose of the game
3. There is NOTHING of interest over that way when you're standing/balanced precariously on the edge of that table at the end of the couch.
4. Gravity is NOT your friend
5. When you're both getting your treats from our breakfast/lunch/dinner, there is absolutely NO reason of either one of you to be STANDING on the head of the other one
6. The Doberman does NOT need a Rat GPS to help her navigate the house. Please refrain from attempting to ride her, it freaks her out, that's why she freezes like that.
7. Clothing does NOT need to be 'vented' by Rattie Lace techniques
8. Neither one of you have gone to school for Rodentistry, get your heads out of our mouths please
9. Eyelashes aren't food
10. After sleeping all morning in my shirt, the CAR is hardly the time to suddenly become animated

 

[Rat Daddy]

All good points. But freezing the doberman caught my attention.... One of our rats, and only one had a freaky trick of "freezing dogs". She once even did it in a vets office that was full of dogs... I was nothing apparent and nothing I could hear, but suddenly all of the dogs in the room would just stop in place and become quiet... I'd seen her do it at the park, when she would go up to dogs and sniff them, but it was actually eerie to watch a room full of dogs that were all anxious go still...

I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to, but as I've never seen another rat do it, I'm curious if that's what's happening with your rat and dog.

 

[Grotesque]

Right now, I would like to ask Gizzard why she felt it was necessary to empty the litter box, pry it ever so slightly off the cage wall, and then lay behind it.

 

[Mojojuju]

I would tell them how much I adore them to bits and bits!

...and then ask that they not chew my couch up to bits and bits, kthks.

 

[Kitterpuss]

I would explain that when he's sick nasty tasting medicine will make him feel better and would he please just drink it and stop spitting it out and wiping it all over my dressing gown!

 

[mis.kay]

Omg I love this!

1. No matter how many times you climb the cage, the view will never change.

2. My toes are not treats.

3. Cats are friends! Not food!

4. You can hide your food all you want. I know your game. Your not getting any more.

5. I love when you lay near me for lovin's and as if I don't notice you, you casually inch yourself closer.

6. I got that expensive pouch for you to sleep in and cuddle! Not to devour on sight!

7. I love you both so much. You make my day better when I don't think its possible. <3

8. No matter how much you squirm you WILL get my big person hugs and kisses!

9. Please stop trying to crawl through the toilet paper rolls. Just...please.

10. You guys are da bomb diggity!

 

[Smilebud]

1. STOP GOING BEHIND THE LITTER BOX YOU EGGS
2. Little brothers are not for humping. I'm looking at you RUSSEL.
3. Daddy doesn't like it when you pee on the Xbox controllers.
4. The landlords dog has been known to relentlessly slaughter rats, stop trying to be friends.
5. Kennedy, I love you, but stop LICKING ME FOR THREE SECONDS.
6. Please sleep in your hammocks.
7. I love you boys more than life itself.

 

[Sabatea]

1. You know, sometimes I actually stand up and come to cuddle you, not to put you up. You can stop running and hiding every time I move unexpectedly.2. Neera. Stop. Eating. All. Of. My. Food. Seriously, you're so skinny you had the vet worried... How can you eat all my ice cream and not gain a few grams?!3. Babies, LET ME LOVE YOU. There's no need to be hand shy. 4. I adore you and I miss you and I'll be back home soon.

 

[Riana]

Ginko,

When I watched you move the entire tissue nest down to the bottom level of the dcn when your sister was really sick and then bring her food in the nest that broke my heart because you are so old and covered in bumps. I love how much you love. I know you love me too even if you are the busiest rat I've ever met and you'd rather make a home for you and Nui than cuddle. I love you, thank you.

Nui,

You are just my most precious friend. You are love. I'm glad you had Ginko to love you while I was away. I'll never stop missing you.

This thread comes at a hard time for me since tomorrow Nui and Ginko cross the rainbow bridge. Sorry if I'm being a downer. It's a great thread though!!

 

[Rat Daddy]

Riana, I'm sorry for your impending loss... and send wishes for a peaceful journey to Nui and Ginko across the rainbow bridge... Enjoy every last minute you have together. Because after tomorrow the five minutes you will want most, will be 5 minutes more with them.

Vita brevis, sed amor aeternus est.

 

[Riana]

Rat Daddy,

Thanks for your kind words. I shall not threadjack

 

[DustyRat]

Blanche, stop climbing the curtains!
Zelda, leave the iPhone charging cord alone!
Jett, you are allowed to come out of the cage when the doors are opened.

 

[RiddlesMum]

Oh Riana, so am I! Please give them extra snoogles from all of us.

 

[RiddlesMum]

All good points. But freezing the doberman caught my attention.... One of our rats, and only one had a freaky trick of "freezing dogs". She once even did it in a vets office that was full of dogs... I was nothing apparent and nothing I could hear, but suddenly all of the dogs in the room would just stop in place and become quiet... I'd seen her do it at the park, when she would go up to dogs and sniff them, but it was actually eerie to watch a room full of dogs that were all anxious go still...

I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to, but as I've never seen another rat do it, I'm curious if that's what's happening with your rat and dog.

Lol! No, our Doberman, (who thinks her name is actually spelled DoberMUM), just loves them, gets her nose right in there and gives kissies/baths as she feels necessary. (Poor wee Thistle just about had a heart attack, I'm sure, when Piper bent down to investigate this new baby in the house, I'm sure her thoughts were 'whoa....that is the biggest rat I have EVER seen!') But, now Thistle, (the more adventurous of the two girls), thinks there's no reason whatsoever, that she shouldn't launch herself at Piper. When she lands, poor Piper has the most galled expression I've ever seen and merely freezes in place. I think it's because THEY'VE come to her, and I THINK she's afraid that, if she moves, she'll hurt wee Thistle. But, freezing normally, nope! She's right in there, making sure both girls have all limbs, bums, tails and noses since they were last inspected. Then, if she's tired, they get that rather 'dreamy' Doberman bath. Eyes completely glazed while they busy themselves trying to perform Rodentistry.

On a Doberman......



There's a pic, (although blurry, Pipers kisses are always so quick!), of Riddles and Piper having a love session!

 

[Rat Daddy]

We recovered our part wild rat while she was stealing food from 2 pitbull terriers living in my neighbors house. Apparently she had been sharing meals with them for quite some time... I have to suppose living free for a rat means something other than just hunting mice and foraging... it apparently includes snuggling with huge dogs for free meals. She actually reeked of pitbull when we recovered her an I suspect that odor went a long way to keeping her safe outdoors from the stray cats. Now returning everyone else to the regularly scheduled thread.

 

[Finnebon]

So sorry Riana. Sounds like such loving special little girls. You'll all be in my thoughts tomorrow.

Berki, You do not have to be the big boss rat when it comes to defending your territory. I promise your neighbors would make great friends if you gave them a chance! If you'd just calm your fluff and get to know them, you could have a giant QUAD cn cage to all share! And please let me love you! You're the squishiest bub of the pack now, I want to snuggle and love on you but you always hate getting picked up and slink away when you think I'm going to touch you.

Aoife, why must you always push every last scrap of litter out of the litterboxes and onto the fleece and out of the cage? It's supposed to be there so you don't step it puddles everytime you get inside the litterbox! Also, please hold still and let me clean your eyes, I promise I'm not trying to hurt you by holding you still. And thank you for all the non-stop kisses when you come to me to socialize. I'd love to snuggle you and give you kisses back, but I don't think you understand or like it whenever I try! You're also the goofiest little thing and you can always make me laugh.You have the silliest personality out of your whole ratty family and that makes you really stand out (not counting the fact that you were the only hairless rat of your whole family). I'm very worried for you and your chronic URI and I'm hoping very hard this long 60 day AB treatment helps you enough to live out a long life.

Charlie, you are such a good boy! Such a cheerful face and cute personality. Such a handsome little man! The silliest crybaby when you're with the other rats and they try to groom you or play. You've been so brave dealing with your MC and letting me give you treatments whenever you need it. I think you understand what's happening since you almost never fight me when you need one, but I'd still like to explain your condition and the necessity of your treatments, and I'm not putting you through uncomfortable weird things for fun. You have the brightest, happiest, most expressive eyes I've ever seen on a ratty.

Mouse, you've also been so brave with your MC. Thank you for eating your medicine twice a day without making me force you even though I know you hate it. I'm glad you don't need treatment as often as Charlie, but you do still need it occasionally, so I wish I could explain it to you too about why it needs to be done. I'd really like to explain your diet and timing for being fed since you always beg for food whenever it's not available to you, and why you can't have kibbles like the other rats even though I know you love them and try to steal some every chance you get. I feel guilty having to take them away from you. You also have the cutest little face out of everyone! And please stop pee-marking everything I own.. I'm happy to let you share anything that is mine with you and all the rest of the group, but you have to SHARE! Stop peeing on everything as if you own it all!

Bijou, you are the most important baby in the world to me! You're so personable, smart, and affectionate. You're the only rat who actively loves back and you seem to enjoy it when I stick my hands and face in the cage and snuggle and kiss you. You climb into my hands and kiss me back and seem to just really enjoy getting loved on. You are my ratty soulmate <3 and I hope you know just how absolutely special you are to me. Thank you for asking me to take you home that day, and thank you for giving me the gift of having babies shortly after. You and your babies are the best little ratties ever. Also please tell me how old you are!! I'm guessing about 2 1/2 which makes me sad that you may be leaving me this year... A piece of my heart will be missing when you leave.

To everyone: You rats are THE most important things in my life. I always consider you when making decisions. I'll always do my best to give you proper care and make sure you're happy and healthy. I wish I could explain to you why need to go to vet or why certain unpleasant things are necessary, and why you have to eat the nasty tasting stuff on occasion (medicine) and I'm not trying to be mean when I have to force you to take it. I want to explain to you all how much I love you and how special each of your personalities are to me and how you all have such sweet little souls. I wish when the times come, I could explain the times of PTS so it's not as scary hopefully. And there's so much more I wish I could tell you all that I could spend hours typing!

 

[Finnebon]

And to my boyfriend's group of 3:

Rocco, I'm so happy you came into our lives! You're are such a goofy little man with the silliest facial expressions. You have such high energy and I love that you always love to play and wrestle with my hand. I love watching you zoom back and forth to empty and stash your kibble bowl from the top to bottom of the cage, you zoom around so fast! You have the softest fur, and you really do look like a little bear-ferret more than a rat. You're such a cutie-pie!

Mochi, you are so ugly but that makes you so cute! You're just so LONG. Long face, long ears, long limbs, long body, long tail, everything, and you feel like pure muscle. You're also so super playful and energetic just like Rocco! You're also very sweet and seem to love getting pet too which is nice, since "my" group of rats all don't really like getting pet (which is weird considering I handled them since the day they were born, yet you were adopted as a young adult! Why are you naturally so loving and playful?) You seem like a special little girl and I hope to have a long time of getting to know you.

Olallie, I wish I could explain to you that you don't have to be so scared of everything!! You're such a fearful jumpy skittish little baby, I feel so bad that you have to live with that fear everyday. You seem like you've gotten used to us, but you're still so jumpy and seem to be afraid of our hands. I wish I could let you work through counseling to help you with anything you need so you can be a happier little girl. We love you and want you to be happy and we feel bad that you're so scared of everything. I'm glad Mochi was adopted with you so you can have a confidant "sister" to show you everything's ok, and I'm even happier that Rocco was pretty easy to be accepted into your family so you have another positive rat in your life. It's great that he always actually physically defends you and tries to protect you whenever we do intros with "my" group of rats. I hope they give you strength and you keep improving and can be a little less scared everyday. We love you, please don't be afraid!

 

[FallDeere]

I've been thinking about this thread long and hard... I honestly can't think of anything I would tell them.

There are things I would ask like how I could improve their cage. What hammocks do you want where? Stuff like that... What can I do to make you happier? What toys could I provide for you, in and out of the cage? What type of food do you want me to fix you? Which flavor of yogurt treat is your favorite?

Daisy, do you enjoy out of cage time, or does it scare you too much?

Mu, does the little lump on your back hurt when I touch it? Should I be careful when picking you up to avoid touching it?

Monkey, what can I do to get you to give me more Monkey kisses?! ALL THE MONKEY KISSES!

Pooka, do you like having breaks from the girls or do you miss them?

New unnamed baby boy, do you like me or not? You confuse me something awful... Also, do you hide your head because you like to and it makes you feel safe or because light hurts your eyes? Should I dim the lights for you?

Anya... are you alright? I worry about your mental state... I just want you to be okay. You seem happy, but I worry... I wish you could tell me if you're alright or not. As much as I say you're the most annoying rat ever, you know I love you and would be devastated if something happened to you. Doesn't mean you aren't the most annoying rat ever, though.

So yeah... I'd just ask questions. Sure, they do things that annoy me like burrow under their fleece. I could ask them to stop, but where's the fun in that? I could ask Daisy and Mu to stop ruining the litter boxes, but then they wouldn't be the Daisy and Mu I know and love. I just want my rats to be happy, even if it's at my expense, lol. At most, I'd tell Monkey to give me more Monkey kisses and let me kiss her belly... I must kiss the Monkey belly. It's law now. Look it up. lol.

Oh, and since I just got to new mice, here's what I'd ask them... What can I do to make your new home better? Yeah, not much different than the rats' question lol.

 

[Mene]

So sad, Riana. My heart goes out to you. Their little lives are a brief flicker in the night. So sad.

 

[Rhonwen]

1. The pillowcases are not your personal hidey hole! And stop trying to chew through the pillow!
2. I swear I'm not going to hurt you when I pull you guys out of the cage, you all LOVE free range time... why be so stoopid about coming out of the cage?
3. The litter box is there for a REASON you goobers... Two of you were already litter box trained! *sigh*
4. Houdini, you are my little cuddle bug, but do you honestly see me as a friend or am I just a convenient warm hidey spot?
5. Ryker, I am your's - Please stop peeing on my head to prove it.
6. Fighting is not necessary!! You guys give me a heart attack when I hear the scuffles.
7. Fergus stop trying to pick a fight with Alfie... He's SO much bigger than you, you're not going to win.
8. Houdini, why do you love crawling up onto the top of the cage so much, the view is no different, I promise?
9. What can I give you guys that will convince you to take meds when it's necessary?
10. I love you boys! <3

Great thread, I've enjoyed everyone else's posts.